Loper-led Lightning looking good

Chris Yemma

With a 4.1 cumulative grade point average, a score of 1520 on the SAT

and recent acceptance to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,

it’s conceivable Sage Hill School senior athlete Matt Loper has

something to fall back on if basketball or baseball doesn’t work out

for him.

But despite having attained academic excellence, Loper has other

plans in mind for the immediate future -- plans that don’t

necessarily revolve around GPA numbers, SAT scores or college

applications.

“I would definitely like to go to [the CIF Southern Section

Division IV-A playoffs],” he said. “This will be my last chance. We

already have 10 wins, so it’s a definite possibility.”

As a co-captain on the Sage Hill boys basketball team, Loper leads

the team in scoring, averaging more than 20 points per game. Against

Mesrobian on Dec. 14, he scored a career-high 32 points, bettering a

28-point performance earlier in the season.

The Loper-led Lightning (11-2 through Tuesday) are off to one of

their best starts in school history and are eyeing first place in the

Academy League. This past week, they won the championship game of the

Tarbut V’Torah tournament, with Loper hitting the game-winning shot

at the buzzer and receiving tournament Most Valuable Player honors.

As far as the Sage basketball team, though, Loper stresses that it

isn’t a one-man show.

“I don’t think I’ve been playing well lately,” he said. “The

success of the team doesn’t have anything to do with my skills or

anything. It’s not like I’m carrying the team on my shoulders -- I

mean I’ve been scoring, but by no means am I overwhelming other teams

and single handedly winning games.”

In fact, Loper is all about the team concept. Or at least, he

knows when to say the right things.

“I’m glad he’s smart enough to say those things,” Sage Coach Steve

Keith said. “He knows how important he is on this team. But the fact

is, he’s got good self esteem and he’s really easy to coach.”

Keith emphasizes Loper is the most essential part of his team’s

success. If Loper performs well, the team performs well, he said.

Being a four-year varsity player, he also has the responsibility

of knowing the younger players are looking up to him and learning

from him. To take care of that, Keith said Loper leads through his

actions.

“He has so much experience being here four years, starting three

and being all [Academy] League for two,” Keith said. “It’s just by

the nature of his experience that the players look up to him. He’s a

natural leader and completely understands the game.”

On the varsity squad his freshman year, Loper wasn’t the dominant

force he is today. He was a 5-foot-5, 130-pound guy who had moves and

had potential. It wasn’t until last season that he started taking

advantage of his new size.

Now, at 6-3, 180-pounds, Loper has started utilizing his inside

game. Lacking size in the past, he used to be more of a perimeter

shooter, but now he has done a complete 180-degree turn.

“His outside shooting needs to improve,” Keith said. “That’s one

area that hasn’t developed as much as I thought.”

If anyone can learn new things, though, or improve on old ones,

it’s Loper, who isn’t your stereotypical jock.

“The guy is really smart,” Keith said. “He’s got five advanced

classes, he’s got the intellect and discipline to balance his

schedule. He’s a gifted kid.”