Palm Beach 7A-6A boys basketball player of the year: Hedrens Bartelus, Lake Worth senior

Hedrens Bartelus knows what it is like to put in the time and effort.

Bartelus, a 6-foot-6 senior wing and small forward, averaged 16.5 points per game to go along with 11 rebounds, three blocks, two steals and two assists this season as Lake Worth reached the Class 7A regional semifinals.

“I felt this year we had a really great team and should have made it farther than we did,” Bartelus said. “We had some games where we let teams hang with us and things didn’t go our way. The majority of our losses were close. I think only a couple of teams beat us by double digits.”

Bartelus helped the Trojans to an 18-10 record and No. 6 ranking in the state Class 7A poll, according to MaxPreps.

“We had great coaching this year,” he added. “I loved our coaching and if I could do it again for another four years I would. It was more than just a basketball team. It was a family.”

The four-year starter scored a game-winning basket to win district title last year and added two more game-winning baskets this year. He had multiple 30-point, 10-rebound games, and also plays volleyball for Lake Worth.

“I want people to remember me as a phenomenal player,” Bartelus said. “I think I had a very consistent year, and it was more of a mental game for me than physical. I had a great point guard that got me the ball all of the time and coaches that worked hard with me over the summer so I could improve a lot. Now it is time for me to get ready for the next step which is college.”

Now that the season has ended, he is going to go on a few recruiting visits to map out the next stage of his career.

Lake Worth coach Frank Baxley called Bartelus a “personification of hard work.”

“When Hedrens got here coming out of middle school, he wasn’t highly touted,” Baxley said. “He developed a lot and got better during his four years with our program. He went from a role player to a guy we depended on. He was a leader in his senior year and when his teammates saw what he was doing, they followed.

“Hedrens was a very important piece and he meant everything to how we played and what we were about,” Baxley continued. “His motor and how he played…he led by example, and I think the other guys pretty much fed off of him. His energy was infectious, and he is just an example of what hard work is about.”