T.J.’s prediction true – Terriers storming into playoffs

Maybe T.J. Cantrelle was right after all.

Vandebilt Catholic’s boys’ basketball team is indeed a powerful force in Class 4A.

Just more than four months after their classmate and starting point guard was killed, along with three other students, in an tragic automobile accident, the Terriers are rallying around the preseason optimism laid onto them by Cantrelle, who saw Vandebilt’s strong season coming when no one else did.

“During football season T.J. told me we were going to be really, really good and I disagreed,” Terriers’ junior forward Beau Smith said. “I told him I thought we were going to be good, but I didn’t know we’d be this good. T.J. knew what he was talking about, I guess. It feels like he knew we had it in us all along.”

Vandebilt rolled through the regular season with a 22-1 record, winning the district championship with an unbeaten record.

Sparking the team’s success is a powerful, high-octane offensive attack. Vandebilt has scored 70 or more points in 13 of their 23 games.

That offensive outburst is led by guards Elijah McGuire and Lionheart Leslie, each of whom can explode for 30 or more points on a given night.

“They are amazing,” junior forward Seth Ward said. “They can jump out of the gym – both of them. They are both smaller than I am, but they can get up much higher than me.”

Terriers’ coach Henry Washington agreed and said he’s rarely seen players as dominant as McGuire and Leslie play on the same team.

“Having them is such a luxury,” Washington said with a laugh. “I’d rather have four of them getting us 20, but I’ll take two. They are terrific players.”

From their success, the Terriers also get steady offensive output from Smith and Ward, who add points when defenders pay too much attention to the explosive duo.

“They make things a lot easier for us,” Ward said. “Because they attract a lot of the defensive pressure. So it lets us have openings and open shots throughout the game, because we don’t have people focusing on us as much.”

While Vandebilt’s offense might be on the minds of opponents, it’s the Terriers’ defense that is getting all of the credit for the success from those in the Vandebilt camp.

Terriers coach Henry Washington said that it’s the turnovers the team forces that allows his team to push the scoreboard to 70, 80 and sometimes 90 points in a game.

“We play good defense,” Washington said. “We really put a lot of pressure on the ball. Most teams really don’t have two real good ball handlers like we have, so we’re able to put a lot of pressure. We’re small, but we’re able to harass a bit, get some turnovers and get easy baskets.”

Whether through offense or defense, Vandebilt will take their winning ways to the playoffs this week.

The Terriers entered as one of the top seeds in Class 4A and some think Vandebilt has a shot at the state title.

But even with the success, Washington and the Terriers know something is missing – their point guard isn’t here to share in the success that he predicted when no one else did.

“When we are winning these games, there’s a lot of times where I’m sitting on the bench thinking to myself it doesn’t mean as much because T.J.’s not here,” Washington said. “I’m happy for our guys, but it’s just not the same. I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s just not the same.”

Ward and Smith agreed and added that when the playoffs heat up, they know the game will be decided 5-on-5 on the floor.

They also know Vandebilt has a sixth man above, anxious to see how far the team can go.

After all, he knew the team would be in this spot all along.

“He was a big leader and a big player on this team,” Ward said. “He was the voice of our team. If he could talk to us right now, he’d tell us that he’s really proud of us. I know that he’d be proud of us.”

“He always played hard and expected the best out of himself and the best out of everyone else when he played,” Smith added. “We always keep that in mind when we play. We know that when we look at our record, he’d be bragging the most on us out of anyone if he were still with us. He’d be so proud of what we’ve accomplished. We’re going to try and finish this year strong for him.”