KENNEWICK – There is a lot for a coach to like about Peninsula College freshman Jeremiah Hobbs.
“Jeremiah, he’s just coachable,” Peninsula coach Mitch Freeman said.
“He’s a sponge, takes it all in.”
Something that might be even more absorbent that Hobbs’ coachability is his uniform.
Hobbs and sophomore Jal Deng perspire so much that they often change out of their water-logged jerseys at halftime.
“They sweat more than any other kids I’ve ever been around,” Freeman said after practice last week.
Hobbs begins games wearing the No. 15 jersey and ends wearing No. 0. Deng starts with No. 21 and finishes with No. 1.
It happened in Saturday’s upset of Clackamas at the Northwest Athletic Conference tournament, and will probably occur again in today’s showdown with Highline.
“Ah, man. Everywhere I’ve gone, I’ve been the kind of guy that sweats like a really abnormal amount. It’s been kind of weird,” Hobbs said.
“But J.D. [Deng] has the same problem, so I’m Agent Zero at halftime and he goes to Agent No. 1 at halftime.
“I mean, I have to change jerseys in practice, too. It’s not a problem to me.”
Some athletes are fiercely loyal to their jersey numbers, as if it defines them.
Hobbs, though, finds personality in his halftime wardrobe change.
“Well, I mean, 15’s cool. I think zero’s kind of mysterious. It’s kind of a mysterious number,” he said.
“I kind of like it.”
Deng doesn’t own the sweat quite as much as Hobbs.
“I think Hobbs started that,” Deng said last week of the uniform swaps, which also includes a different pair of shorts.
“Coach says it all the time: we’re probably the two sweatiest guys on the court, every game.
“I mean, it’s ridiculous for us to sweat that much. I don’t know. I don’t know what we need to do.
“The Under Armour, the DriFits, they’re not working. I tell Hobbs, ‘Hey, we just got to get extra towels out there.’”
Freeman has a perfectly suitable explanation for the sweat-soaked: it’s the uniforms.
His predecessor, Lance Von Vogt, obtained the uniforms during his tenure with the Pirates.
“They’re reversible,” Freeman said. “There’s so much material, no air to breath. They soak up all the sweat and they become really, really heavy.
“They’re interesting uniforms. It’s something we’re going to have to look at in the offseason.”
But that doesn’t mean Hobbs and Deng haven’t earned all of that accumulated moisture.
“They work their tail off, both of them work really hard,” Freeman said.
“They wear their hearts on their sleeves and play hard.”
Defense has carried the Pirates to the NWAC tournament, and the Pirates have one of the top defenses in the conference: they rank third in points allowed per game at 67.7.
They entered the tournament believing their defense gives them a chance to do some damage at the tournament, despite entering as a fourth seed and having a roster packed with freshmen.
“From day one, that’s what got us to where we’re at now. We’re playing hella defense,” Deng said.
“Our offense is inconsistent . . . but as long as we’re defending pretty well, like we’re capable of doing, man, we’re looking to upset some teams and make some noise in this tournament.”
One game in, the defense has already sent a message to the conference.
Deng was particularly stout, playing a major part in holding Clackamas’ Brandon Halter, the South Region MVP, to only 10 points.
A defense as stingy as Peninsula’s obviously requires five players working in concert, and Hobbs and Deng serve as the sweaty heart and soul.
Deng, who was born in the Sudan before moving to the United States where he graduated from Bartlett High School in Anchorage, Alaska, is one of two players (along with that set of uniforms) left from the Von Vogt era — Domach Domach being the other.
Deng is like a Swiss army knife: He has the tools to do everything on the basketball court.
“The thing with Jal is he is so athletic and long that he can guard so many positions,” Freeman said.
“We’ve had times where we had him guard the post, but then he can also guard [small guards] Derek Brown from Everett or Dominique Jordan from Bellevue.
“He’s a tough kid that can really guard. We know we can put him on their best player.”
On offense, Deng ranks third on the team in scoring (10.5 ppg) and 3-pointers made (18), and is second in free-throw shooting at 84 percent (26 of 31).
However, Freeman said the Pirates need even more from Deng on offense.
“Sometimes he passes up shots. He needs to be a little more aggressive,” Freeman said.
“He does really want to share and play with other guys. And he has the ability to see the floor and make passes.
“But we need him to score sometimes.”
At 6-foot-4, Hobbs is a bit undersized to be manning the post, but he makes up for it with his athleticism, a 7-foot wingspan and an unrelenting work ethic.
“That’s his thing: Jeremiah is a workhorse,” Freeman said.
“He’s going to outwork you. He plays so hard for 40 minutes.
“We’ve never had to talk to him about effort.
“Sometimes you have to tone him down.”
Hobbs, who averages 7.3 points and a team-high 7.3 rebounds per game, came to Peninsula from Seattle Academy, a Class 1A school with a defensive focus that he helped lead to back-to-back state tournament berths.
So he came to the Pirates ready to defend from the get-go and also to play in big games, such as those at the NWAC tournament.
“I’m really excited. I’m not scared of this,” Hobbs said.
“I’ve been to the state championship games and all that in high school, so I’m used to this pressure. I want it. I’m excited.
“Our defense should travel with us. It’s about our heart and our determination.
“I don’t know, I think we just have a lot of guys that want to get after it.”
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Sports Editor Lee Horton can be reached at 360-417-3525 or at lhorton@peninsuladailynews.com.
