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Hoerner's hoops game: So cool in the clutch
It's hard to believe Highland School's Tim Hoerner accomplished so much without ever having a hot hand.
The shooting guard earned Delaney Athletic Conference boys basketball MVP honors as a senior, became the greatest scorer in Hawks history and as a result has been named Fauquier Times-Democrat Highland School Boys Athlete of the Year.
But he did it all with only a warm hand; quite literally.
Two seasons ago, as a sophomore, Hoerner developed a unique shot-enhancing habit. Prior to each game, he ran his hands under warm water at a sink in the locker room. How much that had to do with his success is arguable, but the results were impressive nonetheless.
"I just noticed it helped my touch on the ball," Hoerner said. "I just warmed up a lot faster."
As a senior, Hoerner scored more than 18 points per game and set Highland records with 516 points this season and 1,441 in his career. John Kushner had held those records since 1999 at 432 and 1125 points, respectively. Hoerner broke the career points record in a 66-55 win over Southside Baptist on Nov. 27 and broke the single-season mark during a 76-64 loss to St. Anne's Belfield Academy on Feb. 5.
“I was really blessed this season...Breaking 1,000 points mark, I was very fortunate to do that," Hoerner said. "A lot of times people want to solely give me the credit on that, but if I hadn’t had teammates that looked out for me and trusted me I never would have."
Those weren't empty points, either, as Hoerner helped the Hawks (16-12) win their first DAC tournament championship in history by beating Wakefield 65-52 on Feb. 25. The three-time all-DAC first team selection said he hoped most to accomplish that before heading to Franklin & Marshall College (Lancaster, Pa.), where he'll play basketball next season.
“Tim’s one of our top-five athletes to graduate from Highland," athletic director Gary Leake said. "He’s incredibly hard working in the classroom and on the basketball court...We’re very proud of his accomplishments."
It's hard to coax a similar admission from Hoerner. He remains exceedingly humble.
For example, his favorite moment from this past season was a play for which he was little more than a spectator.
Late in a game against Wakefield, Hoerner's younger brother Chris was playing defense against Ross Ozburn (who coincidently was the Times-Democrat Wakefield Boys Athlete of the Year), sticking with the Owls star the length of the floor and then blocking a jump shot to create a fastbreak basket on the other end of the floor.
“It got everybody into the game. It was just an amazing play," Hoerner said. "I’ve never had plays on the court where I just stop and watch."
Typically, though, Tim is the Hoerner making big plays in key situations. He said he can feel a tempo change late in games — he gets a sense of urgency and knows it's time to get the ball...See the Wednesday print edition of the Fauquier Times-Democrat for the complete story.
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