Kobey O’Rourke on the court in South Dakota. Photo by Native Sun News

Red Cloud’s latest All-Time Great
Kobey O’Rourke drove defenses crazy
By James Giago Davies
Native Sun News Sports Editor
www.nsweekly.com

PINE RIDGE—Years from now when people look back over the four years Kobey O’Rourke spent playing basketball for Red Cloud, they might remember he made the varsity as a freshman. They might even remember he wore the number “34.”

But those who truly love and understand the game best will remember Kobey smoothly splitting defenders in the paint; will remember the forceful certainty of his drive to the basket.

“I feel like that’s the best part of my game,” Kobey says, “whenever I try to get to the glass.”

From the get go he figured out that drive would be his bread and butter. His first high school coach, Matt Rama, praised him for his driving ability, “and it made me feel confident.”

Some, like Kobey’s longtime teammate, Terrell Pulliam, strike fear in opposing coaches with their ability to drain threes.

“I’m not really as good a shooter as my friend Terrell,” Kobey says. “He is the best shooter in South Dakota.” Twice in 2016, Pulliam tied the school record with nine threes in a game.

But there is a highly prized talent in basketball—it’s called creating your own shot. Most players require help from teammates to get the ball to a spot where they are likely to score. The basket from these role players is important, they might even lead a team in scoring, but rare is the player who can take the ball on his own, when his team needs him most, and create a shot from scratch.

Read the rest of the story on the all new Native Sun News website: Red Cloud’s latest All-Time Great

(Contact James Giago Davies at skindiesel@msn.com)

Copyright permission Native Sun News