Bradly basila delivers his best game to dateand enjoys first taste of valparaiso rivalry in 62-52 road win

Tom Keegan
Onwardtrojans.com

Bradly Basila, Chesterton’s 6-foot-7 freshman from Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, flashed multiple signs of dynamic athleticism in Friday night’s 62-52 victory at Valparaiso.
His leaping ability was on display in swatting two shots and soaring above the rim to grab defensive rebounds. Early in the game, he elevated above the defender in his face, 6-7 sophomore Maddux Wagner, and buried a 3-pointer from the right wing.
But in terms of doing something rarely seen in a high school basketball game, it perhaps was the sheer velocity of the pass he rifled from the right corner to Logan Pokorney on the left wing in the first quarter. It arrived so quickly and on target that Pokorney still was wide open and turned it into an unhurried 3-pointer.
The pass stood out like a Rob Czarniecki fastball does from the mound of a high school diamond in the spring.
Basila had his first double-figuring scoring output with nine of his 11 points coming in the first half. It won’t be known until his rebound total is tallied for the official statistics, but it’s possible he also had his first double-double.
According to the official stats from his first five games, the two blocked shots he had at Valparaiso were his first two.
Basila also conducted his first postgame interview.
“French?” he asked with a hopeful expression.
Sadly, no, he would have to rely on google translator from Coach Marc Urban’s iPhone. It sometimes lost something in the transition, and when it did, Basila laughed and started the process over.
On the Valpo rivalry, he said in French: “It’s my first time playing against them. I’m delighted. They’re very good players. I’m happy to have played against them. I also liked our energy. It helped me move forward.”
On whether he’s feeling more comfortable on the team: “Yes, of course. It’s a team that welcomed me very well. I feel like I’m family, and I really like the family.”
His team is not the only family that he likes. His biggest smile came when he was asked about his host family, Luke and Raechel Miller and their two children.
Basila also shared his thoughts on teammate Logan Pokorney, who again had such an efficient night on his way to 22 points, 10 in the fourth quarter.
“He’s a very good player and he played well today, and his energy allowed the team to move forward and win,” Basila said.
His coach consistently has praised his newest player’s effort and commitment to becoming a better basketball player.
“Bradly’s done a good job. He keeps coming in after practice, or the next day, and we watch film for 20 or 25 minutes, and that’s really helped,” Urban said. “He’s worked really hard, and our guys have done a good job with him. Like Robert Williams, I was glad he got in the game there (for the final 0.3 of a second) because he’s done an unbelievable job of being a senior and having a great attitude, going against Bradly every day, and that gives us a chance to win. That’s Robert’s leadership. That’s what he’s doing.”
Every day brings many firsts for Basila, but as is Williams, he still is in search of his first dunk in a game. Perhaps tonight will be the best chance for both players in a home game vs. winless Whiting (0-20), tipoff at 7.