Northern Lehigh’s Kellen Bauer, the program’s newest 1,000-point scorer, remembers the day when his parents installed a basketball hoop in their driveway.

Bauer was just a young kid, but since that day, the talented 6-4 junior hooper has been passionate and dedicated to the game of basketball.

“I can remember the hoop being put in the driveway and my dad working with me when I was really young. He has taught me a lot,” said Bauer, who is the 12th male in school history to reach the 1,000-point milestone. “I always had the desire to play and work hard since then. My mom and dad both played, so there’s no denying that the passion was always there.”

Bauer’s basketball journey started at a very young age — second grade in fact — where his youth team was comprised of younger players, who were playing up a division in the Lehigh Valley Knee-High Basketball League.

Even back then, Bauer learned how to deal with adversity, and how hard work can help not only an individual improve, but also a team.

“I remember us going 0-20 that first year. It was really frustrating even at a young age,” said Bauer. “But then we came back the next two years, and we won the league in back-to-back seasons.

“Those were great memories, and that’s what really started me down the path of wanting to be a really good basketball player.”

Bauer made an immediate impact for the Bulldogs as a freshman. He scored 266 points during his freshman season and then made a big jump, scoring 432 as a sophomore. Bauer continued down that trend as a junior, scoring 412 points, averaging 18.7 points per game. He now has 1,108 career points, surpassing the 1,000-point plateau on the road at Catasauqua on Jan. 13.

Bauer is just 391 points shy of the Bulldogs all-time scoring mark set by Blaine Waylen (1,499) over 40 years ago.

“Kellen has continued to get better each and every year,” said Northern Lehigh head coach Jake Waylen, a 2008 Bulldog graduate who scored 1,248 points in his career. “His ability to get to the basket, get downhill and score has improved immensely and he does a good job on the boards. Of course, it starts with getting more physically mature and getting those years of physical growth, but it also has a lot to do with his work ethic.

“To put it into perspective of how hard he works, right after the season ended he was in the weight room, and he was already in the gym getting shots up. He’s a dedicated player. He’ll work every day while playing other sports in track and soccer. He’s also a great student; he’s top five in his class. The sky is the limit for him, and he is going to be a force to be reckoned with next season.”

Bauer isn’t just a scorer; he’s a versatile player that does a little bit of everything on the court for the Bulldogs. He was good on the boards for Northern Lehigh, collecting 7.7 rebounds per game. The junior was also good on the defensive end, coming through with 1.5 blocks per game and 1.0 steals per contest.

“I think I have worked hard to improve a lot of the different facets of my game,” said Bauer. “I’m really devoted to the game, and I’m determined to get better and improve. I just want to be better. Working on my free throws is something I am putting a ton of focus into this offseason. I think I’ve improved my court awareness and scoring; I’m going to continue to work on my shot. There is always room for improvement.”

Improving the Bulldogs’ win-loss record and earning a postseason berth next season is priority No. 1 for Bauer. After winning just five games combined between Bauer’s freshman and sophomore campaigns, Northern Lehigh took a step in the right direction, winning seven this season.

“I thought we took some steps this season, and we lost a lot of close games, but our team’s goal is to work to get better, so we can get to the playoffs next season. We started at the bottom of the mountain a few years ago, but we have been climbing,” said Bauer. “And I have been playing with all these guys since we were in youth basketball.

“It’s a great group of guys and they’re so fun to play with and I don’t score 1,000 points without them, so I want to thank them and my coaches as well.”