POULSBO — Three months after basketball season and Jacob Gonzales hasn’t missed a beat.

With his senior season around the corner and college coming soon after, the Vikings’ star guard is on a mission to become an even better basketball player.

But Viking boys’ head coach Aaron Nations said one aspect above all others will allow Gonzales the greatest potential to improve.

“If you want to get to the next level, you have to have a passion for the game,” Nations said. “And he has a passion for the game of basketball.”

Gonzales’ love for the game is no doubt the greatest driving force behind why he plays basketball everyday. Why he puts in three days a week in the weight room. Why he’ll push himself to play his best at junior nationals in Ohio this summer.

Gonzales walks lankily in his six-foot-one frame, hardly an ounce of fat on his body. He’s generally relaxed off-court, talking with his friends. But when he walks onto the basketball court, his demeanor is transformed.

“Most people that know me think I don’t take that much seriously, that I joke around a lot,” Gonzales said. “As soon as I step on the floor, I take everything seriously.”

“You look at him and he doesn’t look like a true basketball player,” Nations said. “You don’t think he’s going to do that much and he comes out and makes you pay.”

Gonzales began playing basketball as a fifth grader in Poulsbo’s pee wee leagues.

“At first I wasn’t that good,” he said. “(But) I went to basketball camps, and started doing it all the time.”

Playing for Poulsbo Junior High School under coach Clary Carlsen, his passion for the game continued to grow. Capped off by a perfect season his ninth grade year, Gonzales headed up to North Kitsap High School with confidence.

“He was very skilled offensively and had a very good head for the game,” Carlsen recalled. “He loves the game and is dedicated to the game. And he’s constantly trying to improve.”

During his first year in high school, Gonzales also enjoyed the chance to play with his older brother, Jared. Even now with his elder sibling off at Western Washington University, the Gonzales brothers never miss a chance to shoot hoops together.

The experience of playing with his brother and older players has helped the younger Gonzales to excel this past year, his first on North’s varsity.

“He taught me a lot,” he said. “Whenever I go to up to his college we always play together.”

Gonzales endured a major let-down once at high school, however. Told by coaches he’d make varsity, the newly christened Viking donned a JV jersey instead.

“It kind of sucked a little bit,” Gonzales said. “I came out and I lifted more and I just tried harder. I knew I could play at that level but the coaches didn’t really think I could.”

At the end of his sophomore year, it was announced at the high school that the Vikings would be seeking a new head coach. After his successful season at junior varsity, Gonzales met North’s new coach Nations.

“With Coach Nations coming, it gave me a fresh new start,” he said. “He knew right away that I could play.”

Gonzales led the Vikings in scoring at around 15 points per game this season and was also voted team MVP. He will also be one of the team’s captains for the upcoming year.

“He just really matured as a player this year,” Nations said. “He’s developing his shot and he’s got good penetration.”

The first year Vikings coach was also Gonzales’ English teacher, as well as someone he said he can count on for advice.

“He’s more of like a friend than a coach,” Gonzales commented.

Since the basketball season ended in February, Gonzales hasn’t missed an open gym at the high school, playing pick-up games at Bangor or shooting hoops at home when the gym is closed.

“Wherever he can find a game, Jake goes and plays,” Nations said.

Gonzales’ latest accomplishment: a trip to the junior nationals competition this July in Ohio. About only 10 players from Washington qualified to go after a try-out camp in Oregon. Nations wasn’t surprised by the pick, he said.

“He’s very deceptive, a great drill penetrator,” Nations said. “You’ve got to respect his game.”

Gonzales plans to go to the camp and continue his growth as a player. But also to show the skills he already has.

“I’m not really built that big,” Gonzales said. “But I never have trouble getting my shots off and I never get pushed around.”

Nations said he’s excited to see the prospects for next year’s season — as well as when Gonzales moves onto to the college level, wherever it may be.

“He listens, he works hard and he wants to get better,” Nations said. “I think he’s got a real bright future.”