There is a lot to Luka, er, like about Advance hoop standout

ADVANCE – There certainly are some physical traits that benefit Dallas Mavericks star guard Luka Doncic, such as, he is 6-foot-7, 230 pounds, which as a point guard, gives him the opportunity to dominate his defenders because of his size and strength. However, Doncic isn’t incredibly athletic or physically sculpted, but what he is, is more skilled with a basketball in his hands than almost any other human being in the world.

So how does that relate to Southeast Missouri?

In the shadow of a fading Crowley’s Ridge, the small burg of Advance has produced an inordinate number of skilled basketball players, with the latest exhibit being Hornet senior guard Colton Silman.

“He’s really good,” veteran Advance coach Bubba Wheetley said.

Advance (13-2) will visit Zalma (1-11) tonight at 7:30 p.m.

Like Doncic, Silman doesn’t have the body of Kratos (the ancient Greek god of strength). Also, similar to Doncic, Silman isn’t able to soar over defenders and finish above people’s heads.

But both players are athletic ENOUGH to get by defenders, and both are incredibly skilled and crafty at finding opportunities to score and pass the basketball, where there seemingly were none.

“He is smart,” Wheetley said.

The 6-foot (ish) Silman recently dropped 36 points on St. Vincent in a Hornet victory, after putting up 33 points on Scott City in the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament last month.

“He’s basketball smart for one thing,” Wheetley continued. “He doesn’t get shaken up very much.”

Silman will stalk the defense like a lion from the perimeter, just looking for a crack to burst through – and more often than not – he can find one.

He won’t finish above the rim, but he is smart enough to either find the open areas where the lengthy defenders can’t reach his shot, or he’ll draw those athletes and dump off a pass to an open teammate for an easy score.

“The reason that I tell (my team) to run,” Wheetley explained, “is that they can finish and get down the floor. They can finish with their left hand or their right hand. They are very good at that.”

Silman isn’t alone in his ability to drive and “finish,” but few players in this area can score like Silman.

Against St. Vincent, he scored four points at the free throw line, buried four 3-pointers, and scored 10 baskets in probably 10 different manners.

“He handles the pressure very well,” Wheetely said. “He can drive, and he can shoot the 3 very well.”

Earlier in his career, Silman drove into traffic and got his shot blocked, Wheetely recalled, “my assistant (coach) told him to ‘pull up,’ which he did.”

Thus, Silman’s effective mid-range game was born, which just added to his arsenal of offensive capability.

“He has come a long way since junior high,” Wheetley said. “He has really improved a bunch.”

The Hornets have won 65 games over the past three seasons but haven’t secured an MSHSAA Class 2 District title since Silman and his senior classmates were in the seventh grade.

Wheetley acknowledged that this year won’t be any easier than any other.

“I hope that we keep this up,” Wheetley said, “but we’ll have to get better because we are in a tough District. Any of those teams can win.”

The Class 2 District 3 includes Advance, Greenville (14-1), Oak Ridge (12-3), Puxico (12-3), Bloomfield (3-12), Meadow Heights (7-7), and always, always difficult-to-deal-with Oran (8-6).