“They play fast-paced and they let you play free,” Hubbard said.
Hubbard now plies his basketball trade donning Jackson-Reed’s green and black uniforms as a senior transfer from St. Andrews to the D.C. program. He has instantly become a key cog in the Tigers’ potent offense, which helped build a 35-point halftime lead and never looked back in a 61-23 win over Bowie (5-2) Saturday night at the Mid-Atlantic Basketball Classic at Bowie State.
“He’s adjusted pretty well,” Jackson-Reed Coach David “Tee” Johnson said of Hubbard after the win. “He’s having a lot of fun and it’s just a great opportunity for him.”
Hubbard didn’t see Jackson-Reed earn a program-defining state championship victory when he watched them at the end of last season. The Tigers were ousted by the Quakers for the third time in four years, a scenario described by Johnson as the “monkey on our back,” as Jackson-Reed has continuously seen the prospect of a state title slip through its grasp.
Enter Hubbard. A 6-foot-6 guard, he came to Jackson-Reed known for his shooting ability and has immediately emerged as a threat from both behind the three-point arc and around the basket for the 10-1 Tigers.
“He’s tough as nails, can shoot the cover off of [the ball],” Johnson said. “He’s been amazing for us, a great addition.”
It started at the Gonzaga DC Classic earlier this month, when Hubbard took a feed from senior Lucas Sekasi with less than five seconds left in a tie game against Archbishop Ryan (Pa.). Hubbard hoisted a deep three-pointer, his feet just inches from the midcourt logo, and watched it swish through the net as time expired. He then sprinted toward the Tigers’ student section before being swarmed by his new teammates.
Nearly a week later, Hubbard calmly nailed the game-winning free-throws in a 48-46 win over Bishop McNamara.
“Some of those games we shouldn’t have been in that situation, but it was just my teammates trusting me in the right moment,” Hubbard said. “It was definitely a learning experience,”
Hubbard knows it’s still early. Johnson does, too. The Tigers suffered their lone loss of the young season on Dec. 10, falling to undefeated No. 2 Gonzaga, 55-48, and will face plenty more challenges before postseason play comes around. But with Hubbard emerging as a new weapon on a talented roster, it’s hard to not to picture the Tigers finally getting over the hump in the D.C. state championship game.
“We have our stuff to work on,” Hubbard said, “but we’re on a great track right now to having a chance at winning everything.”