On course to average double figures in points for a third consecutive season, Whiteland boys basketball player Mike Valle will get there beating to his own drummer.
A soft-spoken 6-foot-7 forward/center, Valle (pronounced Vie-yay) over the past few years has been a jump-shooting, rebound-grabbing, screen-setting example of teenage free-spiritedness.
Valle’s signature apparel during school hours is plaid pajama pants (he owns five pair) extending all the way down to his beloved cotton Indiana University slippers.
He’s also big into tie-dye, which is often incorporated into Valle’s look. Sometimes it matches; more often than not it doesn’t.
Then there is the hair.
During Warriors’ games, Valle’s shoulder-length locks are tightly pulled back. It’s a look known to occasionally make him the target of barbs from opposing cheering sections, but Valle tunes them out.
Unique brand of style aside, there’s substance to Valle’s game.
Valle, who can be utilized offensively and defensively anywhere on the court, averages team highs of 18.5 points and 6.5 rebounds after victories at Mt. Vernon (Fortville) and Perry Meridian to open the season.
He’ll attempt to lead Whiteland to its first 3-0 start in eight years tonight when it opens Mid-State Conference play against visiting Plainfield.
“I’ve always been quiet. I wear really casual, laid-back clothes,” Valle said. “House slippers all the time. Pajama pants every day. I’ve probably been doing it since my sophomore year.
“Everybody’s used to it now. I don’t care that much about how I look. It’s just something I don’t think is that important.”
Valle, a three-year starter who came off the bench for coach Matt Wadsworth as a freshman in 2012-13, has his serious sides.
He maintains a 3.3 grade-point average and would like to eventually major in zoology. As one of three seniors on the Warriors’ roster, Valle for the first time in his basketball career is being asked to embrace a substantial leadership role.
Valle’s actions and words carry meaning after he averaged 11.4 points a game as a sophomore and 11.5 points and 4.5 boards last winter.
“I think I’m an all right leader. I do talk more this year than any other year,” he said. “I am a senior, so all of them kind of … I don’t want to say look up to me, but follow what I do.”
Now in his fifth season at Whiteland, Wadsworth has known Valle since the latter was an eighth-grader. In the years since, Valle has grown taller, the hair has became longer and the clothing more … well, comfortable.
The coach doesn’t object because Valle’s dedication and work ethic are never questioned.
“My thing about his hair is, No. 1, it’s a reflection of his personality. Mike is kind of a free spirit, but he plays hard,” Wadsworth said. “That’s the most important thing. It’s what you care about as a coach.
“One of the best aspects of Mike as a player is that when you look back at the four years, he’s played all five positions for us. He’s always been a guy we can count on to put in any situation, and he will be prepared to execute what’s needed.”
During the junior varsity game at Perry Meridian on Tuesday, Valle took in the action wearing his Whiteland pregame warmups, tie-dyed socks and the IU house slippers.
Later, he shook off early foul trouble against the Falcons — he sat the final 2:44 of the second quarter after picking up his third — to score 19 points and grab seven rebounds in a 59-55 win.
Vintage Valle on both counts.
“Ultimately, Mike is a coach on the floor for us,” Wadsworth said. “When you play four years of varsity basketball, he understands what I want as a coach and he understands situations really well.
“Sometimes that calming influence on the court is really crucial in those pressure-packed moments late in the game.”
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”The Valle file” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Name: Mike Valle
Age: 17
Born: Fredricksburg, Virginia
Family: Parents Scott and Krista Morris; sisters Reese Valle, 19, and Julia Morris, 11; brother Alex Morris, 7
Favorite TV show: “SportsCenter”
Favorite food: Sushi
Favorite athlete: Michael Phelps
Favorite team: Indiana Pacers
[sc:pullout-text-end]
