GLEN CARBON – Father McGivney Catholic basketball player D.J. Villhard is one of the team's leaders this season and he is excited to see the squad's development as the calendar turns to 2019.
Villhard led the Griffins with nine points recently against Civic Memorial at the McGivney gym. The Griffins kept battling throughout the contest, but the Eagles were on top 62-25 of their own game on the evening. Villhard is consistently one of the Griffins' leading scorers. Villhard is also an exceptional soccer player and golfer. He qualified for state in golf this past season.
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“Civic Memorial played a great game," he said. "We are making improvements. We have new strategies going forward from here, putting in the work during practice, things like that. That’s how we’re going to get better, so that’s what we’re looking to do."
The Griffins play in the Vandalia Holiday Tournament this week. Villhard is looking for himself and his team to get better and be prepared for the upcoming games and challenges.
“We are looking forward to putting in some work over Christmas break, getting ready for that Vandalia tournament, and I would expect us to go in with a lot of heart, playing as hard as we can, getting ready for the games and practice," Villhard said.
The Griffins are a hard-working group of players, and Villhard thinks that everything will be falling into place very soon.
“It takes time. Coach (Rich Beyers) always says that it’s not where we are now, it’s about where we are at the end of the year. So, every day, we’re just looking to get a little bit better," Villhard said.
Villhard felt that he played OK, but also knows that there’s always some work that needs to be attended to.
“It was OK,” Villhard said. “Maybe on the offensive end, I didn’t play as great as I’d like to. And then, I just need to work on the defensive end. I want to be that lockdown defender for the team.”
With the calendar ready to turn into 2019, Villhard knows that the Griffins will continue to work hard to improve and get ready for the schedule ahead.
“That’s exactly right,” Villhard said. “Every day, we’re just looking to get a little bit better. That’s the goal.”
