BC’s Hafen promised to break dad’s scoring mark — and did

Spencer Patterson

Friday, Jan. 28, 2000 | 10:22 a.m.

Lee Hafen's grandfather, Dave Lee, tells a story about the first time he told his young grandson about the Boulder City High School basketball career scoring record.

"My grandpa says that when I was 5 years old, he told me my dad had the record and it would never be broken," Hafen said. "He says I said, "I'll break it.' "

As a youngster attending games in the same Eagles gymnasium where his father, Russ, played from 1974-77, Hafen studied the records page in the school programs. And it wasn't long before he had his dad's total -- 1,752 points -- committed to memory.

"My father told me stories about it all the time, and I always wanted to be as good as it sounded like he was," Hafen said.

Last Saturday, Hafen broke his father's 23-year-old school scoring mark with a 35-point performance against Class 4A power Valley.

With his family and friends watching from the stands, Hafen stole a pass with two minutes to play and drew a foul on the other end.

That meant the Eagles' senior, a 17-year-old who has become his school's star athlete and top student through years of hard work and discipline, would have to earn the record at the line.

"He deserves everything he gets because he's such a hard worker," Boulder City basketball coach Bobby Reese said. "He's the main man on our team, but he's also the hardest worker in practice. He earns everything he gets."

Three-sport star

In an era of increasing athletic specialization, when young athletes are encouraged to play their best sport year-round to increase their chances of receiving a college scholarship, Lee Hafen remains one of a dying breed: a true three-sport star.

The Eagles' starting quarterback last fall, Hafen passed for more than 900 yards and rushed for nearly 800 more. He also earned first-team Class 3A all-state honors as a punter, averaging 39.8 yards, and second-team honors as a safety.

"I've coached a lot of kids in my life, and if he's not the best, he's right up there," Eagles football coach Dan Cahill said.

After taking a back seat to Dave Murtha -- the school's third all-time leading scorer -- on last year's Eagles' 3A state championship basketball team, Hafen has shouldered the load for this year's club.

Despite defenses designed to stop him, Hafen is averaging more than 30 points, along with leading the Eagles in rebounding and assists. He has played all five positions this year, and has proven his abilities against some of Southern Nevada's best, eclipsing the 30-point mark in games against 4A schools Basic, Green Valley and Valley.

"When he's hot, he's awfully tough to stop," Reese said.

When the spring rolls around, Hafen will play his final season in what many regard as his best sport: baseball.

Left-handed and standing 6-2 and weighing 180 pounds, he presents an imposing challenge to opposing hitters as a pitcher. And his hitting exploits are the stuff of legend in Boulder City, such as the day last year when he hit four homers and knocked in 14 runs during a doubleheader or the time he homered twice in the same inning.

"Baseball could be his best sport," said Foothill baseball coach Tom Crine, who coached Hafen at Boulder City for the past three years. "He's a real throwback kid."

Back to work

Despite his achievements, Hafen remains a grounded individual, confident but not cocky. Uncomfortable with the hype surrounding his record-breaking performance on Saturday, he is glad to have it behind him so he can focus on the playoffs ahead.

"(After I broke it) I felt kind of relieved that it was finally over with," Hafen said. "Now I can get back to just playing."

At season's end he will pursue his goal of earning a college basketball scholarship, although he has not completely decided against playing football or baseball at the next level.

Hafen does know that after one year of college, he will set out on a two-year Mormon mission before returning to school to continue to chase his athletic and academic dreams.

But such concerns are still a long way off. For now, he and his family will be content seeing not one, but two Hafens atop the Boulder City basketball all-time scoring list.

"It has been a lot of fun for our whole family," Russ Hafen said. "It was a highlight of a lot of years of basketball for us. He's a very good, young man."

Added Lee Hafen: "It's nice to know that record will be there for a while, at least until my (two younger) brothers come around."