Hoops preview: Floor it

Over the past nine seasons, Bucky McMillan has woven three concepts into the fabric of his Mountain Brook High School boys basketball program. 

Each year he challenges his Spartans to be defined by their effort, unselfishness and confidence. Together, those traits have made McMillan’s boys difficult to defeat. 

Mountain Brook has appeared in four of the past five state championship games, winning three. The Spartans captured the program’s first and second state basketball titles in 2013 and 2014. Last season, they added to the collection. 

Their 2016-17 campaign concluded with white jerseys flooding the floor to celebrate a 63-43 victory over Auburn in the Class 7A state final. 

“You just had a bunch of guys who bought into passing up good shots to get great shots, even if that meant that they didn’t get to shoot the ball much that night,” said McMillan, reflecting in September on his most recent banner year. “That was the strength of last year’s team more than any team I’ve ever coached.” 

As McMillan, 34, readies for his 10th season at the program’s helm, he’s expecting more of the same. In terms of minutes logged, the Spartans return six of their top seven players for the 2017-18 slate. Mountain Brook graduated only one starter in Ben McCool.

“All in all, it looks like a promising season,” McMillan said. 

That could be an understatement considering the team’s personnel. 

Forward Trendon Watford is back for his junior year, and McMillan said he has added even more weapons to his arsenal. The 6-foot-8, five-star recruit worked on his shooting in the offseason, especially from distance. Watford made around 40 percent of his 3-point attempts last season. But by the time he graduates, his coach said he needs to become nearly automatic from beyond the arc.

An uptick in long-range accuracy, combined with his polished post play, should translate into prolific offensive outings. Last year he averaged more than 20 points per game and could have scored more had he not been so generous with the basketball. 

Seldom did Watford hesitate to find open teammates, who in turn followed his lead.

“It’s easy for the other guys to say, ‘Well man, if Trendon’s going to make that extra pass, I better make that extra pass, because this is somebody who has NBA ability, and he’s passing up a good shot to get me a great shot,’” McMillan said. “That becomes contagious.” 

Sean Elmore caught the bug and, frequently, Watford’s passes. The sharpshooter canned 3s from around the arc after defenders swarmed his teammate. But Elmore, a guard, can do more than knock down shots. 

He has an established reputation as a lockdown defender and, over the summer, diversified his skill set. His coach said he can now drive to the basket and shoot off the dribble. 

“He’s twice as good as he was last year,” McMillan said. 

Expect sophomore point guard Paul Stramaglia to make a comparable jump. He earned substantial playing time as a freshman and demonstrated uncharacteristic maturity, even as the stakes rose. He sank two critical free throws to send Mountain Brook to the Final Four. In the state championship, he delivered a series of pinpoint assists that helped the Spartans ice the outcome. 

“He was great in those two games, and I think that will probably be the norm for him this year,” McMillan said.

Stramaglia split time last season with Alex Washington, who returns for his junior year. Senior guard Britton Johnson and junior forward Lior Berman round out the list of six Spartans who contributed regularly in 2016-17. 

Others who are expected to take on increased roles include Hamp Sisson, the Spartans’ starting quarterback, William Lineberry, Grant Griffin, Holt Bashinsky, Ben Garrett, James Childs, Peyton Haley, Dowd Ritter and Bradley Pinson.

“We may never have a team that has all the offensive weapons this team will have, coupled with the schedule that they’ll have,” McMillan said. “This will be one of the most enjoyable, if not the most enjoyable, year or two as a spectator of Mountain Brook basketball of any year.”

In addition to their local and area slate, the Spartans will travel to a pair of premier national tournaments. They will compete at the Hoopsgiving Classic in Atlanta Nov. 24-26 and the City of Palms Classic in Fort Myers, Florida, Dec. 18-22. 

Mountain Brook will open its season at home Nov. 14 against Sacred Heart, the three-time defending 1A state champion. 

“This is the most excited I can remember being about going into a season,” McMillan said. “Every game is just going to be so fun.”