Saranac Lake’s Mik Denkenberger, left, smiles along with his boys basketball head coach Daryl Crist throughout Wednesday’s spring sports activities assembly on the Saranac Lake High School health club. (Enterprise picture – Parker O’Brien)
SARANAC LAKE – Saranac Lake’s Mik Denkenberger is a relaxed, cool and picked up basketball participant. There doesn’t appear to be a second too massive for the senior guard.
But now you can add a “1,000 point scorer” to that record of adjectives to explain him.
Denkenberger hit the milestone throughout his 35-point barrage within the Feb. 27 Section VII, Class B championship recreation in opposition to the Saranac Central Spartans.
But in contrast to regular 1,000-point celebrations, there was no stoppage or any type of recognition.
“We were more focused on that game,” Denkenberger mentioned, who delivered an MVP efficiency to information the Red Storm to their second-straight sectional title.
But on Wednesday, in entrance of a packed gymnasium at his highschool, Denkenberger lastly received his recognition. His head coach, Daryl Crist, and athletic director Forest Morgan stunned him along with his 1,000th point ball throughout the college’s spring sports activities assembly.
“I had no idea that was happening,” he mentioned on Thursday. “I was excited to score a thousand, but I was probably just putting it in the past, but to be recognized like that was just great.”
Crist isn’t shocked to see Denkenberger attain the 1,000-point mark. He described him as an incredible child who continuously places in work each throughout the season and past it.
“It just kind of confirms that if you put in good time and work on your skill set and continue to improve, good things will come your way,” he mentioned. “Scoring a thousand – it’s gonna be more than a thousand points in his high school career – is a special mark for most high school players.”
The coach isn’t incorrect. The record of each Saranac Lake boys basketball participant to attain greater than 1,000 profession factors may be very brief. Mike Buckley was the primary to attain the feat within the early Sixties and Connor Gach grew to become the second in 2009.
Denkenberger mentioned it hasn’t actually hit him that he’s in that elite crew.
“It just feels amazing and I’m very grateful,” he mentioned, with a smile.
It’s at all times been a risk that Denkenberger may rating 1,000 profession factors – he’s a dominant sharpshooter. But it wasn’t till the start of the season that he realized that he may truly do it. But the senior brushed it off to the aspect and hadn’t thought of it since.
When he truly scored his 1,000th point, Denkenberger didn’t know he hit the milestone … nobody did. It wasn’t till two days later that he discovered along with his grandfather.
“(We) we’re going through all the points because he keeps track,” Denkenberger mentioned. “He tallied it up and he was like, ‘Oh my god, I think you hit a thousand.’ We checked through like five times each, and figured out that I hit it.”
Denkenberger’s desire of workforce success in favor of particular person honors is simply who he’s, Crist mentioned. But the coach additionally took just a little blame for not realizing Mik was near 1,000 factors.
“I actually didn’t check to see where anybody was, point-wise, though,” he mentioned.
Denkenberger was glad to have completed this feat with this workforce. Most of his teammates – particularly seniors Cedar Crist and Zack McCarthy – he’s been taking part in with because the third grade. That “selfless” mindset resonates with the workforce, too.
“I think they gravitate toward team success and then this one kind of snuck up on us,” Coach Crist mentioned.
For the Red Storm, it appears to have labored of their favor thus far. They’ve gained back-to-back sectional titles and have already posted one in every of their greatest data in program historical past this season.
“Coach Crist has done such a good job with us,” Denkenberger mentioned. “He’s worked for us since we were probably in fifth grade. We started playing AAU for him, and it just means so much to see all of that pay off.”
Coach Crist has watched Denkenberger and a number of the different seniors develop into elite basketball gamers. He remembers them capturing hoops in his driveway, and typically even going in opposition to them in a recreation of one-on-one.
“I haven’t played those guys in a couple of years, because they’d probably beat me now,” he mentioned.
Crist added that Denkenberger’s largest space of enchancment these previous few years hasn’t simply been his skillset. It’s been his confidence as a participant.
“He does kind of what we stress, he attacks the rim,” Crist mentioned. “He’s become a really good finisher at the rim and more of a consistent outside shooter, particularly at the 3-point line.”
It’s precisely why Denkenberger has achieved the troublesome feat of scoring 1,000 factors.
And if anybody is aware of how troublesome it’s to attain 1,000 factors, it’s Coach Crist.
He achieved the feat within the late Nineteen Eighties at Holland Patent High School, earlier than taking part in NCAA Division I basketball at Seton Hall. Crist did so and not using a 3-point line for 2 of his 4 varsity years – and one other season derailed by harm.
“So, I still have more points than he has at this point,” Crist joked. “But, he might be able to catch me.”
“He played DI (basketball), so if I get close to him, that would be awesome,” Denkenberger mentioned.