On Wednesday night, senior Hudson Scroggins scored his 1000th career point in the Regional Semifinals against Chicago Amundsen. The Scouts took down the Vikings in blowout fashion with a score of 56-25.
Scroggins scored his 1000th point in his 17-point effort to lead the charge for Lake Forest. Junior Guard Dominic Mordini also added eight of his own.
With his accomplishment, Scroggins joins elite company at Lake Forest High School with some notable names such as Evan Boudreux (Dartmouth/Purdue), Asa Thomas (Clemson), and Tommie Aberle.
Scroggins’ path to this feat was no easy task. As a sophomore, he only scored 92 total points. Most players that reach this impressive feat get significant minutes as a freshman and sophomore, something Scroggins didn’t experience. He was mostly a role player his sophomore year due to many collegiate level players playing on the same floor, such as Thomas, Anthony Mordini (Ohio Wesleyan), and Noah Portalatin (Lawrence). With such talent surrounding Scroggins, there wasn’t much opportunity for him to take a lot of shots.
However, Scroggins took a huge leap his junior year and stepped into a larger role. His game naturally elevated after he grew a couple inches and put on some weight, but his drastically improved skillset is what really put him ahead. Scroggins was looking to score way more often and it showed as he averaged 13.7 in his junior season. He ended his junior year with a career total of 544 points.
“I remember the day after losing in the Sectional Final my senior year (Scroggins’ sophomore year), he texted me asking if we could go get a lift in. A lot of guys take a couple weeks off of activity after the season to rest up physically while also coming down mentally,” said Anthony Mordini. “This was not the case for Hudson. He was ready to get back to work and continue to get better. This was something that impressed me a lot about him and it speaks volume about him. Not only as a player, but also his character as a young man in his day-to-day life. His persistence and competitive edge is unmatched, and it will continue to propel him forward in college and in life to come.”
Scroggins worked his tail off this offseason as he played AAU for Fundamental U and was looking to become the main scorer on the Scouts. He was constantly practicing to elevate and perfect his scoring ability.
“He was pretty much only home to eat and sleep. He was at the gym twice a day to lift weights and play,” said brother Lucas Scroggins.
With the other four starters graduating (Tommie Aberle, Efe Yardimci, Campbell Allen, Bolruin Taiwo) last year, Scroggins was in line to be the main option for the Scouts; and the main option he has become. Scroggins is averaging 15.8 points per game this season, and is consistently the Scouts’ leading scoring.
“He’s always had that dawg in him,” said Young Buckets Academy trainer and coach Andres Marolejo.
With Wednesday’s win over Amundsen, the Scouts advanced to the Regional Finals and will take on Vernon Hills at 6 PM at Vernon Hills High School.
