Chiefs’ Silas excels at the board game

Monacan's Candice Silas releases a shot against Manchester. Silas averages 19.2 points and 14.9 rebounds. When the subject is rebounding, Candice Silas is at the head of the glass.

The Monacan High School junior is passionate in her relentless pursuit of errant shots at both ends of the hardwood.

"Candice hits the boards harder than anyone I've ever seen," Chiefs basketball coach Larry Starr said.

Through 20 games, the springy 6-footer is averaging 19.2 points and 14.9 rebounds.

"She probably leads the area in rebounds - Candice's work ethic is second to none," Starr said.

Almost half of her rebounds are on the offensive end, many resulting in stickbacks and foul shots.

Silas' free-throw attempts are nearly double that of any teammate.

"I set a goal of how many rebounds I want before each game - always double-figures," Silas said.

And how often does she meet that quota? "Usually," she said with a shy smile.

Report card: Silas is bouncy enough (can nearly touch the rim), strong enough (125-pound bench press) and smart enough (can spell ultrasonographer - her dad, Michael's profession) to gain an edge in most low-post conflicts.

The third-year varsity player carries a 4.3 grade-point average, ranking 29th among 303 juniors and is a member of the Latin and Key clubs.

During spring and summer, Silas plays for the Xplosion travel squad, coached by Starr. She also has private workouts with former VCU player Ed Sherod.

Numbers game: Silas was born in Montgomery, Ala., and moved to Chesterfield County at age 6. She was a softball second baseman in youth sports until making the Providence Middle School basketball squad as a sixth-grader.

For Monacan, Silas scored 155 points as a freshman, 350 as a sophomore and has 385 so far this year. She figures to become a rare 1,000 points/750 rebounds player.

Along with her physical assets, Silas says, another intangible factor leads to her rebound collection.

"I can watch the flight of the shot and tell where it's going to go," she said.

Starr said, "You can't teach that."

Successful rebounding is where size, spring, strength and savvy come together. Starr adds another item: "It's about heart. Candice never stops. She'll go through four people to get the ball."