Lucas Morillo is, admittedly, quiet by nature. His play does most of the talking for him, and it was a big reason why Newman captured its first Class AAA championship this season. But to reach the NEPSAC mountaintop, the Cardinals needed more from him.
They needed Morillo to be more of a leader, to be louder. Newman needed its junior star to break out of his shell, and to embrace the things he was uncomfortable with. But it took some prying.
On Feb. 24, the Monday of the final week of the regular season, Morillo met with head coach Jackson Johnson and Newman advisor John Carroll to talk about his leadership, and something clicked. Morillo took ownership, and for the next two weeks, he evolved into what his coaches and teammates needed him to be. His play on the court spoke for itself, but his leadership sent Newman over the top in a historic winter that saw them win a program record 31 games and secure the Class AAA title. It’s a big reason why he was named our Class AAA Player of the Year.
“We needed more from him,” Johnson said. “He was resistant for a while and then we had a conversation about it and his response to that was probably the thing I’m most proud of and makes me believe that he could play this game at the highest level. … I really believe in him. That was a proud moment.”
Two inflection points defined Morillo’s late-season self-discovery.
The following Saturday, in the regular-season finale at Vermont Academy, Newman was coming off a loss at Darrow the night before. The Cardinals needed a good performance heading into the playoffs, but came out flat, and in their comeback victory, Morillo took the reins – literally. The 6-foot-7 guard recognized a defensive action from Vermont Academy that Newman needed to make an adjustment on, and after a timeout was called, a critical moment took place.
AWARD SEASON: Check out our All-Class AAA teams and individual honors
While Johnson and the rest of his coaching staff chatted together on the court before coming back to the huddle, Morillo had already started doing the work for him. He had grabbed the white board from the scorer’s table, sat in the huddle surrounded by his teammates and drew up a play. When Johnson returned to the huddle, he not only realized what was happening, but recognized it was exactly what he was going to talk about.
“I was like, ‘OK, that’s what we’re waiting for.’” Johnson said. “It’s far from perfect, but that was so uncomfortable to him, and he took that little leap to do it. …
“He had intensity in his voice, and everybody was just leaning into it. It was not only what he did, but it also showed that his teammates wanted this from him. They wanted it from him.”
Johnson said that moment gave him hope that Morillo had changed. A week later, another moment solidified it.
In the Class AAA semifinals against Darrow, Louis O’Keefe had just hit a 3-pointer to put Newman up nine in the second half when Johnson called out a play. But Morillo waved him off, told him he wanted to run a different play. They ran it perfectly, and the possession ended with another O’Keefe 3-pointer.
“I was like, ‘This is amazing. This is what we’ve been waiting for,’” Johnson said. “Everybody felt it, and they were more bought into that play.”
FROM THE MAG: How Newman embraced adversity to capture Class AAA championship
Morillo never looked back in leading Newman to the title, even playing banged up after taking multiple shots to his nose in the semifinals and championship game. He cemented the title with 35 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in the clincher, and his leadership was a clear difference maker. He was noticeably more local, communicative and demanding of his teammates, and the repetition of his intensity and accountability in practices and in-game situations were crucial.
“At the beginning of the year, I wasn’t the leader that I needed to be,” Morillo said. “When we were going through tough stretches, I wasn’t as good as I needed to be. But I feel like talking to Jackson and JC, they put pressure on me to be more of a leader and more of a vocal guy, lead by action and lead by character. They believe in me and they know if I lead, someone else is going to lead and it’s just going to trickle down to the team and help us be on the same page. …
“I’ve always been a quiet kid, like my whole life, but just knowing that for basketball, I’m going to have to get out of my shell and be more vocal.”
Morillo had little trouble getting comfortable with his play in his first NEPSAC season. His transition was mostly seamless as he averaged 16 points, 9.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game, including a standout 26-point, 12-rebound performance on the parquet of TD Garden in January. He said he felt he developed in every area of his game, but especially in his playmaking as he learned how to play in a high-level system surrounded by Division 1 talent. He attributed his success to his work, his teammates and his coaches for empowering him.
“It definitely pushed me to be the best I can be,” Morillo said.
“He willed his team to victory at the highest level, and did it repeatedly,” Johnson added.
Morillo isn’t nearly satisfied. If anything, his breakthrough season has made him hungrier for more, and he believes Newman has unfinished business to take care of. The Cardinals are not only looking to complete a Class AAA repeat, but also win a national prep championship after winning just one game in this season’s tournament. If Morillo continues to improve on the strong foundation he set this winter, the possibilities are endless.
“I think that winning the championship has made us even more hungry because we know next year, we’re holding ourselves to the same standard to win it again,” Morillo said. “To have that taste of winning, it was a great feeling, and those who are going to be returning next year are going to want it more. … I think we’re holding ourselves to the expectation to be better next year to win both championships. I’m definitely hungry because I feel like I can improve on a lot of things. I can be a better player and work to be the best I can be.”
