Nansemond River guard gets hang of being quick

SUFFOLK

Those who know Dontrell Brite describe him as quiet and reserved.

But give the Nansemond River guard a basketball and you'll see there's nothing timid about his game.

Brite is known for his ankle-breaking, knee-buckling crossover dribble and spin moves.

"When he makes moves, he can get by anybody," Warriors coach Ed Young said. "He's a guy who is extremely fast and quick. And when he learns how to change his speeds, he's going to be unguardable."

It's taken Young two seasons to get Brite to play under control.

"I often say that Dontrell's biggest strength is his speed and quickness," Young said. "And his biggest weakness is his speed and quickness. Sometimes he'll make a move and then make another move so quickly that the defender has never moved. So he has to be smart and calculating with his moves."

Brite, a 5-foot-10 senior, began his high school basketball career at Grassfield. But before his junior season, his family moved to Suffolk.

"He had talent but was kind of wild like a stallion or colt running around," Young recalled. "In fact, when we played him, our game plan was to get him frustrated because he would try to do too much."

Brite said the transition, although sometimes difficult, has been the best thing for him on and off the court. He arrived at Nansemond River with poor work habits and only average grades. Now he has become an all-around student-athlete.

"At Grassfield, I kind of got away with a lot of stuff," he said. "I could do whatever. But when I came here, coach didn't let me get away with anything. He stays on top of me all the time, but he's made me a better player."

Brite is averaging 11.1 points, eight assists and nearly six steals a game. Along with backcourt mate Shannon Evans, he is partof one of the best guard tandems in the Eastern Region.

"He is just so fast and he can find anybody," said Evans, who is averaging 20.3 points. "So I just spot up and let him find me."

Brite said doesn't mind not scoring just as long as the Warriors keep winning.

"It's not that important for me to have to score," he said. "I like getting my teammates involved. As long as we win that's all that matters."