Although Releford added four steals and seven assists to his night’s work, Stags coach Rick Zych quickly shot down that sort of talk.
"I don’t know that it was his best game," Zych said over the weekend. "He had 34 points in one other game. But he did have a great game for us the other night.
"The kid plays at such a high level. My job is pretty simple, really. I have to make sure he practices hard every day. If you don’t work hard in practice it doesn’t carry over to the next game. My job is to push him in practice and to push him in games."
With Releford running the show for the Stags the past three seasons, Zych has had one of the best seats in the house to watch, and to teach, one of the great point guards in the nation, according to several recruiting services. With that kind of recognition comes the pressure to produce, and Releford has done that both individually and with the Stags.
Last season, Releford was named to first-team all-state teams in both the Wichita Eagle and the Topeka Capital Journal for the second year in a row; and was named first-team all-EKL for the second straight season. The Alabama recruit averaged 18.6 points, 6.3 assists and 2.1 steals as a junior. A year ago, one magazine recognized Releford as the best ball-handling guard in the nation.
"When he moves the ball around in the open court, he will get the ball to the other guys," Zych said of his latest Stags great. "He makes the other four players on the court better players when he is able to do that."
As a team, Releford and the Stags were on the cusp of winning the school’s first boys state basketball title since 2001, last March. But Topeka Highland Park forced Bishop Miege to wait yet one more year. Leading by seven points midway through the fourth, the Stags had the rug pulled out from under them as the Scots rallied for a 54-52 win on a last-second shot in the Class 5A state championship game to claim a third straight title.
"That was tough," Releford recalled of the state-title loss. "It seems like a long time, but we’re working hard to get back there."
Zych added: "We had it in our grasp, and we let it slip away. We beat on the door a few times. Trevor has been there. He knows how it is. He’s won a few games for us."
During Releford’s three-plus seasons with the Stags, Zych-coached basketball teams have compiled a 77-11 record. So far this season Bishop Miege has reeled off 16 straight wins following Friday’s triumph over the 11-5 Mustangs. It’s that kind of a track record, both individually and as a part of a team, that prompted Crimson Tide head coach Anthony Grant to pursue Releford with a passion.
Despite offers from Illinois State, Missouri, Kansas State, Minnesota, Missouri State, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Wichita State, Grant’s persistence prevailed.
"He’s trying to build something there," Releford said of the coach that will have his attention for the next four seasons. "Right now Alabama is a football school, but he (Grant) wants to change that. And I want to be a part of that.
"They told me to come in, work hard and think about playing right now. They aren’t promising me anything, but I think I have a chance of contributing right away."
Releford, who is averaging 17.6 points, 2.9 steals and 6.3 assists per game this season, is aware that playing in the Southeastern Conference will test his mettle during his freshman season and beyond. But he says he is up to the challenge.
"I’m going in with the mindset of working on my weaknesses and getting stronger," he said of preparing for the challenge of transitioning from Kansas Class 5A basketball to the rigors of the SEC. "I think I’ll be ready for it."
Releford loves to push the tempo and drive to the basket. However, he is aware that at the next level the lane will be plugged with bigger, stronger and quicker athletes than what he’s used to competing against in high school. Stags assistant coach Roger Jackson points to Releford’s floater in the lane as the remedy for that obstacle. Releford agreed.
"Next year I’ll have to use that," he said in reference to the floating jump shot, "because the guys will be much bigger. I’ll be facing some 7-footers. Now, I don’t really have to worry about that, so I take it to the rim."
While Zych admitted that he himself has learned plenty from his senior leader, Releford will also take a few words of advice from his high school coach to the bank.
"He’s always told me to come out and compete," Releford said. "Don’t let anybody else take advantage of a situation. Take the first punch."
If Releford and the top-ranked Stags basketball team want to keep up with the rest of the athletic programs at Bishop Miege, a state championship must be won soon. The girls basketball team won a state title a year ago and is in the running again.
Last fall, the Stags won a state championship in volleyball and in football. The 6-foot Releford and 6-4 forward Justin McCay, an Oklahoma football recruit, were members of the state title football team.
"If we keep playing hard and working to get better, I think the sky is the limit for this team," Releford said. "We just have to take one game at a time and then go into sub-states and take care of business. Then I think we’ll have as good of a shot as anybody.
"We gotta give everything we got. This will be the last shot some of us will have to win a state championship, so everybody will have to be ready to gear it up. If we lose the undefeated season, but win a state championship, everything will be alright."
