Taking a big leap forward

In recent years the Woodbridge boys basketball program has fallen on hard times. That may be an understatement of sorts. The Vikings have an unimpressive overall record of 37 games under .500 over the last five years and have posted a winning season just one time during that stretch.

And it's been five years since they reached the regional tournament.

This year's Woodbridge team could make strides in changing their recent history. Most of the players on this squad played together at least the past two years and many of them have starting experience.

Throw in a key transfer in Darius Smith at point guard and the Vikings may become a much more exciting team to watch this season than the 10-13 version last year.

But it's the improvement of a player who has actually been with Woodbridge the last two years who could make the difference for the Vikings.

Senior Raphiael Putney transformed his game and, to a degree, his body over the summer, playing against some of the nation's top basketball talent. That metamorphosis made the 6-foot-8 forward a more legitimate threat on offense and led to a Division I scholarship from University of Massachusetts in the offseason.

"I think the opportunity to play against top-of-the-line players in the AAU organization he chose to play with definitely helped," Vikings coach Chad Anderson said. "It showed him what his real potential could be."

"It was a good experience for me," Putney said. "In college they want to play me at the (wing), so I had to work on my (ball control). I got better at rebounding and a little stronger."

Last year Putney averaged just nine points per game, but playing with the AAU's D.C. Triple Threat (now Team Takeover) and at the Reebok All-American Camp in Philadelphia gave him the confidence to score more often, particularly against teams in the Cardinal District.

Though he'll be expected to carry a bigger load than before, Putney won't be counted on to bear the entire burden, Anderson said.

Putney's height is the first thing people notice about him, but the second has to be his weight. Owning a slender frame and weighing 170 pounds, Putney's AAU teammates nicknamed him Skinny-man.

"I've been working with my dad and a trainer and a neighbor (in the weightroom)," Putney said. "I'd work out three times a week, trying to put a lot of weight on."

"I'm not sure he's ever going to gain a lot of weight," Anderson cautioned. "I think his metabolism is such that he eats and eats and eats. He's started lifting weights and he's getting stronger. But being on the perimeter, I don't know how much he's ever really going to gain."

Though it may seem that he could get pushed around while playing defense, it's the length of his arms that make up the difference, forcing opponents to alter shots or have them blocked altogether (Putney averaged two blocks a game last season).

"He has a 7-foot, 3-inch wingspan which is long," Anderson said smiling. "He's definitely better defensively and I think that's more (attributed to) will than what he did over the summer."

One reason for his improved defense is that Putney spent the offseason and preseason defending guards rather than forwards and centers. That led to better quickness and will prepare him to play in college.

"He's going to be a 3, a small forward at the next level," Anderson said. "He runs the court like a deer, he can jump through the roof. He's a perimeter kid, so he's going to be expected to guard guards."

"With the Triple Threat we had to guard people one-on-one (more) and my defense got way better," Putney said.

Even with his improvement and the rest of his team's experience, Putney knows how far the Vikings have to go to gain the rest of the district's and area's respect. The Vikings are 38-75 over the last five years and 10-34 in the district.

"We have to earn the right to be noticed," he said. "We're the underdogs and we've got to work even harder. Potomac and Gar-Field are reigning champs, so we have to prove to them that we can beat them."