Quentin Steele’s career as a basketball player at Greenwood Christian Academy has spanned 68 games, giving him a one-game advantage over teammate Payton Modlin.
In that time, the seniors have been exposed to change in a school continuing to grow. They’ve said hello to move-ins, goodbye to those choosing to play basketball elsewhere and even adapted following a coaching change.
Through it all, Steele and Modlin have remained coachable and willing to do whatever needs to be done for the team to be successful. They average 10.6 and 6.3 points, respectively, for the Cougars (4-3), who play next at the Monrovia holiday tournament on Dec. 28-29.
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And, yes, both have produced higher scoring averages at various points of their career.
“For a lot of kids, that would be tough,” second-year coach Jonny Marlin said. “For Q and Payton, they just want to win. More than anything, they want to win the second (boys basketball) sectional in GCA history.
“They know how valuable they are to our offense and they know how valuable they are on defense.”
As a sophomore, the 6-foot Modlin used his leaping ability to play close to the basket and lead the Cougars in scoring (15.7) while grabbing 3.9 rebounds a contest.
His role changed after brothers Champ and Styles McCorkle, both of whom stand 6-4, transferred from Franklin to Greenwood Christian before the 2017-18 school year. That allowed Marlin to move Modlin out onto the perimeter more frequently.
Modlin’s scoring average dipped to 11.6 last season, and he produced at only a 3.5 clip through the first four games of this season, although he did average nearly five assists, four rebounds and 1.3 steals.
Earlier this month, Modlin reminded Cougars fans of his ability to produce points with 21 in the Cougars’ 71-43 win at Bethesda Christian. The display included both some old and new — a pair of 3-pointers and the rest coming at the rim or the free throw stripe.
“Payton has such a knack to the rim,” Marlin said.
Steele leads Greenwood Christian in steals (2.3) and is behind only Modlin in assists (3.9). Marlin also said the senior’s hands at the defensive end are among the best he’s seen.
“Q gets so many deflections and steals,” he said. “On offense, he does a good job taking care of the ball, getting in the gaps and creating for others.”
A total of four freshmen saw varsity minutes for Greenwood Christian Academy during the 2015-16 season. Steele and Modlin, who now have 577 and 717 career points, respectively, are the only ones still on the roster.
They’ve stayed the course, pillars of stability who have been surrounded by change. Cougars until the end.
“It’s definitely been an experience that I wouldn’t change,” Modlin said. “We’ve had setbacks, but I wouldn’t change it. I love where I’m at. I love the atmosphere and I love GCA.”
