Finding Their Flow

No secret there.

 

Winning, though, manifests itself in myriad ways other than the numbers on a scoreboard when the clock ticks to zero.

        

The guiding principle, then, is that if the numbers don’t fall your way, make sure it’s because your opponent has more talent. That you can’t really control.

 

What you can control is your own preparation, effort, desire, and willingness to play the game to the very end.

 

Such is the premise by which Collegiate’s boys varsity basketball team goes about its business in its quest for excellence when tournament time arrives in February.

 

“It’s hard not to emotionally detach from wins or your place in the standings,” said Nick Leonardelli, the Cougars’ first-year head coach, “but I think we’re at a point of taking care of today, getting better, and becoming the best version of ourselves in the Prep League tournament. Are we playing quality basketball defensively and offensively? Are we in a good mental headspace? Are the guys still enjoying being around each other and being in the gym? That’s what matters most right now.”

 

With three weeks remaining in the regular season, the Cougars stand 6-8. They have eight more games, five of which are against league opponents, before the tournament begins.

 

Leonardelli, who served 14 years as a college assistant and three as head coach at Henrico High School, uses a rotation that includes Frank MacNelly (6-3 senior), Aidan Gregory (6-2 junior), Owen Odom (6-1 junior), Xay Davis (6-0 senior), Henry Brost (6-1 junior), Danny Mooney (5-9 freshman), Ben Hager (6-2 sophomore), Syd Britt (6-3 senior), and Carter Hepp (6-6 senior).

 

MacNelly (averaging 20.4 points per game) is the leading scorer followed by Gregory (11.4) and Odom (10.6). Davis, a University of Virginia football commit, leads in rebounds (5.9), assists (3.2), and steals (1.3).

 

Growth, both individually and collectively, has been the Cougars’ hallmark.

 

“We’ve gotten to know each other better and become a lot more connected,” MacNelly said.  “At the start of the season, our offense was kind of robotic. We weren’t moving off the ball well. We were making one pass, ball screen, shot. Now, we’ve found our flow. We’re able to make more passes, get the ball to both sides of the court more often, and find the open guy. We’re not just taking the open three but driving and kicking it out for a better shot.”

 

“Flow” is the magic word.

 

“Offensively, the big thing for us to continue improving is getting to one more action so we can create advantages,” Leonardelli said. “If we make one more pass or one more screen, the shot will get easier, and we’ve put considerable effort into improving our transition offense to get a few more easy buckets.”

 

From the get-go, defense and rebounding have been two of the Cougars’ primary points of emphasis.

 

“Our defense has improved tremendously,” he said. “I thought we gave a great effort early in the year. Now, we’re working together to problem-solve when other teams are running different actions. Players have adjusted quickly. It’s been fun to see that growth. Early in the year, we were struggling to rebound consistently. The past few games, we’ve either held our own or won the rebounding battle even though we’re a little bit undersized. That shows great growth as well.”

 

Though they have a variety of defensive looks in their repertoire, the Cougars’ mainstay is man-to-man.

 

“Our defensive focus starts with transition defense and making sure we don’t give up any easy baskets,” Leonardelli said. “It starts with stopping the ball, making sure there’re no direct lines to the basket, and then matching up in man-to-man.

 

“Our base defensive philosophy is to increase ball pressure, give heavy amounts of help, and constantly find ways to shrink the court through our help defense and then recover, which is all built to limit the number of times the opponent gets the ball to the paint off the drive, post up, or cut.”

 

Then, there’re the intangibles.

 

“We have a group of kids that really enjoy being with each other,” Leonardelli said. “They love to compete. They communicate on the court. They’re communicating during action, calling out screens or plays or helping each other, and they’re constantly encouraging each other. They have a genuine care for each other, which is awesome.”

 

The Cougars have earned several quality wins and have played Woodberry Forest and St. Christopher’s in down-to-the wire defeats.

 

“We need to get better at closing out big games, but getting experience in that type of game is always good,” Gregory said. “You carry it with you into the next game and for the rest of the season.”

 

How will the Cougars finish? The final script, of course, is yet to be written.

 

“I’m having a blast with this group and coaching here at Collegiate, and I’m grateful for it,” Leonardelli said. “We all need to treasure each day because the basketball season seems long, but it goes by fast. We’re in the last month before you extend your season or turn in your gear. We need to be present each day and enjoy it because crunch time is coming soon. I look forward to playing as long as possible with these guys.”

~Weldon Bradshaw