Leilani Washington has a few basketball moves she’s watched and practiced on occasion. The Nolensville junior guard is fan of Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum and his side-step, 3-pointer off one dribble.
But Washington is smart enough to understand there’s a time and place.
“You can’t just pull that move out any time,” Washington said. “That might get you pulled out of the game. But maybe it’s something I’ll try at the end of the quarter if I have the shot to take. I might try it then, knowing it won’t get me in trouble.”
Nolensville coach Chris Ladd trusts Washington completely. He gave her the keys to the offense as a freshman, allowed her to make mistakes, but also allowed Washington to grow into becoming an all-around point guard who can score at all three levels, defend and rebound.
That trust is a major reason why his Lady Knights are 14-7 and 6-2 in District 10-4A play.
“Having total trust in any player can be difficult sometimes,” Ladd said. “When you find a kid, or a group of kids, who you can put that faith in, it makes coaching easier. Lani is one of those rare players I have faith in.”
Washington does a little of everything on the court for Nolensville. She averages 16.1 points but also stuffs the stat sheet with, 6.6 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 3.3 steals. While summer league teammates like Brentwood star Ella Ryan routinely put up 25 to 30 points in a game, Washington gave up trying to be an elite scorer.
“I mean, I still like to score points,” she said. “I’m not trying to go out there and not score. But if I’m rebounding and playing defense and doing all the other things, the scoring will come so I don’t worry about putting up huge scoring numbers.”
Washington was a multi-sport athlete when she was younger, playing soccer and softball before beginning her basketball career prior to high school. But she was drawn to basketball because it was “a contact sport”.
“And it’s inside,” she said laughing. “It’s hot outside. Really, I just felt different when I played basketball. I really wanted to focus and lock in on it.”
The Lady Knights basketball tradition is thin. The Lady Knights have only one state tournament berth in 2020. That tournament was canceled before the semifinal games because of COVID. Nolensville was set to play Macon County in the Class AA bracket after beating Melrose in the quarterfinal.
“That team was talented,” said Ladd, a 26-year coaching veteran who has coached Nolensville for seven seasons. “Lani is right up there with the top players to come out of this school. I’ve never had a point guard who is explosive and can do so many different things.”
And Washington has flourished knowing Ladd trusts her with being an extension of himself.
“We’ve talked about that a lot,” Washington said. “About being a coach on the court. I also think my teammates trust me as well. It’s not just me on the court.”
Lady Knights forward Sara Brakefield is a averaging close a a double-double (12 points, nine rebounds) and Nyla Johnson is averaging 11 points.
“It comes down to that we all trust each other,” Washington said. “That’s what’s going to carry this team far.”
Reach sports writer George Robinson at [email protected] and on the X platform (formerly Twitter) @Cville_Sports.