Glendale's Amare Witham has the 'it factor' and looks like the city's next great prospect
Glendale head coach Brian McTague has been watching Amare Witham since he was a five-year-old attending camps during the summer. Even back then, McTague had a feeling that Witham would grow up to be special.
Witham didn't have the extreme shot-making ability back then that he has now but McTague said the handles were there. Witham even remembers "balling out" at that camp.
Years later, Witham is now the star starting point guard at Glendale and he looks like Springfield's best sophomore since Aminu Mohammed first arrived at Greenwood.
"He's probably the most confident kid that I've ever coached," McTague said. "We count on him to do a lot and he's capable of making the big shot or making the big pass or whatever we need him to do."
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In Witham's second game at the 2023 Blue and Gold Tournament, he put on a show that helped those in attendance realize why he's already receiving Division I offers and is on pace to break area scoring records.
Witham scored 37 points in a 73-48 win over Strafford in the quarterfinal round of the Gold Division. He tied the tournament's single-game record by hitting nine 3-pointers with seven of them coming in the first quarter.
"I just listen to music before the game and got into the zone," Witham said. "I was told that they were talking like I wasn't going to score. I just wanted to go out there and go crazy."
Witham was a bit insane throughout a first quarter that saw him score all 23 of the Falcons' points. His basketball IQ was on full display as he used his screens to perfection. His handles put defenders on rollerskates and when he was hot, he kept throwing up shots and they all went in.
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From then on, Witham spread the ball out by showing off his court vision and passing ability. The eyes on the back of his head created opportunities for others as he took the attention of opposing defenders.
It followed Witham's 13-point performance against Marshfield in Tuesday night's opener when the whole Glendale team seemed to struggle. The whole time, it felt like once one shot went in, more would follow. That happened Wednesday afternoon.
"It felt great," Witham said. "Once I get one, I just can't be stopped."
Witham has been unstoppable through the first year of his career into his second. The 6-foot-2 combo guard averaged 19.6 points with 81 makes from deep.
His performances already attracted offers from Missouri State and Austin Peay with more sure to come. His scoring is on pace to break records, including the Springfield Public Schools record that was set by former Glendale standout Monty Johal with 2,583 career points.
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"He's a true combo guard and he can run the point at the Division I level," McTague said. "Even without scoring, he's going to be that kind of player because of his skill-level handling the ball, making the pass. He can get them the ball anywhere on the court. He's not perfect yet but he's got a lot of room to grow but when he gets there, it's going to be special.
"He just has the 'it factor.' It's kind of hard to describe. He just has the total package of everything you need to have. He understands the game and has a great feel and all of it just makes for an advantage over the guy guarding him nine times out of 10."
Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist with the Springfield News-Leader. You can contact him at 417-371-6987, by email at wwheeler@news-leader.com or X at @WyattWheeler_NL. He's also the host of the weekly "Wyatt's World Podcast" on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other podcasting platforms
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Amare Witham: Glendale PG on his way to being Springfield great
