Hopefully, Whitko boys basketball coach Rob Irwin has learned his lesson.
Back when his star player/son Logan Irwin earned a career milestone with 1,000 points a couple of seasons ago, Irwin didn’t want a lot made of the accomplishment and didn’t even stop the game to recognize it.
And did he hear about it – still is as the younger Irwin is only 12 points away from an even more prestigious mark of 2,000 points.
“I got all kinds of crap about not celebrating his 1000th point,” Rob Irwin said.
It is a good bet Logan Irwin, who averages a northeast Indiana-best 29.7 points per game, will get the needed points tonight at home against North Miami to move over the milestone. When he does, he will be the 41st player in state history with at least that many points and the seventh from this area.
“You look at the list and see all the names, there are a lot of great players,” Logan said. “In the end, it doesn’t mean that much because I would rather win than score. But it’s an honor to be mentioned with those players and be a part of that.”
The Stetson recruit averaged 24.9 points as a sophomore and 25.2 as a junior before stepping up his scoring even more as the main option for the Wildcats (7-8).
“From a dad’s standpoint and knowing who is on the list and how rare it is that someone has the opportunity to do that, I am awful proud of him,” Rob said. “He is deserving of what he is getting. He has worked hard to get to the point to where he is doing what he’s doing. I am proud as his dad, but as his coach as long as we win, I don’t really care how many points he’s getting.”
The 6-foot guard has 432 points as a senior, but he isn’t one that has been caught up in a number’s game.
“This year I knew I had to score for us to be successful,” he said. “I haven’t felt pressure, but this year I knew I had to score more than I had to in the past.”
To go along with the good times, there have been some tough times for Logan Irwin. He arrived at Whitko four years ago after some hullabaloo in his former location in Warsaw, where he had played a long time as a young player. Then last year, it was rough on the entire family when Rob was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
“What separates Logan his whole career from guys who are maybe a little more talented or bigger is that it comes right down to his (mental and physical) toughness,” Rob said. “He goes through a lot of adversity and still finds a way to get it done.”
Still, Logan has managed to remain focused and has been a perfect fit at the Whitley County school.
“(Former Whitko standout and fellow Warsaw transfer Zac Van De Water) just kind of baby-sat me through the whole thing,” Logan said. “The kids here at Whitko have done a great job of just letting me be who I am, and they don’t let me worry about other things.
“From a family standpoint, (his dad’s illness) was tough no matter what. We just had to keep going, and I had to just get through it.”
