Throughout his entire basketball career, Atholton's Brandon Willis has showcased talent beyond his years.
This winter, following the graduation of the top three scorers from last year's county champion Raiders' squad, the junior guard knew that all eyes were going to be on him to be a leader. And, having been a regular varsity player ever since his freshman year at Glenelg Country, Willis was more than ready.
Splitting time between the point and shooting guard positions, Willis has scored in double figures in every game but one on the way to an average of 15.7 points per game entering this week.
Throw in averages of three assists and three steals a night and he's been one of the major reasons why Atholton has been able to avoid a rebuilding season this winter. At 10-7 in county play, the Raiders sit in a tie for fifth place in the Howard County standings.
With the playoffs approaching, Willis took some time to talk about this season, his reasons for transferring to public school before his sophomore year and some of his interests off the court.
After graduating so much talent from last year's county championship team, how much of a transition has there been?
This year, with the seniority that left, there was a lot of inexperience coming in from JV. So as a veteran on varsity, I had to step my maturity up and be a leader to those guys. It was up to me, and a few of the other guys, to turn over that work ethic from our seniors last year to the guys in practice and pick up our intensity.
Did you have to change your expectations a little considering the turnover?
Being a competitor, you never want to lower your expectations, but obviously there is a building process again. And it was definitely frustrating and hard at first realizing that the guys coming up just really don't know what they're doing yet at the beginning of the season. But that's where the leadership role comes into play. It's been an important part of me maturing as a player — slowing it down, bringing them along and putting the team first. You're not always going to come out winning, but it's about getting better every day so you are at your best come playoffs.
On the court, what's your preferred position?
I feel most comfortable playing shooting guard, but I can definitely play the point when needed. It's easier for me to score off the ball, but at point guard I can facilitate by penetrating and creating for others. So it's really about what the team needs from me.
Last year, as a sophomore, did you find yourself in that facilitator role most of the time?
Last year, it was definitely more of setting my teammates up and, truthfully, I really didn't have to do a lot offensively. I was able to defend really hard and then come down the court and get the ball to Justin (Ballmer) and Michael (Bernetti), who were two of the leading scorers in the county. But this year, coach was in my ear that I was going to have to be the guy. I had the experience, having played varsity for three years. I should be ready to step it up. So, I've definitely taken on that role to score more this year.
What was your experience like playing as a freshman on varsity at Glenelg Country?
I had a really good experience my freshman year at Glenelg Country. I got to play with and against a lot of Division I guys. It was a pretty humbling experience. I was fortunate enough to get to play with Chancellor Barnard, who is now a freshman starting at Loyola University, and he was pretty much my role model at school. He helped me get through the day, being a new kid at a small school.
So why did you decide to transfer to Atholton?
It was a really hard decision to make, especially from a basketball standpoint because I loved the challenge of playing in the (MIAA) A Conference, which is one of the most competitive levels of high school basketball on the East Coast. I didn't really want to get away from that, but also I had to realize that my grades weren't where they needed to be freshman year. It wasn't just about basketball. Moving to public school, getting a chance to get my grades on track and finding a better balance was important to me.
Is there anyone on this year's team you have particularly good chemistry with?
Chris Carter. We work out every day together and that's like one of my brothers. When we are on the court, we know each other left and right. Fast breaks, he knows where to find me and I know where to find him. We just have great chemistry together.
Do you have any siblings and do any of them play sports?
I have three siblings, two younger sisters and one younger brother, but they're not old enough yet to play sports. My oldest sister is four, my other sister is three and my younger brother is two. I enjoy being around them, they keep me smiling most of the time. I work so hard for them, to be honest. I have to be a good role model for them.
Outside of basketball, I hear you are pretty good at video games — particularly NBA 2K. When did that start?
Oh yeah, I'm playing that all the time. I started playing 2K probably around 2012 on the Xbox. I play with my friends and my stepfather a lot. My favorite team is Oklahoma City with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. And, yeah, I'm pretty much unstoppable.
Tell me about the weekly haircuts.
I mean, my hair grows back pretty fast and I just like to keep a clean cut. When I was younger and played football I used to get designs, but I don't do that anymore. I go to Young's Barber Shop in Jessup basically every Friday and my man Vince always hooks me up with the clean cut.
Some of the guys were telling me that you are actually a pretty good dancer. Is that true?
Oh man, well I'm listening to music a lot and I've been dancing since I was young. So, yeah, I guess you could say I enjoy dancing and singing. I'll do a little hip-hop dancing or, I'm not sure if you're familiar with Baltimore Club music, but I dance to that. I used to watch a lot of movies like "You Got Served" and "Stomp the Yard" ... that's what got me into dancing.
Getting back to basketball, you guys have played all your games on the road the second half of this season because of ongoing renovations to the Atholton gym. How big of a deal is that?
Playing on the road is actually pretty fun for us. I mean, of course, everyone wants to play at home in front of your own fans, but I kind of like the challenge and I feel like we've adapted to it pretty well. We're used to crowds booing us and it's actually brought us closer together I feel like.
Looking ahead, what's it going to take in the playoffs for you to feel like this was a successful season?
Just for us to play every game like it's our last game and lay everything out there. If we can continue to play hard, can rebound and can play four quarters of basketball like we are capable, then the rest will take care of itself.