Name: Jacob Baumann

School: Aurora Christian, senior

Sport: Boys basketball

What he did: In a 69-59 win against Chicago Christian, Baumann put up 20 points and surpassed the 1,000-point mark for his career while moving the Eagles to 8-0 on the season.

Baumann was selected as the Athlete of the Week based on an online vote.

Here is his Q&A with sports reporter Joel Boenitz.

How do you feel you performed last week?

Baumann: I feel amazing, especially after the win, but also getting the 1,000-point mark, which has always been one of my top goals to get to in the season. It’s just a blessing and I really appreciate all of my teammates and family coming out to support me.

What was the feeling of eclipsing the 1,000-point mark?

Baumann: I was thinking about it in my head because didn’t know how close I was. My coach, Dan Beebe, knew, but he didn’t tell me the exact number I needed to break it. I appreciated it because I didn’t want to be thinking about it the whole time. But its really just a blessing. A thousand points is a lot of points, and it’s really unbelievable.

Talk about the moment you reached the milestone.

Baumann: I hit a 3-pointer and soon after, my coach called a timeout and he gave me the ball. I was really shocked and after all of the emotions and the adrenaline started pumping I went to go hug my mom. All of the emotions were at an all-time high. And I just loved that there were so many people at that game for middle-school recognition night, and it ended up being great timing to break it. But it was amazing to feel all of the love that my teammates and family showed after I hit it.

Did you ever think this would be a mark that you would hit?

Baumann: Honestly, not really. I didn’t realize how hard it would be to get 1,000 points, that’s a big accomplishment. But we had a really good team sophomore year and we had some great seniors and teammates transfer out and I felt it was going to hurt the team. But it was just next-man up and we just kept going and moving forward. And that helped me in a way to become the player I am today and be more versatile.

You’re 8-0 to start the season. What’s been the key to the early season success?

Baumann: Coach Beebe always talks to us about defense, and I love that part of the game. In order to score, you’ve got to stop the ball first. But we’ve also had some great wins this season. We had the first tournament, but we won it because of point differential since the championship game was cancelled. And then beating Joliet Catholic in the Burney Wilkie classic for the first time since I was a freshman was great.

Any superstitions?

Baumann: I always have the same warm-up routine before a game, and I always have to give my teammates a good high-five before the game. I know coach has a lot of superstitions because I tried to high-five him with my left hand and he turned me around and made me get him with my right hand.

Favorite pre-game meal?

Baumann: I would say a good grilled cheese, especially from my grandma.