Shooting for the stars

Ten years ago, not many people thought it was possible to win a basketball state championship at Mountain Brook High School.

Yet, the Spartans won it all in 2013 and 2014. They were in the conversation each of the last two seasons and will be again this year.

Five years ago, no one would have thought it possible that one of the top basketball prospects in the entire nation would come through Mountain Brook High School.

Yet, the Spartans have sophomore Trendon Watford, currently the No. 3 player in ESPN’s Class of 2019 rankings.

Today, Mountain Brook’s basketball program under head coach Bucky McMillan is one of the premier entities in Alabama high school athletics, one that catches the eye of some of the top college coaches in the country.

“Nobody ever probably fathomed Mountain Brook could have that much success, and now you have the top (Division 1) coaches here recruiting Mountain Brook players,” McMillan said.

Trendon Watford is the one most coaches have their eye on, for good reason. He’s already 6-foot-8 and is still growing, but possesses adept ball skills and the ability to shoot the ball from the outside, making him dangerous from all areas of the court.

“Trendon is extremely skilled for his size,” said Garrett Tucker, a HoopSeen writer and talent evaluator. “Most kids his age can’t shoot or handle it like he can. That’s what is so impressive about him. He has a well-rounded overall game and a skill set that complements his basketball IQ so well.”

His ability caught the attention of University of Kentucky coach John Calipari, who showed up at Mountain Brook in late September along with Auburn coach Bruce Pearl to not see Watford practice, but to simply play pickup basketball.

“That was big time,” Trendon Watford said. “That was my first time for coach Cal to actually see me play. (Pearl) had already offered me a couple months before he came here.”

Calipari knew of Trendon Watford from recruiting his older brother, Christian Watford, several years ago while Calipari was the coach at Memphis and Christian Watford a student-athlete at Shades Valley High School.

Christian Watford ultimately chose to attend Indiana University and created one of the program’s most iconic moments in the past decade with his game-winning shot against Calipari’s Kentucky team in 2011.

Christian Watford was also one of the top recruits in the country — No. 26 in the ESPNU Top 100 — coming out of high school, and Trendon Watford has learned a great deal from his brother’s experiences.

“My brother tells me everything about it,” Trendon Watford said.

That experience also extends to the Watford family as a whole, who are not taken aback by the attention Trendon Watford has begun to receive.

“My family just keeps me down,” Trendon Watford said. “I stay humble throughout the process. Stay humble and be thankful for it.”

Those are not comments from a guy merely attempting to say the right things at the right time. McMillan sees Trendon Watford epitomize that attitude day-in and day-out.

“He’s really grounded with that,” McMillan said. “He went through that with his brother. More than anybody else I know, he doesn’t let that affect him.”

Last season was Trendon Watford’s first at Mountain Brook, as he starred on the varsity squad as a ninth-grader after transferring in from Shades Valley. The season ended prematurely for the Spartans, as they fell to Gadsden City in the Class 7A Northeast Regional semifinals on a last-second shot. 

Trendon Watford wasted no time hanging his head.

“Trendon started the next day (with his offseason training),” McMillan said. “He knew he had to be able to play more minutes.”

Trendon Watford got stronger and has paired his finesse style of play with the ability to power through contact and finish at the rim, along with improving his conditioning.

McMillan emphasizes forming the right habits as individuals and as a team in the preseason. Those formed habits manifest themselves as a team progresses through the season.

“If you look at mistakes made in the game, I don’t think it was a result of making just that mistake in the game, it was habits not formed on Day 1,” he said.

At times last year, Trendon Watford’s demeanor on the court would too closely resemble his cool nature off the floor. That has certainly not been the case this year, as he has stepped into a greater leadership role.

“He has more of a demand on his teammates,” McMillan said. “He’s grinding more now. He understands his personality is going to be the team’s personality.”

That is not to say that his on-court and everyday personalities clash. Trendon Watford is the embodiment of the “be yourself” mantra, according to his coach.

“Trendon is always himself,” McMillan said. “That’s a good thing for anybody to learn. Be yourself. So many people try to project an image of something they’re not. The happiest people are the ones that are themselves.”

That attitude is one of the quickest ways to gain the respect of teammates, something that McMillan said Trendon Watford has accomplished quickly.

“They really respond to him because they know Trendon’s not a look-cool, egotistical guy, but he loves his teammates,” McMillan said.

Trendon Watford’s college days are still a few years away. In the meantime, he is hoping to grow a couple more inches and would likely play multiple positions as a player with the ability to stretch the floor.

“He’s bigger than most wings, but on the other hand, he’s a lot quicker and can get by post players easily. It’s a ‘pick your poison’ deal,” Tucker said.

Trendon Watford also has formed a bond with DeMarcus Cousins, who spent time with Christian Watford in their prep days, notably at Clay-Chalkville High School in 2007. 

“Just dominate. Don’t take plays off,” Trendon Watford said of Cousins’ message to him.

Trendon Watford already has been to a Nike Elite 100 camp, a Chris Paul camp and went to Colorado Springs in October to participate in a USA Basketball junior camp. That list is the tip of the iceberg of things he will have done by the time his high school career comes to a conclusion. 

He said hopes to establish a legacy as one of Mountain Brook’s finest.

“(I want to be remembered as) one of the best to ever do it,” Trendon Watford said.