Boys basketball coach Chris Hassinger is minding his own business in a hallway at Medina High, engaging in a conversation or loudly making a quip.
Lurking in the background is Jon Teske, who at 7-foot-1, 245 pounds always sticks out in a crowd but has a way of staying incognito around “Hass.”
Medina’s Jon Teske is the 2015-16 Gazette MVP for boys basketball. (RON SCHWANE PHOTO ILLUSTRATION)
Teske keeps his cool and sneaks as close as he can behind Hassinger, who then turns around and gets scared half to death.
Hassinger, always one for a good joke, catches his breath and grins. In these moments, the second-year coach is reminded why he believes in Teske the person even more than Teske the two-time Gazette MVP basketball player.
What fans saw on a nightly basis was an even-keeled, quiet star when Teske was wearing the Medina No. 33 jersey. Around his teammates and coaches, however, he is just one of the guys on one of the closest-knit Bees teams in recent memory.
“He’s a caring kid, and a lot of kids in his position become a little arrogant and a little hard around the edges,” Hassinger said. “Jon is still that kid that loves to be around his friends. If you told him, ‘Jon, you can stay here and play with your high school buddies the rest of your life,’ I think he’d be OK with that. He just loves our culture, he loves the guys, he loves being around his family. That’s what makes him special.
“You see the straight-faced Jon Teske on the court and even off the court after games, but he’s a real big goofball around his friends and people that he’s comfortable around.”
The Bees dedicated a Copley Division I District semifinal win over Stow to seniors Teske, Matthew McNaughton and Jimmy Clark. When Medina’s season ended with a loss to rival Brunswick in the championship game, multiple teammates took to Twitter.
The posts were about Teske, whom the average teenager wouldn’t guess has a full scholarship to Michigan — besides the fact he’s 7-1 — because of his low-key personality.
All-Gazette small forward Luke Schaefer: “Medina will never have another athlete like @JonTeske in any sport. Ever”
All-Gazette shooting guard Jackson Sartain: “Thankful for a teammate like @JonTeske Not everybody gets a chance to play with a person so special. Gonna miss ya next year”
Gazette MVPs
Jon Teske (M) 2016
Jon Teske (M) 2015
Ryan Badowski (Bru) 2014
Billy Geschke (M) 2013
Josh Kipfer (W) 2012
Pat Forsythe (Bru) 2011
Tyler Peters (M) 2010
Tyler Ferrell (Bru) 2009
Parker Hewit (C) 2008
Sean Kelly (Bru) 2007
Travis Larrick (Bru) 2006
Dontaie Anthony (M) 2005
Ben Falkenberg (W) 2004
Ben Falkenberg (W) 2003
Doug Bell (W) 2002
Dave Riter (Bru) 2001
Tony Stockman (M) 2000
Travis Schwab (M) 1999
Brad Reusch (H) 1998
Chris Pap (M) 1997
Ryan McMaster (W) 1996
Adrian Stockman (M) 1995
Aaron Link (W) 1994
Rob Wininger (H) 1993
Ryan Sooy (M) 1992
Pat Pearson (W) 1991
Jeff Howard (W) 1990
John Ledbetter (Bru) 1989
P.J. Bertemes (C) 1988
Jeff Kissinger (W) 1987
Gary Boyes (W) 1986
Scott DeMarco (Buc) 1985
Jim Ploucha (C) 1984
Jay Peters (M) 1983
Pat Ploucha (C) 1982
Garth Wurstle (Buc) 1981
Art Mankin (Bru) 1980
Jody Peters (M) 1979
Craig McDuffee (H) 1978
“We have a really close relationship,” Teske said. “We only had a couple seniors this season and a lot of juniors and sophomores, but we hung out with the guys every day. They were a lot of fun to be around, and we grew together as a team a lot.
“It’s the relationships we make with each other. Coach Hass is always telling us, ‘Life’s about relationships.’ That shows on the court and in the community as well.”
Medina also had a memorable season, winning 19 games for the second time in three years, placing second to Brunswick in the Greater Cleveland Conference and becoming the first county team to reach three straight district title games.
Teske was the focal point, averaging 16.4 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.6 blocks, but the four-year letterwinner’s impact went far beyond statistics. His reputation earned through a scintillating second half of the 2014-15 season drastically changed opposing game plans.
Teske’s ability to block/alter shots without fouling — he very rarely had to sit because of foul trouble — took away any direct attack of the basket within 15 feet, forcing a lot of teams outside their comfort zones.
Teske’s inside scoring forced teams to double team constantly, but his mid-range jumpers and 3-pointers a la Zydrunas Ilgauskas also kept them from packing the paint.
Maybe above all, though, was that Teske’s vision may have been the best in the country — yes, country — among players taller than 6-10. Attempting full-court pressure on Medina proved futile, as guards would lob to Teske at center court and he’d find the open man every time.
Doubling in the half court often proved fatal, too, as Teske, who scored 1,130 points in a county-record 97 games, was masterful recognizing the double team and finding Sartain for open 3-pointers or a cutting Schaefer for layups.
“You think about it, and he’s 7-foot-1 and sometimes played point guard for us, pushing the ball up the floor,” Hassinger said. “He would beat pressure, drive and kick for a kid to hit a three. He dominated the game defensively, changed kids’ shots and changed how people had to play offensively.”
Teske was a Mr. Basketball finalist — the honor went to future Michigan teammate Xavier Simpson of Lima — first-team All-Ohioan and the Greater Cleveland Conference Player of the Year. Teske also joined soon-to-be Medina County Sports Hall of Famer Ben Falkenberg of Wadsworth (2003-04) as the only two-time Gazette MVPs and scored four points and blocked five shots in the prestigious Ohio-Kentucky All-Star Game over the weekend.
Teske will take his intelligent, versatile game to Ann Arbor, where he will play for his childhood favorite team. The Wolverines envision Teske as a face-up post similar to former Michigan standout Mitch McGary (6-10) and West Virginia cult hero Kevin Pittsnogle (6-11).
Though Teske won’t be playfully scaring Hassinger in the hallways come June, Hassinger will always remember how much impact Teske left on the community.
Star players come and go, but being a good role model comes first.
“He’s a program-changer from multiple angles because ultimately we want to win games, but we want our kids to represent our school well,” Hassinger said. “He’s the pinnacle of that. He’s a great kid, he’s a Christian kid, he doesn’t have a foul mouth, he leads by example, he’s an example to little kids, he takes time to shake hands with people when people come in to see the ‘celebrity’ Jon Teske and looks him in the eye and introduces himself like they’ve never heard of him before.
“We’ve had a lot of really nice kids in our program throughout the years all the way back to (coaches) Keith Sooy and Al Darner, but to get a kid who affects your community as much as he has, that’s going to be tough to replace.”