Column: Midgley has made Modesto Christian boys basketball state power again

His father put a basketball in his hands, never expecting young Richard Midgley would bounce it halfway across the globe.

Yet here he is – now with a cart full of basketballs, his own team and a promising career as a coach – still with the world in the palm of his hand.

It’s Wednesday, the day after a gut-check overtime victory over Sheldon of Elk Grove in a CIF Northern California Open Division semifinal. Midgley stands outside the school gym, twisting a key ring around his finger, using, of all things, the parking lot to gauge the program’s rebirth as a state power.

Modesto Christian will appear in its second straight Open Division final on Saturday evening at Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento. The Crusaders will collide with top-seeded De La Salle for the right, we presume, to challenge national No. 1 Chino Hills and its roster, which features several future UCLA Bruins.

The mere mention of UCLA draws a response typical of a Cal grad: “We always beat UCLA,” Midgley said without hesitation.

Midgley is one of Modesto Christian’s famous alums. His Cal jersey hangs in the foyer of the gymnasium.

In 2001, Midgley played on a Modesto Christian team that helped pour the foundation for nearly two decades of success. There was Marc Pratt, David Paris, Bobby Cole II, Chuck Hayes and, of course, Midgley, a child prodigy in his native home of Burgess Hill, England.

Imagine that: A basketball player born in a country brimming with footballers. It sounds more legend than truth, but Midgley twice scored 91 points in a game and propelled his school teams to five national championships.

In the States, he’d become a compelling star on a team ripping through its corner of the universe.

The Crusaders reached the Division I state final against Cedric Bozeman and Mater Dei of Santa Ana. Modesto Christian built a nine-point lead in the second half, thrilling 13,495 fans, most of whom came to cheer the barnstorming bunch from Salida.

However, Mater Dei flipped the scoreboard in the final minutes and survived last-second shots by Hayes and Midgley to claim the state crown.

Here’s the thing about that Crusader team: No one missed a moment.

In that empty parking lot on Wednesday, Midgley painted a picture of the past. With his index finger, he drew an imaginary line of fans from the gymnasium doors to the back of the parking lot. People scrambled for tickets, he said, and fought for space along the baselines at whatever gym they played in.

When he returned to Modesto Christian following an injury-shortened pro career, Midgley was surprised to find the kingdom compromised. The Crusaders were still winning Sac-Joaquin Section championships at a record clip – with 18, no one has more – but there were cracks forming in the foundation. The foundation he helped pour.

The schedule had softened. There were puzzling losses and, most telling, available parking. This wasn’t the Modesto Christian Richard Midgley remembered. And, certainly, this wasn’t the Modesto Christian he’d champion, either.

Things had to change, and there was no better agent of change than Midgley, the boy with the basketball. He had been challenging the norm from the moment he discovered the game.

His father, Kevin, put a ball in his hand and gave him the freedom to find his way in a sport that was foreign to many. While a country and a continent pushed the ball around a field with their feet, Midgley dared to walk it down the street in his hands. Left to right. Right to left. Bounce. Step. Bounce. Step.

Rather quickly, he graduated through the levels of development. Dribbling turned to shooting drills at the park, which eventually evolved into the creation of a team. He chased his goals and dreams with a stubborn will, settling for nothing less than perfection.

Today, in the practice-day garb of a coach, Midgley remains as tenacious and committed to the pursuit. And the program has taken on his personality.

Some of the kids, like Christian Ellis and Jay Chen and Jordan Hollins-Buckner, arrive an hour early for 6 a.m. shootarounds. Others, like backup center Gabe Murphy, sneak in extra workouts on game days.

While no one questioned their talent, Midgley challenged their commitment.

Look at them now. The Crusaders have won 32 consecutive games, including four straight against state-ranked opponents, to move within a game of the state championship.

What’s more, the buzz surrounding the program has returned. Outside, late arrivals circle the parking lot on game nights, hoping to win the lottery.

Inside, energy surges through capacity crowds sprinkled with college coaches. More than 50 college coaches, near and far, have contacted Midgley this season.

Texas Tech’s Tubby Smith watched the Crusaders’ 54-51 victory over Saint Francis from a baseline seat. Missouri coach Kim Anderson will be in attendance Saturday.

“People think you need AAU to get recruited,” Midgley said, adding Missouri to the list of colleges scrawled on the whiteboard of his classroom. “They’re wrong.”

On the court, the opposition has grown in stature, too. Last season, Modesto Christian matched talent and wit with eventual state champion Bishop O’Dowd.

On Saturday, the Crusaders will draw a parochial power synonymous with this stage of the postseason. The Spartans have won five regional titles and two state championships.

Modesto Christian is searching for its first state final berth since 2004.

Some would say the Crusaders have already won, regardless of Saturday’s outcome. The program ranks among the state’s best again, and with a surplus of young talent, the future is as bright as ever.

But the boy with the basketball has come too far to settle for moral victories. His pursuit has always been about perfection.

This story was originally published March 18, 2016 at 3:16 PM with the headline "Column: Midgley has made Modesto Christian boys basketball state power again."