By Dave MorrisonIn a conference full of outstanding players and equally outstanding numbers and statistics, there was just one player who averaged a double-double in 2022-23.
Independence’s Corey Shumate.
The 6-foot-5 post averaged 10.5 points and 10.4 rebounds per game for the 8-13 Patriots.
If he was on the court, first-year coach Shawn Jenkins knew what he was going to get from Shumate.
“Every night it was a double-double, every night it was 10 and 10,” said Jenkins, a long-time area coach. “He is one of those hard-nosed players that’s willing to get in there and get after it. It’s doesn’t matter what you ask him to do, where you ask him to go, anything we asked him to do he was game before it. Just as luxury to coach.”
On Tuesday during an afternoon ceremony at the school Shumate signed to continue his career at Concord University.
“I went to their unsigned senior camp and shortly after I got an offer,” Shumate said after signing his national letter of intent. “I really liked all the people down there. All the coaches and the players were nice to me. I liked the campus and all.”
Shumate said he was probably going to go to college at Concord anyway, where he plans to major in biology with hopes of becoming a Physician’s Assistant and potentially a doctor.
He was the prescription for team player that Jenkins needed in his first year in Coal City.
“Coming into some of the summer practices that we had, he was an immediate spark for me,” Jenkins said. “I’ll be forever grateful to him. He came in and just bought into anything I was telling him to do. He’s got great work ethic. He’s a super kid and I wish him the best and I think he’ll do great.”
It was his role of rebounder when he hit high school that helped Shumate expand into the role of a scorer as well.
“There were some games when I realized that once I get the ball, I was kind of open and I could go back up with it,” Shumate said. “That’s really what I did this year. Not many people aim for rebounds but that is kind of a goal of mine.”
Shumate said for him there was a mathematical precision to the art of rebounding.
Shumate, an All-Coalfield Conference pick as well as an honorable mention Class AA choice, had 14 games where he had double figures in rebounds.
“When you go up for a rebound, at least how I do it, I try to look at the angles and where the ball could go,” Shumate said. “Once you see the angles where everybody is at you can see where that effects where you can attack with the ball.”
Shooting from the outside, midrange, even ling-range, is something Shumate is working on as he heads to the next level.
“Every level it gets harder, it gets faster, it gets quicker,” Jenkins said. “He will have to improve his jump shot and that is something he is already working on. He has good feet on him, and he is able to move up and down the floor real well and he handles the basketball well as big as he is. As he moves onto to college there are guards as big as he is, so he will have to bring out the guard skills to get out there and get after it and get to playing.”
For Jenkins his senior, the first signee of the program he is building, will always have a place at Independence.
“Corey came in and bought in to what we asked him to do, our offenses, our defenses our schemes,” Jenkins said. “To be sitting here as he is doing this (signing) is a blessing.”
For Shumate it was likewise.
