Justice Taylor knew what was coming.
Why wouldn’t he? He’s know Myles Adams-Yates, who scored 16 points and helped keep Albemarle in the mix against Potomac in the Patriots’ Group 5A state semifinal loss, for a decade.
“He just had that killer instinct that he always has,” Taylor said. “He had that will-to-win tonight.”
Those two seniors got to live one of the ultimate sports dreams over the last two weeks, playing for a shot at a state title on a huge stage with the friend you grew up dreaming about basketball titles with. Throughout the Patriots’ historic run, Adams-Yates and Taylor could look down the bench or across the lane at someone who knew exactly what it took the other to get there.
“That’s my best friend,” Adams-Yates said. “We’ve been friends since second grade.”
The duo has been playing basketball together nearly as long as they’ve known each other, and championship dreams eventually gave way to serious goals. Goals that seemed well within reach.
“We’ve talked about it a lot. Sophomore season we’re sitting around thinking, man we could go to the state (tournament) one year,” Adams-Yates said. “It’s come true and it means a lot to both of us.”
Adams-Yates had a breakout season as a senior, expanding his game from defensive stopper to an all-around scoring threat. Against Potomac he scored off the dribble and out of a halfcourt set that got him in position to knock down a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter. It was thrilling for Taylor to see his best friend come out and perform on such a huge stage.
“It just feels great…he’s a great guy, I love him to death,” Taylor said. “I’m glad to have this experience with him. I cherished it a lot.”
Adams-Yates averaged nearly 10 points per game as the squad’s third-most lethal scorer and he became an adept distributor as well, averaging better than three assists per game. Throw that in with his well-established defensive credentials — he gets the top perimeter assignment each night for the Patriots, and it’s clear that he was one of the Patriots’ most versatile pieces.
But Adams-Yates will contend that Taylor is just as versatile.
“He’s just so flexible,” Adams-Yates said. “He’ll fill any role, he’s not going to pout about it, he’s not complain about it. You ask him to do something, he’s going to do it. When I’m not guarding the best player on the other team, Justice is sometimes out there guarding him. Any role you want to put him at he’ll fill it for you.”
Taylor’s senior year backs up Adams-Yates’ claim. Early in the season, Taylor filled in admirably when the Patriots’ top option in the post Austin Katstra was struggling through a series of ankle injuries. Then with Katstra back, he was able to return to his role as a valuable sixth-man type, guarding a number of different spots like Adams-Yates said or providing a scoring punch, like his fourth quarter lay-up against Potomac. He’s particularly active around the basket, capable of scoring on putbacks or with a quick post move or drive.
They’re indicative of an entire senior class that embraced their roles, but for those two and their other friend since they were young point guard Kennedy Brown, it was particularly sweet because their friends were right there with them.
“We always talked about this coming through high school that we always wanted to be on this stage with this group of guys,” Taylor said. “And Kennedy Brown is also our close friend who we’ve always been friends with — it’s just great to have this experience with them.”
Winning is almost always great, it’s almost always fun. A deep playoff run, even if a team doesn’t particularly get along, has its moments of excitement. But winning with your closest friends? Guys or girls who know where you came from?
It’s not just fun, it’s a dream realized. It’s a memory made. It’s perfect.
