Senior Jonah Funk proving he can be a difference-making player at Metamora
Since he transferred from small-school El Paso-Gridley to big-school Metamora this fall, Jonah Funk says he heard the doubters.
'They say 'he didn't dominate at 2A, how will he dominate at 3A?' I've exceeded theseexpectations,' Funk said. 'And I think my coaches and teammates would agree with that. I'm having so much fun.'
The 6-9 senior center moved to Metamora in October. That means he didn't have the benefit of playing with his new team during the summer.
He started playing in Metamora's open gyms in the fall so he didn't have much of a preseason with the Redbirds. Funk admits the first few weeks of the season were rough.
'Learning sets was hard at first, even during the season, I was messing plays up,' said Funk. 'But the teammates I have are phenomenal. They would help me out during games.'
Now Funk believes he's playing his best basketball of the season and perhaps the best in his high school career.
'You're really seeing him play his best basketball. He is really comfortable now,' said Metamora head coach Justin Dehm. 'It was a slow process in the first month or two, having to learn new things. Now I think he's more confident and learning really well.'
Funk helped lead Metamora to a fourth straight Mid-Illini Conference championship. Now he's confident he can make a difference for his team as it enters the postseason.
The Redbirds play Dunlap on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in the Dunlap Regional semifinals.
'I'm excited for the postseason. I've got one last hurrah to go do it,' said Funk. 'I haveseniors with me and they want to win as desperately as I want to win.'
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