Inside Gillion Academy’s Grind Session Run

This is the next installment of our continuing series on Northern Virginia’s Gillion Academy, which is among the country’s premiere national basketball programs in only its first year of existence. Earlier pieces in the series included a feature on "Gentle Giant" Marcus Ponder, a profile on Mississippi commit Willie Burnett III, and a story on sophomore guard Aaron Bryant.

Things flowed relatively smoothly on Thursday, March 12 when Gillion Academy’s contingent of 11 players and four coaches flew out of Washington, D.C. at 9:00am en route to Nashville.

Traveling to Kentucky the Grind Session Round of 16

Upon landing, a 90-minute drive followed to Bowling Green, Kentucky where they’d be playing in the Grind Session league’s Round of 16 that Saturday. The season was counting down to its final days.

After checking in to the Drury Inn Suites, they made a quick run over to a nearby Chick-fil-A. Head coach Kenny Gillion, a creature of habit, got his usual order - a cobb salad with grilled chicken and avocado dressing.

Rest was on deck until 5:30 pm when they assembled in the lobby, clad in practice gear, for the drive over to Bowling Green High School. They’d be squaring off against Ontario, Canada’s Royal Crown Academy in two days.

The ensuing 90-minute practice was a 5-on-5 full speed scrimmage, games to 10, with losers running suicides. The coaches served as referees, with the players responsible for calling their own offensive and defensive sets, inbounds plays, traps and press alignments.

“The session went great,” said Kenny Gillion. “The guys were relaxed but competitive. Instead of a light practice and standard walk-through, it was about keeping them hungry and ready to go. At that point in the season, you’re in a one-and-done scenario. You lose, you go home. You win, you keep your season alive. So it’s all about being in game-mode and creating the collective mindset of winning and advancing.”

Competition And a Winning Mindset

Competition. Competitive fire. A collective hunger and winning mindset.

Those elements never had to be artificially implanted into Kenny Gillion. They were natural byproducts of his upbringing.

Kenny was one of seven boys raised in a strict, loving household in Broward County, South Florida. His dad, Kenny Gillion Sr., was a teenage father of two by the time he was 19.

Kenny Sr. withdrew from Florida Memorial University to work as an electrician at the Florida Power and Light utility company shortly after his second son was born.

“Our dad came back home from college and married our mom. His sole purpose was to give his children the best possible upbringing,” said Kenny. “He was aware of the stereotypes around Black children in our community being poor, dirty and uneducated. He said, ‘That’s never going to be the narrative of my family. The worst thing a man can do is not take care of his kids.’”

“He was a smart dude but a little rough around the edges.” Kenny continued. “He wouldn’t start trouble, but if it found him he was more than willing to deal with it. His hands had a legendary reputation. He let us know from day one that a man stands his ground and fights when he has to.”

The boys’ daily routine included pushup regimens every morning. And despite an emphasis on standing one’s ground, there were certain rules in the Gillion family when it came to hand-to-hand combat.

“One, we were not allowed to fight each other,” said Kenny. “Two, we couldn’t jump anybody in the street, even if one of us was losing. Three, you could not start a fight, but once it started you’d better finish it. And last, if you lost a fight, you were going to get a whooping from dad at home. So I wasn’t losing any fights.”

Charismatic, with an ability to convince anyone that they could accomplish anything, Kenny Sr. was big on structure, discipline, church principles and academic achievement.

He also believed in giving back to lend a helping hand, and the natural laws of reciprocity that followed.

“We’d come home sometimes and see homeless people sitting at our dinner table,” said Darrance Gillion, Gillion Academy’s Head of School. “He’d pick them up off the street and invite them to share a meal with our family. That was normal for us.”

The family matriarch, Shirley Gillion, was a slender cutie, quiet and reserved, a natural nurturer with some country toughness flowing through her veins. She grew up in Gilmore, Arkansas before moving to Florida at the age 12. And despite giving birth to her first son, Brionne, at 15, teen parenthood did not overwhelm her.

Shirley Gillion and Kenny Gillion Sr. | Gillion Academy

“Mom was an oxymoron in that she was very soft and loud at the same time,” said Darrance. “She was soft with her words but loud with her actions. She raised seven boys, and a day does not go by where she’s not texting and calling each one of us, injecting us with confidence.”

That endearing devotion was also shared in other ways, including the delectable aromas of culinary delights floating out of her kitchen.

“Shirley Ann Gillion is the best cook in the world,” said Darrance. “Her banana pudding is unmatched. And her baked mac-and-cheese? I haven’t tasted a better one yet.”

Had the Gillion brothers chosen sales as a profession, they’d be among the best in the industry. They’re skilled talkers, orators and motivational messengers who can hypnotize a captive audience with a gifted preacher’s varied cadence.

The genesis of those skills were developed at their childhood breakfast table.

The Young Gillion Brothers (from left, top Row) Zach Gillion, Brionne Gillion, Dr. Daniel Gillion, Darrance Gillion and Cyril Gillion. Bottom is Kenny Gillion and Gerald Gillion. | Gillion Academy

Before leaving for work at 7:00am, their father would tell a story based on a bible text and then summon each son to stand and articulate an opinion. They were required to make eye contact with everyone at the table.

“You had to be confident in the things you were saying,” said Kenny.

With seven boys all close in age, a natural competitiveness developed.

“We were always comparing ourselves to one another in terms of who was the best speaker, the best dancer, the best dressed, the best fighter, who had the best grades, who was the best athlete, who had the prettiest girls,” said Darrance. “Growing up in our house, trying to be the best at something was like climbing a mountain because we were all really good at a lot of things.”

A Team Finding Its Winning Edge at the Right Time

After practice on Thursday evening, the Gillion Academy coaches and a few players grabbed dinner at Outback Steak House. Others opted to remain at the hotel and order Uber Eats. An evening of rest followed.

At 8:00 am the next morning, Coach Kenny was missing in action at the breakfast buffet. That wasn’t unusual. When the Lions are on the road, he can be found at a nearby Dunkin’ Donuts getting his usual egg croissant with no cheese and mango pineapple beverage mixed with sweet tea.

No matter where they travel for overnight stays, the team’s itinerary manager knows to map the nearest Dunkin’ location because of their head coach’s unwavering breakfast ritual.

Gillion’s 1:00 pm practice that afternoon had the same work flow as the day prior.

Facing a National Powerhouse

With his team back resting at the hotel afterwards, Kenny hit Raising Cane’s for a two-piece kids meal and another Chick-fil-A cobb salad before heading back to the gym to watch the game between Orlando’s West Oaks Academy, the school where he formerly coached, and Ft. Lauderdale powerhouse Prolific Prep.

If they got past Royal Crown Academy later that day, his squad would be facing the winner. That wound up being Prolific Prep, the tournament’s No. 1 seed, who massacred West Oaks 103-65.

“Watching that,” said Kenny, “I felt like Apollo Creed’s trainer in Rocky screaming, ‘Throw the damn towel!’”

On Saturday morning, the Lions attended the Grind Session awards banquet where senior center Marcis Ponder, a Florida State signee, received First Team honors in addition to the Defensive Player of the Year award. Senior Guard Aaron McGhee, the league’s leading scorer who’ll suit up for Arkansas State next year, was named to the Second Team.

A player’s only meeting, no coaches were allowed, was convened at 1:00pm by Travis Tripplett, a 6-foot-9 senior forward who’s considering scholarship offers from Long Island University, Central Michigan and others.

A 2:00pm team meeting followed, where Kenny took a moment to address the players that felt slighted by not being recognized at the awards ceremony.

“Control the things you can control,” he told them. “Use all of that pent-up energy to chase this championship. The only thing that matters right now is this game right in front of you.”

Against Royal Crown, Ponder controlled the paint defensively and on the glass despite a lingering shoulder injury that forced him to miss significant time this season. The first half was tight, with both teams exchanging leads.

Gillion pulled away in a physical second half for an 84-71 win, with McGhee scoring 17. Jayden Joseph chipped in with 16 while sophomore Aaron Bryant added eight points off the bench.

But the player of the game was Willie Burnett III. He was among those players irked that he wasn’t a Grind Session First or Second Team selection. He seemed to take Coach Kenny’s pregame speech to heart, scoring 28 points with nine rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block in a spectacular performance.

Up next was Prolific Prep in the Elite Eight, the three-time defending Grind Session champions who spent some time ranked as the No. 1 team in the country this season.

They boasted an athletically intimidating lineup that included 6-foot-5 wing Caleb Holt, the Grind Session MVP and McDonald’s All-American Game MVP who’ll suit up for the University of Arizona next year.

Prolific’s war chest also featured another McDonald’s All-American in Bruce Branch III, a 6-foot-7 small forward who’ll play his college ball at BYU, in addition to 6-foot-7 power forward Alex Smith, an Ohio State signee.

Behind some solid guard play and Ponder’s strong rebounding and massive interior presence, Gillion battled Prolific to a standstill in the first half with a spot in the Grind Session Final Four on the line.

But Prolific’s depth and timely shot-making proved too much in the second half, ending Gillion’s postseason run with a 76-67 win that was paced by Holt’s 25 points and nine rebounds and Branch’s 22 points and 10 boards.

Jayden Joseph, who’ll play for Florida A&M next season, scored 18 points. Aaron McGhee added 12 points and five assists while Travis Tripplett chipped in with 11 rebounds for Gillion in their season-ending loss.

Overall, it was an outstanding showing for Gillion Academy in its inaugural season as a national travel team.

The graduating seniors, although they’ll reconvene for their graduation ceremony in June, have begun to splitter off on their own paths as they’ve successfully fulfilled their high school academic requirements.

Burnett, McGhee and Joseph returned to their home state of Florida at the conclusion of the Grind Session playoffs. Tripplett came back to the team house in Northern Virginia.

“Marcis [Ponder] also chose to stay here with us to work out before heading to Florida State to enroll in summer classes,” said Kenny. “It’s a better environment for him than being back home in Miami, which can be challenging and financially tough. Sometimes it’s as simple as having his own room and being able to sleep in his own bed.”

The underclassmen have quickly transitioned to training and practices to prepare for the upcoming Team Breakdown AAU season.

“All the work we’re doing now is to get ready for the spring and summer, from our sixth grade team up to 17-and-under,” said Kenny Gillion.

The spring and summer hold special meaning for the Gillions. It’s when they get a chance to reconnect with their beginning in the basketball business.

That all began when they started their first company in Tallahassee, Breakdown Inc., while the eldest brother Brionne was a junior at Florida State and Kenny was a freshman at Florida A&M.

To Be Continued…

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