James Witham put in a lot of work over the summer. And it’s certainly showing for the Mount Desert Island High School point guard.
Witham was already a preeminent scorer in Maine high school basketball. In just his sophomore season last year at the Bar Harbor school, the guard was named to the Bangor Daily News Class B all-tournament team.
And even from the elevated starting point, he’s taken his game to another level as a junior. Not only can Witham score 20-plus points per game seemingly with ease, but he is also making his presence felt on the defensive end of the court.
That defensive ability was on full display Monday night, as Witham and his teammates ran away from Class A opponent Brewer in a convincing 68-41 win.
“I really tried to work on it a lot this summer,” Witham said about his defense on Monday night, when he had a slew of timely steals to help jumpstart the MDI transition offense. “The emphasis was sliding my feet, making sure I’m staying disciplined, staying in front. There was definitely an emphasis going into the season, making sure I was a presence defensively.”
He continues to be a dominant presence on the offensive end, as well.
Witham scored 26 points against Brewer, turning to a mix of smooth jump shots, slashing drives to the hoop and crafty Euro-step moves around defenders. And he looked plenty comfortable even when dealing with the length of one of the state’s biggest paint presences in Brewer Sophomore Oli Higgins.
“It’s just the work I put in during the summer in the offseason,” Witham explained about his comfort level at the rim against Higgins’ size.
It didn’t hurt that, as two of the state’s premier players, Witham and Higgins also play on the same club team during the summer.
“He was also my teammate during the summer, so I played against him a lot actually,” Witham added about Higgins. “He was on the same team, so I felt very comfortable, you know, definitely hours in the gym for sure.”
That time in the gym is paying dividends on the court, with Witham averaging more than 27 points and nine rebounds per game, along with more than two steals.
Despite his high level of offensive production, Witham said it’s the defensive plays that have him feeling the best about his game.
“I would say definitely the steals, because points come and go,” Witham said Monday. “I think steals is something that doesn’t come often, and I’m really happy with myself that I was able to do what I did tonight on the defensive end.”
MDI head coach Justin Norwood called Witham “a special talent” and had the same takeaway after Monday night’s win.
“We talk a lot about how good of an offensive player he is. But when he’s committed defensively, he can be an absolute difference maker on that side of the floor,” Norwood said about Witham.
And the point guard certainly made a difference Monday night. Norwood pointed to Witham’s steals which he said “really deflated” the Brewer squad.
Witham could have easily eclipsed 30 points on Monday if a few other close-range shots in traffic had dropped for him.
“He was upset with missing some layups, but I try to continually talk to him about finding other ways to affect winning,” Norwood said. “And when he rebounds the basketball like that, when he plays defense, it’s not as flashy as everything else, but it’s affecting winning.”
There’s no doubt that Witham’s effort on both ends of the floor helped the Trojans win on Monday.
“I think we made a huge statement. I know a lot of people were hyped going into this game. I know we were hyped going into this game,” Witham said. “I think we came in here, we did what we’re supposed to do. We punched them in the mouth and we finished the game. I think we did amazing with that, and I think we’re ready for the next team up.”
Along with the buzz about the Brewer game, there has also been plenty of hype this season around Witham’s individual prowess.
“I hear it, I’ll be honest, but I try not to pay attention to it — you know, just play my game,” Witham said.
The most recent Big East Conference player of the week would rather put his head down, focus on practice, stick to his team’s gameplan and try to win a championship.
“Individual accomplishments aside, I think we’ve got a really good culture,” Witham said. “And I think the main focus is getting that gold ball, and whatever comes with it is cool.”