Joey King could hardly dunk the ball as a sophomore. Teammates and coaches would laugh at the 6-7 kid who could barely get it over the rim.

"Now he's doing it with either hand," Eastview coach Mark Gerber said. "He's doing it with two hands. He's doing a reverse. He's catching it on the run and throwing it in."

All that came with work in the weight room, conditioning, plyometrics and added gym time. He now graces the court as a senior with a 6-9, 220-pound frame fresh off a productive travel league season and another tireless workout campaign.

He heads to the gym even when it's not open.

"He's a guy in the summertime or the springtime who's always calling me to get in and do extra stuff," Gerber laughed. "He never misses a weight workout. He never misses conditioning in the offseason. He wants to watch film. He wants to talk about games on TV."

That passion doesn't make King mistake-free, but he possesses the key qualities of a special athlete.

"All those traits that you always hear the great players have," Gerber said. "He's doing the extra things while everybody else is playing video games, eating chips and sleeping."

All that has paid off thus far for the senior forward, who committed in late June to play Division I basketball at Drake.

Last season King averaged 17.6 points per game for the Lightning, which included a 36-point game against Eagan and a 30-point performance against Apple Valley. Both of those teams finished in the top three in the South Suburban Conference.

In 10 games, King scored 20 or more points. He made almost 50 percent of his three-point shots for the Lightning, which was a bit inexperienced last year and still posted a 22-5 record en route to a South Suburban Conference championship. Eastview fell to Lakeville South in the Class 4A Section semifinals, but hopes to move past that barrier this winter.

Led by King, the Lightning returns a strong core. Big Ben Oberfeld averaged eight points per game as a sophomore and continues to grow. Senior guard Darin Haugh is a three-year varsity contributor who brings speed and shooting along with Chris Narum. Seniors Jordan Bolger, Danny Krueger and Quinn Trusty add more experience.

"We have all the pieces," King said.

King has been working on rebounding and perimeter defense to shore up his overall game. The Mr. Basketball candidate most likely will be a forward in college, but he's more of a post player at the high-school level.

King's dream has always been to play college ball and beyond if possible, but his eyes are set on a more immediate prize right now.

"It's obviously a really big honor to be able to play Division I basketball, but I really haven't done anything yet," King said. "I haven't won a state championship in high school. That's definitely my No. 1 priority right now."