Basketball: Feasting on hoops: Family shares passion (01-27-07)
Pass the 3-pointer: Central standout learned under Strasburg's coach -- By Chuck McGill (Daily Staff Writer)
WOODSTOCK — When Millson and Stuart French sit down for dinner every other Sunday, basketball is rarely on the menu.
But Millson, the boys basketball coach at Strasburg, and Stuart, Central's leading scorer, have a similar appetite for the sport.
Stuart attributes his basic understanding of the game to Millson, who is his father's cousin. The younger French started to hone his game at a Strasburg basketball camp when he was in fourth grade.
"He gave me pointers on the fundamental parts of the game," Stuart said earlier this week. "He's one of my greatest influences."
Since then, Stuart has evolved from a basketball neophyte to a 6-foot-5 standout.
"He's worked real hard on his game," Millson said. "I've tried to help him with what little bit I can. He's blessed with a lot of talent; he's the only one in our family with any size."
He's often the tallest player on the court, but in addition to an impressive post game, he has developed a knack for both driving to the basket and hitting shots from the perimeter. In Tuesday's loss to Warren County, he connected on five 3-pointers, further demonstrating his development as an all-around player.
But Stuart would rather not score and win than thump his chest after each basket. He's reserved, and when he does speak, he's careful to distribute credit for his improvement to Millson, his teammates or coach Jeff Walters, who admits to being particularly hard on Stuart because he sees "so much potential in him."
"He's a wonderful kid to coach," Walters said. "He's never complained about anything — not one time."
Stuart, a sophomore, has assumed a more significant role this season as part of a team that boasts just two seniors. He leads the Falcons in scoring, assists and steals, and is second in rebounding and field-goal percentage.
"We are just so young right now; we need Stuart to do a lot of things most teams don't need sophomores to do," Walters said. "Across the board, he is a well-rounded player. For a kid that doesn't have a driver's license, he's done pretty well."
When prodded, Walters was able to dig deeper and find at least one flaw in his blond-haired, wiry forward.
"He's a little too unselfish," he said. "We're looking forward to the point in time when he can just take over a game."
He has shown glimpses of doing so, as evidenced by the 29-point performance against Warren County earlier this week.
"He's a joy to coach — there's no question about it," Walters said. "The upside of his ability is moreso than your typical kid."
Stuart is almost hesitant to list his own strengths, but he's quick to gush about his team's future. This year's Central team, which is 2-14 and winless in 11 Northwestern District games after its 72-46 loss at Brentsville on Friday night, features a freshman starting point guard, a pair of sophomores starting at forward and seven juniors.
"We are always looking to the future," Stuart said. "If we take care of the little things, the rest will take care of itself."
But Stuart and his teammates are hardly overlooking the remainder of the season, including tonight at Strasburg. Millson downplays the on-court family reunion but admits his team game-plans for Stuart, perhaps shedding light on the lack of basketball dialogue nowadays.
"He's playing and I'm coaching — that's the gist," Millson said. "We know he's capable of scoring in a variety of ways.
"I wouldn't want to play him; he'd kill me if I played him."
