Things were slipping for Lawrence Academy. The Spartans held a commanding 22-point lead midway through the second half against Cheshire on Dec. 19 at the St. Andrew’s Holiday Classic, but it almost didn’t last. Calls went against them, the Cats started making shots. A seemingly insurmountable lead was cut to single digits, and it was getting uncomfortable.
But then Evan Mitchner stepped in. LA’s senior point guard led with his play and his voice. He switched on to the Cheshire players who were getting hot, making it his job to cool them down, and he pulled his teammates close in tight and stressful moments in an effort to keep them focused and poised.
“He just made sure everyone was cool, calm and collected,” LA coach Mike Foustoukos said. “Saying hey look, we’re in this together, we got this, we just have to control the controllables and not worry about the outside noise.”
Mitchner went on to make several plays down the stretch – including a tough jump-stop move at the bucket to go up six with a minute left, and a critical free throw moments later. The Spartans held on for a 78-75 victory on the strength of star Alex Egbuonu’s career-high 46 points. But they wouldn’t have closed that game without Mitchner. After missing significant time last season due to injuries, Mitchner is fully healthy, and his return has been a massive game-changer for Lawrence Academy, which sits at 6-2 and No. 10 in our NEPSAC power rankings at the winter break.
“He’s made a world of difference,” Foustoukos said.
Foustoukos said his team filled Mitchner’s absence admirably last season as the Spartans finished the winter strong and made the Class AA playoffs. But there’s been noticeable improvement with him back on the floor consistently this season. Through eight games, LA has only committed double-digit turnovers once, and Mitchner’s 4:1 assist-to-turnover ratio has set the table. Foustoukos estimated that Mitchner makes the right read 90 percent of the time, and he has an excellent feel for knowing what is required in specific situations and moments – when is the right time to get a certain player a shot, when does he need to take a back seat to Egbuonu, when does he need to get himself going.
The final stretch of the Cheshire win was a glimpse into his leadership. He knows the right times to raise his voice, correct and empower a teammate when they make a mistake and keep his team confident and engaged during noisy moments. Foustoukos knows he can run hot coaching from the sidelines, but having a calming voice and presence like Mitchner on the court puts him at ease.
“He's really just an extension of the coaching staff on the floor,” Foustoukos said.
“Big difference. That’s our point guard,” Egbuonu added. “Everyone loves him, everyone trusts him. I’m not surprised that he’s doing what he’s doing.”
RELATED: Why Alex Egbuonu committed to Marquette
Mitchner is a dynamic player who has re-energized Lawrence Academy’s offense with both his presence and ability. He facilitates and scores at a high level, and tough to keep out of the paint. The two-man game with Egbuonu has formed an impossible threat to defend. The 6-foot-3 Mitchner is dangerous in the mid-range and post, too. On back-to-back plays against Cheshire, Mitchner scored twice out of the post. A student of the game, Foustoukos said Mitchner studies Kyrie Irving and the small details that make him successful, from footwork, balance and ball manipulation.
"It's definitely part of a concerted effort for us to play through the post and mid-post area a little bit more. So, ways we can get him the ball there where he can both facilitate because we run actions off of post entries so he knows what his options are and where guys should be.
“We have this saying of death, taxes and Evan Mitchner in the mid-range,” Foustoukos said. “Those three things are automatic. They’re always going to happen.”
Mitchner suffered a stress fracture in both of his tibias last season and actually played through the injuries for portions of last winter. The summer was mostly spent in recovery mode, and he entered this season 100 percent healthy and grateful.
“I missed the game so much and I realized I can’t take any moment for granted,” Mitchner said earlier this year. “When I got back to recovery, it was every day I have to do this and I have to prepare.”
Mitchner is motivated for several reasons – he said he wants to prove that he’s a good teammate, and he wants to show how good Lawrence Academy is this season. But personally, he’s also motivated to show college coaches that he’s a Division 1-caliber point guard. A high-academic student, Mitchner has many Division 3 schools hoping he can land with them, but he’s getting high interest from schools across low-major Div. 1 conferences, including the Patriot League, Ivy League and America East.
Those schools want to see Mitchner get through a full season healthy and see what that looks like before they make a full commitment. So far, it looks pretty good.
“I keep saying that there’s going to be a college assistant who gets promoted because they got Ev,” Foustoukos said. “And then there’s going to be like 10 other coaches in that league who are going to be pissed at their assistants because they didn’t get Ev. How did we not get this guy and how is he tearing us up year after year after year? …
“He’s a playmaker. He’s a competitor. When that gear gets going, it’s just like get him the ball, get out of the way. He’s a great leader. He’s going to do whatever it takes to play. He played through stress fractures in his shins and still averaged 14 (points) a game. The kid’s just a dog. He just wants to go out and compete.”
