Canon-McMillan guard reaches milestone
As a youth, Britton Beachy joined his father, Dana, on the couch to watch NBA and college basketball games. Beachy rooted hard for the Chicago Bulls and the North Carolina Tar Heels, and dreamed of one day emulating his hero, Michael Jordan.
“When we watched the game together on television, I told my dad, ‘That looks cool,’ and I wanted to do that.”
After his uncle, Mark Snavely, signed him up for the North Strabane’s community recreation program and he started to play for the Canon-McMillan travel program, Beachy began to “look cool,” too. In fact, he transformed himself into a high-profile player like his childhood stars. An all-section performer and a three-time Almanac all-star, Beachy recently reached a coveted milestone. He surpassed the 1,000-point plateau in his scholastic career, scoring a layup during a win against Brownsville, 91-47, in the Trinity Tournament.
“One thousand points was definitely a goal, but you don’t think about it your freshman year because it’s a long way off. But the closer you get, the more exciting it becomes to think you’ll be able to get there,” said the 18-year-old son of Justi Beachy. “I was aware I was getting close, but I was not nervous. When it happened, it was more of a relief. When you know you are that close, you just take a deep breath and try to get it over with so you can go on to something else.”
That something else is helping the Big Macs reach their 2017 objectives. Canon-McMillan hopes to contend for the section title as well as the district and state championships. Heading into last night’s encounter with Connellsville, the Big Macs were fresh off a 67-51 section win against Bethel Park where Beachy led the team with 19 points. Canon-McMillan was 8-3 overall prior to the duel with the Falcons in Section 2, Class 6-A boys’ basketball.
“Britton has helped our program to the point where we can now compete with any of the other programs that we play,” C-M coach Rick Bell said. “His work ethic, basketball IQ and lead-by-example qualities are what make him a special player.”
Special, also, is Beachy’s personal milestone, Bell added.
“It is a great accomplishment because Britton played the off-guard his first two year and he has played the point guard his last two years,” he said. “He is a pass-first player.”
Beachy prefers that strategy because he enjoys the result: His team is successful.
“I’m a team player, so the desire is to win,” said the 6-foot senior. “Stats are only one part of the game. I go into each game with the mindset that I will do whatever it takes for us to get the W. My role is to do whatever the team needs me to do. If we are looking for a rebound, I’ll go get it. If someone else is hot, then I’ll get him the ball by passing. If I need to shoot, then I’ll do that.”
Therein lies both Beachy’s pluses and minuses as a player, says Bell. “His strength is that he is a team player,” Bell said. “His weakness at times is that he is too unselfish at times.”
But each season Beachy has played, his numbers have increased and so have the Big Mac victories. As a sophomore, he averaged 15 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists, but Canon-Mac posted a 5-9 mark in the section and a 10-12 overall record. As a junior, he managed 16 points, 4.3 assists and 5.7 rebounds a game but the Big Macs were 3-11 in the league and 9-13 overall. So far this season, while Beachy’s point average is slightly down, the Big Mac victories are up. All involved are pleased with his contributions.
“Britton is a great person, very driven and very competitive and that helps him and us on the court,” Bell said. “My expectation is that he continues to lead by example, enjoy the journey and play to his absolute potential.”
His potential matches C-M’s ability.
“Yes, I think this is the year of the Big Mac,” Beachy said. “We have a strong team. Opponents can’t key on one guy. You can’t take away everything that we do.”
Eventually, Beachy wants to do the same thing he has done at Canon-McMillan at the next level. Currently, he has gained the attention of recruiters from Juniata, Waynesburg, Grove City and Lancaster Bible College. Beachy, who plans to major in business management, says that basketball has prepared him for his future.
“It’s taught me how to work well with others to achieve goals. It’s not just about personal achievement,” he said. “When I get out of college, I want to be a manager or a CEO of a company but eventually I want to own my own business. Until then, though, I want to help my team achieve its goals for the new year.”