‘The leader is the servant’: Timpview’s Rust earns Valley Player of the Year
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- TImpview senior James Rust drives to the basket during the Region 8 game against Orem in Provo on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023.
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- Timpview senior James Rust goes up for a layup during the Region 8 game at Lehi on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023.
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- Timpview senior James Rust drive to the basket during the non-region game against Provo at Timpview on Friday, Dec. 9, 2022.
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- Timpview’s James Rust handles the ball during a 5A boys basketball state tournament game against Salem Hills on Friday, February 24, 2023.
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- Timpview senior James Rust (left) and junior Colton Smith accept the second-place trophy after the 5A championship game against Alta at the Dee Events Center in Ogden on Saturday, March 4, 2023.
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- Timpview senior James Rust drives into the lane during the 5A championship game against Alta at the Dee Events Center in Ogden on Saturday, March 4, 2023.
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- Timpview senior James Rust shoots a shot during the 5A championship game against Alta at the Dee Events Center in Ogden on Saturday, March 4, 2023.
James Rust made the Timpview varsity boys basketball team as a sophomore, an overwhelming experience for just about any teenager.
Fortunately, Rust had senior teammates such as Jake Wahlin, Jaxon Santiago and Coleman Ford to show him the way.
As a senior in 2022-23, Rust proved that he learned the most important lessons by becoming a similar leader for a young Thunderbirds roster that featured a talented group of underclassmen. Rust and his teammates earned the No. 7 seed in the state tournament and advanced all the way to the 5A finals before losing to No. 4 Alta.
His leadership and on-court ability made Rust an easy choice for the 2023 Daily Herald Utah Valley Player of the Year.
“Those guys (the senior class in 2020-21) are the reason why I am where I am,” Rust said. “Coleman Ford was a great leader who took me under his wing and taught me how to be a leader now. Those guys loved all the people they played with and knew how to be a team. It was a special team with so much talent. My sophomore year is where I go the confidence to be good enough to play with those guys at the varsity level.”
Rust was a versatile 6-foot-5 player for Timpview as a senior with the ability to play any of the five positions depending on the matchups. Rust averaged 14.7 points, six rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.4 steals per game as the T-Birds finished 18-9 in 2022-23, upsetting No. 2 Cottonwood and handling upstart Orem to reach the 5A finals.
“The main thing is that we all just loved each other so much,” Rust said. “We had so many ups and downs. We had injuries and our football guys came in late. But by the time we got to the state tournament we were ready to give it our all. We were very talented and we had a bunch of transfers pieces to put together. We were like a brotherhood once we got to know each other. When you’re willing to do anything for the guy next to you, that’s when you have a special team.”
Israel Ingle, who took the Timpview job in 2020-21, coached against Rust two years ago as the head man at Timpanogos.
“He was just a tough kid,” Ingle said. “He had some really good seniors around him and still averaged ten points a game as a sophomore. If you tried to key on those other guys he would come out and kill you. He was the only guy returning who had played any minutes my first year at Timpview.
“I knew he was a solid player but getting to coach him I was able to find out what kind of human being he was. He’s the best leader a coach could ever have. He made the freshmen feel comfortable. He didn’t talk down to the younger players and was a positive player that made everybody’s energy better. I could see it every day in practice that this guy was special.”
Rust is a talented scorer who could take over a game. He put up 29 points and 16 rebounds against Weston Ranch (Calif.) at the Tarkanian Classic and had a 31-point, 12-rebound effort against Mountain View during Region 8 play. But Ingle was just as happy with Rust’s eight-point performance in a second-round playoff win against Salem Hills where he also totaled nine rebounds, six assists, two steals and two blocks.
“The way we run our program, we try to teach that the leader is the servant,” Ingle said. “They should be reaching down to try and pull people up by example. As our younger guys grow up, they’ll remember what James did for them. They’ll reach down themselves when they’re seniors.”
Rust also credited much of his development to former AAU coach Tyler Hawkins, who passed away in 2021.
“He was like a second dad to me,” Rust said. “He brought together a bunch of guys from different backgrounds and we became a team. He had more confidence in me than anyone. He was such a good dude on and off the court. I really looked up to him.”
Rust has already received his church mission call to Australia and will begin service this summer. He said he will likely visit the University of South Dakota as a possible landing spot for when he returns.
“Growing up, basketball was always an outlet,” Rust said. “It was something fun to do to stay active. I would play soccer for half the year then basketball. I love the competitiveness of the game. When I started getting on AAU teams, those guys became my brothers and basketball became even more special. I love the relationships and opportunities that basketball brings.”
