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Summarized by Kent Larsen
LDS Athlete Promised to Break Dad's Basketball Record -- and Does
Las Vegas NV Sun 28Jan00 S2
By Spencer Patterson: Las Vegas Sun
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- When LDS Church member Lee Hafen was 5 years old,
according to his grandfather, he was told that his father owned the
scoring record for his High School. According to his grandfather he
replied, "I'll break it."
Lee's father, Russ played at Boulder City High School from 1974 to 1977,
accumulating 1,752 points. The record was such a big part of the
family's history, that Lee soon memorized the record, "My father told me
stories about it all the time, and I always wanted to be as good as it
sounded like he was," Hafen said.
But as Hafen started playing, his five-year-old bravado became a
possibility, and on Saturday, January 22nd, a reality. Hafen broke his
father's 23-year-old record, scoring 35 points in Boulder City's game
against Class 4A power Valley. Stealing the ball with two minutes to
play, Hafen was fouled. But he managed to pass his father's record at
the free throw line.
His coach, Bobby Reese, says that Hafen truly deserves the record, "He
deserves everything he gets because he's such a hard worker. He's the
main man on our team, but he's also the hardest worker in practice. He
earns everything he gets."
Hafen is also a true three-sport star, playing quarterback, punter and
safety for the high school football team, and pitching for the baseball
team, in addition to playing basketball. In spite of the basketball
record, Hafen's best sport is baseball.
In spite of starring in so many sports, Hafen is confident but not
cocky. He is uncomfortable with the hype around breaking his father's
record and glad to have it behind him, "(After I broke it) I felt kind
of relieved that it was finally over with," he said. "Now I can get back
to just playing."
After finishing the season, he hopes to get a college basketball
scholarship, hopefully one that can be interrupted after his first year
of college so that he can serve an LDS mission.
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