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When talking about Vandebilt Catholic boys’ basketball, the names Lionheart Leslie and Elijah McGuire are often the first to pop out of people’s mouths.
Rightfully so – the one-two punch is easily one of the best in the state, combining to provide speed, athleticism and God-given talent to the Terriers’ roster.
But there’s more to Vandebilt’s success than just Leslie and McGuire.
Those other three guys on the floor aren’t half bad either.
Vandebilt has rolled to a strong start this season, posting a 7-3 record through the first month of the season.
Everyone involved with the team is quick to say the same thing – that success is largely due to the confidence shown by the team’s secondary players – names like senior guards Tanner Whatley and Aaron Smith and sophomores Payton Barrios and Malcolm Wolfe, who have all pitched in to contribute to the team’s success.
“This year was like the first year that we actually had competition for spots with those guys,” Vandebilt Catholic boys’ basketball coach Henry Washington said. “Let’s face it – Elijah and Lionheart are going to play. So for the other guys, if they want to be among the other three that are on the floor with them, you have to play defense, you have to box out and you have to make shots. So far, we’ve mixed and we’ve matched, but we’ve had some luck with getting our guys to do those things.”
With two of the best players in Louisiana on the floor for Vandebilt, the team’s role players have fairly simple jobs within each game.
The biggest thing they must do is to take and make open shots.
Barrios is arguably the most lethal of the team’s shooters, possessing range from long-distance with his left-handed stroke.
Whatley, Wolfe and Smith are also more than capable of making big buckets when their numbers are called.
Smith sunk the game-winning 3-pointer that won the team’s first-round playoff game last season.
Whatley and Wolfe hit critical buckets throughout the H.L. Bourgeois Tournament, which allowed the Terriers to take home the tournament title.
“Our job is to spread the floor out,” Barrios said. “They draw all of the attention when they penetrate. They just kick us the ball wide open for the shot. From there, it’s just up to us to trust that we’re going to knock our shots down.”
“Each and every game, I’m just trying to hit my open shots that (Lionheart) and Elijah are giving me,” Whatley added. “If they are going to have all of the attention on them, they’ll need help. We have to knock those shots down to have a chance to win.”
Away from the shooting, the Terriers’ “other guys” also are heavily relied upon for defensive output.
Vandebilt may have some of the best guards in the state, but they do not have much size.
Washington often plays both Leslie and McGuire on the block on defense simply because they are the team’s highest leapers, which gives the squad the best opportunity to secure rebounds.
That places a lot of pressure on the players defending the perimeter to avoid penetration, which would make Leslie and McGuire more likely to get in foul trouble.
“Our job is to just play defense as hard as we can, so that we can get the ball back to our offense,” Whatley said.
“We’re smaller than most teams,” Wolfe added. “So we have to be a little bit creative on defense. We have to really lock down and play as hard as we can. Once the shot is in the air, we have to box out, because we know most of the teams can jump a lot higher than we can because of their size.”
With just three spots in the lineup and several options to choose from, Washington said the way he allocates playing time is simple – the hottest hands will play in the fourth quarter of every game.
For a lot of coaches, that would maybe be a slippery slope to try and balance.
But Washington said his players have not pouted, nor expressed anger if they were left out of a particular contest.
“Whoever is doing what we’re asking, whoever is fighting for the ball and boxing out – that’s who’s going to play,” Washington said. “We haven’t gotten it so far, but we don’t want the pouting. We don’t want the, ‘I’m mad because I’m not in.’ We don’t want the whole, ‘My mom and dad thinks I should be on the court,’ thing. If you’re not playing, go tell mom and dad, ‘Hey, I’m not playing defense and I’m not making shots.’
“Everyone’s going to get their chance to perform. Everyone is going to stay on equal footing.”
The reason why the team’s chemistry has stayed intact is simple – the past.
After losing in the second round of the playoffs for the past two seasons, the Terriers want to make Leslie and McGuire’s last go-round a triumphant one.
“This may be our last chance here for a while,” Whatley said. “We definitely want to take this as far as we possibly can.”
“I don’t know what we’re going to do without Fuddy and Elijah next year,” Barrios said with a laugh. “But we luckily don’t have to worry about that until then. For now, we want to just make as deep a run as we can.”
Vandebilt Catholic forward Payton Barrios (top) glides through the air for a one-handed layup. The Terriers are off to a strong start this season, in part because of the play of their role players, who aid star guards Elijah McGuire and Lionheart Leslie.
