In a 63-51 thriller against Jesuit Dallas, it wasn’t the juniors or the seniors who shifted the momentum the most. Finishing with 10 points on 4-6 shooting, freshman Trevez McMiller had an array of contested threes and midrange pull-ups that created murmurs from the fans.
Although they were originally placed on JV, McMiller along with freshman Bryce Jones-Quaidoo have made substantial impact for the varsity squad.
While it may surprise some fans that freshmen are playing critical roles on varsity, the one person it doesn’t surprise is Head Coach Greg Guiler.
“Those guys have played a lot of high level basketball,” Guiler said. “They’re guards who understand the nuances of the game, and I trust them.”
Guiler tries to build his team’s rotation like a meritocracy with a game-to-game basis, rewarding each player based on their growth and effort regardless of their age or experience. When McMiller walked into Guiler’s office on the last day of tryouts, Guiler emphasized that he wanted to instill confidence in him.
“He told me that I was going to be on JV to learn how to be the man for when I go up to varsity,” McMiller said. “He wanted me to bring the same qualities and traits that I bring to JV.”
McMiller trained almost daily while in California over the summer, and works constantly on his craft. The results have shown on the court, and Guiler recognizes his work ethic.
“I see a gleam in their eye,” Guiler said “I see they’re hungry.”
When McMiller checked into his first varsity game, he wasn’t afraid to make his impact known. Throughout the season, McMiller has shot the ball confidently instead of letting the nerves get to him.
“Confidence comes from preparation,” Guiler said. “You’re going to be confident and trust your own ability when you’ve been in that situation before. Because you’ve prepared well in the offseason, well in the weight room, well in practice, you’ll be confident.”
With the help of the underclassmen, the Lions defeated a quality opponent for the first time, leaving promise for the future athletes.
“Thats the first time I’ve won a game against Jesuit,” Guiler said. “I’ve coached against them four times and we’ve had three overtime games. So it’s pretty special for me, special for St. Mark’s.”
