Talk about a change of environment.
In just one season, Myles Mitchell-White went from the new kid on the block to the only kid left in the Lawrence High varsity basketball neighborhood.
As a freshman last year, Mitchell-White was the starting point guard on a Cardinal team loaded with veterans. But June graduation brought in a tidal wave that washed away every varsity player but Mitchell-White, who returned as the team’s lone veteran.
It’s a lot of pressure, but the sophomore can handle it.
“He’s the only one with any experience, and he’s been a great leader of the guys,” coach Jeff Molinelli said. “And he has really been stepping up with his production. He’s been great.”
That’s an understatement. Aside from providing leadership, Mitchell-White averaged 19 points, 7 assists and 7 rebounds per game as of mid-January (the Cardinals were 3-4).
He also protects the ball well according to Molinelli, as his turnovers were limited.
Not to mention, he is guiding a team made mostly of upperclassmen, despite the fact he has more varsity experience.
“It’s helped me mature a lot,” Mitchell-White said. “I’m learning different things, like seeing how to help kids play to their ability. I’m learning how to motivate guys, and just trying to do different things to help us win.”
Mitchell-White comes from recent famous LHS blood lines. His brother is Semei Mitchell, who starred for the Cardinals’ 2013 state finalist football team and also played on the basketball team before graduating last season.
And while it would make for a nice story to say that Semei Mitchell had a big impact on Mitchell-White’s blossoming hoops career, it’s not really the case.
“He didn’t have much of an influence,” Mitchell-White said. “I like playing basketball. I used to play football and that’s what he wanted me to do. I played football but I quit. I just didn’t want to play anymore. I liked basketball better and I was better at basketball.”
He wasted little time proving that to Molinelli, as he averaged 10 points per game as a freshman while leading the team in assists.
“His freshman year he did better than I thought,” the coach said. “I thought he would help us get into the offense and play good defense, and instead he was our third-leading scorer and led the team in assists.”
That’s not to say he didn’t play good defense.
“He’s probably one of our better defenders,” Molinelli said. “I usually put him on the other team’s best scorer, or sometimes the second best scorer because he really has to do a lot for us. He brings the ball up, he gets people involved, he scores. Sometimes I have to give him a little break on defense.”
Despite the fact Semei was trying to direct his little brother into football, he still provided some help last year.
“It was good having my brother on the team, and I knew a lot of the other guys from my brother,” Mitchell-White said. “They were my friends since I was younger, so they weren’t trying to push me away. It made it easier for me to play and less difficult to adjust.”
Indeed, the pressure was not on Mitchell-White at all. He was allowed to ease into the lineup and do his thing while flying under the radar—until the second half of the season when teams started to realize the Cards had a stud freshman.
This year, the situation is a lot different. Molinelli said most of Lawrence’s opponents match up their best defender up on Mitchell-White, but he handles it with ease.
“He’s definitely more mature for his age,” Molinelli said. “He surprises me every day with that. When things get tough he helps his teammates out. When we need a big bucket he’s gotten every bucket we need to get.”
It’s equally hard to keep all his responsibilities straight.
“His role is definitely a scorer,” Molinelli said. “But he also gets his teammates involved, and he has to keep everybody’s focus. These guys are older than him but varsity is a lot different than JV and he has to keep them involved. He brings the ball up, he gets rebounds.”
That might be tough for someone who is younger, but Mitchell-White doesn’t get in his teammates’ faces. He just suggests they do as he does.
“I try to make sure we push each other,” he said. “To do that, I’ve got to make sure I’m working hard and making myself better. I try to lead by example.”
None of this is to say that Mitchell-White is with a team that lacks talent. The Cardinals’ JV team went 15-7 last year, and many of those players were just waiting to get their chance this season and would likely have made varsity with other teams. Molinelli noted that senior Brandon Blackshear has progressed as a scorer, senior DJ Peters is emerging as a leader and senior Tyler Cunningham has stepped up with his rebounding.
In the middle of it all is Mitchell-White, who worked doggedly to prepare for the season. He played AAU ball as well as nearly 30 games with the Cardinals in their various summer activities. As if that wasn’t enough, he often did early-morning solo shooting drills.
“I worked on shooting all summer,” said Mitchell-White, who logs close to 32 minutes every game. “I didn’t shoot that much last year. I knew if I got a better shot it would open up the defense a lot. It would be easier to get my teammates open. Now they have to focus on me both driving and having a shot.”
As it is, despite the defensive attention he gets, Mitchell-White has the ability to create his shot or a teammate’s shot.
“He can get anywhere on the court that he wants with the basketball, that’s a great tribute to him and how hard he worked this summer,” Molinelli said. “A lot of shots he creates with our offense are because he gets to where he needs to be on the court.”
Mitchell-White feels it’s important to get everyone involved, but he will look to score when necessary.
“If a teammate needs to be included, I’ll get him the ball,” he said. “But if I know I have to score a basket then I will try to do that.”
What he has done so far has been impressive. So much so, that Molinelli included Mitchell-White in the same breath as the Colonial Valley Conference’s top player.
“As far as comparing him with any other sophomore I’ve seen in the last 10 years, the only one I can think of is (Ewing’s) Trey Lowe,” the coach said. “He had to step up as a sophomore and be a main contributor and that’s a really tough thing to do. I haven’t seen it from anyone else but Trey, so that’s pretty good company to be in.”
And if Mitchell-White’s career progresses as Lowe’s did, it will be a lot of fun to watch.
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