Switching high schools isn’t an easy thing to do, especially when you’re an athlete.
Early development in a team’s system is crucial for freshmen, so when DJ Boardley transferred to Spring Mills between his 9th- and 10th-grade years he knew it was, essentially, a fresh start.
“It’s been good, actually,” he said when asked about his first year with the Cardinals. “Last year I played JV and then came here, played JV a little bit to start but I think it was because I had to learn the system. Then once I got it down I started playing (varsity).”
Boardley began his high school career across town at Martinsburg High, playing for longtime coach Dave Rogers. While it’s easy to argue Boardley would have seen significant action with the Bulldogs this season — another youth-laden team — that’s nothing more than a thought to the sophomore guard. Simply, he’s happy where he’s at.
“I like the school, it’s not even all about the sports, just the school in general,” Boardley said. “I like the teachers and everything. Luke (Samples) lets us play more than Martinsburg (did). So it’s been good.”
DJ Boardley
Air Jordan 11 ‘Cherry Red’
Sophomore
Point Guard
Spring Mills HS
As Boardley noted, it wasn’t as if he transferred and immediately earned a spot in the starting five. Samples has made it a point throughout the season that, while Boardley has improved significantly, there were things he needed to get down before moving up to varsity. And, when the team makeup changed with the departure of starting guard Keshaun Cheek midway through the year, Boardley’s number got called and he didn’t disappoint.
But Boardley didn’t just have an impact on the starting group. When other starters quit or Samples needed to make rotation changes later in the year, Boardley’s example helped other young players to do the same and help the Cardinals to critical wins in conference play.
“It feels good (to be a young leader),” he said. “I had to work to get to where I am and to help my team win every night.”
10.8 PPG
47% FG
39% 3PT
The Kicks
Air Jordan 11 ‘Cherry Red’
Mastermind / Tinker Hatfield
Release / 1995-96
Fun fact / Wore the “Bred” colorway during the 1996 NBA Finals, also was the shoe to appear in “Space Jam” according to Stadium Goods
While it’s blasphemous to compare anyone to Michael Jordan at any point in his career, it’s a little easier to draw comparisons to his high school years. It’s well known Jordan didn’t get a varsity position with Laney High until his junior year, and in that sense he’s the embodiment of the “next man up” mentality many young athletes strive to have.
If you look at it from a shallow perspective, there’s nothing exceptionally noteworthy about the Air Jordan 11s. But when you think about where they took the stage — during the Chicago Bulls 1995-96 season ending with a NBA Finals win —it makes sense why they’re so popular in sneaker culture.
The Jordan 11s have become engrained for their sleek look and multiple color ways, and are a part of longstanding marketing efforts that ramp up during the holidays, according to Stadium Goods. Regardless if he’s thought about it from that perspective, it’s easy to see why they’re Boardley’s favorites.
“I don’t have many but these are my favorite for sure,” he said.
To him, the shoes make him feel like Mike, of which he strives to emulate his game after.
“His defense for sure, I have to get my defense right,” he said when asked about what pieces of Jordan’s game he strives to learn from. “Offense, be confident with the ball and always be on the go to get a bucket.”
Boardley’s AJ 11 Cherrys come from a recent release that saw moderate popularity, and though they didn’t sell out as fast as some others, the bright, shiny red works well with Spring Mills team colors. Still, Boardley hasn’t donned the 11s in a game — he’d likely catch flak for that — but they’re part of a larger mindset, one that he’s using to propel him to the next level.
Still, most of his focus is on the present.
“I just want to become a better basketball player,” he said. “I’d like to go to states and win it, but if we don’t I hope we get better as a team and me as a player to be ready to play next year.”
He works frequently outside of team practices — “Gotta separate yourself from everybody,” he said — and is, for now, working on bolstering his defensive skills.
“If I want to get better I need to stay low. I usually start low and then come up, so I want to stay low and stay on my defender.”
When asked to put think ahead to what senior DJ Boardley would think about his sophomore season, he said that this is likely the year that his hard work began to show itself. And he’s not planning on stopping now.
“I have the mindset that I can do whatever,” he added. “People have been doubting me ever since I came here, so I have to keep mind over matter and keep grinding.”
