A more polished player in the maroon and gold scrimmage and a show-stealer in the dunk competition, Chesterton sophomore Bradly Basila showcases progress made in 10 months

Tom Keegan
Onwardtrojans.com

Before he stole the show in the dunk competition from Chesterton sophomore classmate Tommy Kostbade, an impressive dunker in his own right, Bradly Basila showed during two quarters of basketball at Saturday night’s maroon and gold scrimmage how far his game has progressed.
Basila showcased speed, quickness and jumping ability during his nine-game freshman season after moving from the Democratic Republic of Congo to become part of Luke and Raechel Miller’s family, joining their sons, Logan, Hudson and Myles.
Understandably, Bradly also looked during games as if he were in too big a hurry to make it all happen right now.
After an offseason dedicated to improving his body and game, Basila has managed to bulk up and speed up his body and slow down his mind, all the while refining his basketball skills.
He showed a soft shooting touch to make a 16-footer that came within the flow of the offense and in converting close shots off the glass, made a smooth interior pass to set up a teammate with an easy bucket, hit the boards hard, and blocked a few shots. The best evidence of an athleticism that jumped off the page just might have been a 100% on target, three-quarter court outlet pass delivered at high velocity.
Not that Basila, an exciting 6-foot-7 college prospect, was perfect. He was whistled for four fouls in less than a half of action.
“The first one wasn’t a foul, I blocked him,” Basila said. “But it’s fine. I keep learning, and next time I’ll do better.”
In the dunk competition, he and Kostbade wowed the crowd with a variety of flushes, including up-and-under slams, until Basila stole the night.
Myles Miller stood in the lane near his brother Hudson in a spot that required Basila to splay his legs to execute the dunk.
It wasn’t quite Vince Carter dunking over 7-2 Frenchman Frederic Weis in the 2000 Summer Olympics in what became known as the “Dunk of Death,” and Basila’s not the best dunker Marc Urban has coached. Urban was an assistant coach at Lake Central when 2017 NBA slam dunk champion Glenn Robinson III played there. Nonetheless, Basila’s winning dunk was impressive.
Basila said he doesn’t have a name for it. How could he name it when it wasn’t even his idea?
“My parent asked me to do it,” Basila said, meaning Luke Miller.
Basila said he wasn’t nervous about hurting his brothers with the crowd-pleasing flush.
“Not really,” he said. “I know I can jump, so I trust myself.”
It’s been 10 months since Basila landed at O’Hare, 7,105 miles from home, speaking French and knowing very little English. He no longer needs Google translator to hold a conversation and has learned how to play within a team structure smoothly. He has added 28 pounds and is up to 190. It’s obvious from his consistently good mood that he’s enjoying the entire experience.
“We keep learning,” Basila said. “I feel more comfortable now to play.”