Rapid rise: Weary flourishing after move to CPC-Mountlake Terrace

MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — After being cut from the Edmonds-Woodway boys basketball program last fall for the second straight season, Erwin Weary Jr. briefly considered giving up the sport.

“I’d put in a lot of time,” Weary said. “So it was like, ‘Am I wasting my time on the wrong thing?’ ”

But with a bit of self-reflection and some encouragement from his parents, it wasn’t long before Weary was back in the gym, working relentlessly to improve his game.

And after a recent move by his family and an offseason spent honing his skills, Weary is now thriving at Cedar Park Christian of Mountlake Terrace, where the 6-foot-4 junior guard is starring for the Lions and beginning to draw college interest.

With his smooth athleticism and knack for getting to the basket, Weary is averaging 33.6 points per game and has scored at least 27 points in six of the seven games he’s played heading into his team’s Monday night contest. The CPC standout has led the Lions to an 8-1 start, during which they’ve outscored their opponents by an average of 26.1 points per game.

Weary’s most spectacular performance came last Thursday, when he scored 54 points to lift CPC to a 68-52 non-league win over previously unbeaten Rainier Christian. Weary scored all 28 of the Lions’ third-quarter points and also finished with 13 rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Immediately after the game, a college coach — who was in attendance to scout a Rainier Christian player — extended Weary an offer. The following day, three more college coaches contacted CPC coach Scott Moe about his star player.

It’s been a rapid rise for Weary, who said that being cut by Edmonds-Woodway has helped fuel his drive to succeed.

“That’s what motivates me,” Weary said. “Before every game, I think about (having) to prove myself. I know I should have been playing on the (Edmonds-Woodway) team freshman and sophomore year. … I just wanted to get better to show everybody that I’m not (bad).”

Weary has certainly dispelled that notion, thanks to his scorching start to the season. His path to this point, however, has been unique.

Not only is this his first season of high school basketball, but it’s also one the few times in his life that he’s played the sport as part of an organized team. Yet what Weary lacks in competitive basketball experience, he makes up for with years of intensive training and pick-up games.

As a kid, Weary began training under his father, who taught him the game’s fundamentals and other intricacies. “He really studies the game,” Weary said. “Sometimes he’ll make me sit down and just watch a move for hours. … We’ll just break it down and really study (it).” Weary also has received instruction from AAU basketball coaches Kyle Keyes and Lorenzo Durant.

But a bulk of the training has been on his own.

A regular at his local YMCA, Weary often begins training sessions by tiring himself with a mile-long run. “Sometimes I gas myself out before I train so I can work on my mental state, because when you get tired, your mental state kind of gets a little messed up,” he said. Weary then proceeds with a regimented routine that includes a combination of various drills designed to improve his ball handling, shooting and offensive moves.

All the hard work has undoubtedly paid off.

“The first time I saw him play in an open gym, I had no idea that he was left-handed for the longest time. He can handle it either way,” Moe said. “He can get to the rim at any time and against anybody — against two guys, against three guys, in traffic. He’s got great body control and … he sees the floor well.”

Weary also attributes his recent success to added confidence.

“I always used to be good, but I just didn’t believe in myself,” Weary said. “So I think I believe in myself more. And coach (Moe) and the players do a good job of toughening my mentality. Like sometimes I’ll pass the ball too much and they’ll say, ‘Weary, you need to shoot.’ ”

In fact, shooting more and passing less has been one of Weary’s biggest adjustments.

“He was playing with us this summer, and he just passed all the time,” Moe said. “Finally I had to beg him to shoot, and he started shooting. … He’s definitely a pass-first guy. You wouldn’t really think that when he scored 54 (points), but that’s definitely his mentality.”

It’s all part of his humble persona, which Moe said is a major reason why Weary is so well-liked by his teammates.

“He’s super humble,” said Moe, who praised Weary for how he handled himself after his 54-point performance. “I said, ‘One thing I really appreciate about you, Erwin, is that you come to practice the day after scoring a bunch of points and you don’t act like you’re any big deal.’ ”

Yet Weary, indeed, is quickly becoming a big deal. And he believes his recent success is only the beginning.

“I think this is just the start of it,” Weary said, “because I’ve put in a lot (of) hard work.”