Beware the big man: Placer's Rethi finds his stride

There are few positions in sports that can take over and dominate a game quite like a big man in basketball. The man in the middle needs a full set of skills, from shooting to playing bully ball down low in the post, and few in the area are playing the position better than Placer's Jeremiah Rethi. Rethi, a junior in his third varsity season, has taken time to get going, as his development was hindered by injuries. Now that he has found his stride, he's emerging as one of the strongest centers in the Foothill Valley League. Placer coach Nate Swesey said Rethi really started to show he had taken his game to the next level during the Argonaut Tournament and he continued to grow last weekend. After a tough night Thursday, Rethi bounced back with 16- and 14-point performances in the semifinal and championship of the Kendall Arnett Tournament to help lead the Hillmen to victory. He earned an all-tournament honor and feels this is just the beginning of what could be his best season yet. "At Argonaut, we saw some flashes of what we've seen in the past from him. He's still getting his legs back from football. But tonight, that was his best game I've ever seen him play," Swesey said of Rethi after Placer's 68-53 win over Colfax on Friday night. "He was very excited about the matchup he had and he got his intensity going. He made some outstanding plays offensively and defensively." While Rethi grabbed key rebounds on both ends of the floor, he also had key box-outs that led to a rebound for his teammate but didn't show up on his stat sheet. To Rethi, the art of rebounding is simple, saying all he does is "really just box out." "I didn't get a lot of the rebounds on the stat line, but I was able to box their big out and it really gave my teammates a chance to get the ball and give them rebounds," Rethi said. "It took care of itself. It doesn't matter who gets the rebound, as long as someone on our team does." Rethi said he simplified his game offensively in the final two games of the Kendall and put an emphasis on his post play and free-throw shooting. "I really just focused on my layups. I had a very bad stretch in the first game with my free throws. I missed a lot," Rethi said. "Going in, I focused on my free throws. I made them and then that's what just gave me the confidence to finish around the basket and really anywhere." Rethi says he has learned a lot from the previous senior classes and is ready to take the next step in being a leader on and off the floor. He said they didn't only show him how to lead but how to stay level-headed and never get too high or too low. "They really taught me how to stay disciplined. If you had a bad play, just stay confident," Rethi said. "You have your chance to be great on the next play. They taught me how to stay level all the way through." He also credits his physical play on the block to his football background, noting if he can block for his teammates in a wing-T offense, he can stay tough down low and make plays for the Hillmen. Said Rethi, "In the paint, it really gives me a presence. A lot of the guys don't like to be physical down low so it really gives me the presence to block any shots and just to be physical with anybody down low. So it's a really physical game and I play it that way." The Hillmen are 13-2 this season and have won six consecutive games, all by double digits.