TORIN O’BRIEN
Special to The Leader
It’s been a long year for the Fredonia men’s basketball team. There’s no doubt about that. After picking up their first conference win against Potsdam this past weekend, they now stand at 1-11 in SUNYAC play (2-15 overall).
After speaking with head coach Phillip Seymore, before the weekend’s games, it’s easy to see why he has a positive outlook for this year’s squad.
“We’re a young team, who still has a lot to learn when it comes to finishing games,” Seymore said. When asked about the team in general, Seymore called this year’s squad “the best 1-14 team in Division III.”
“It’s not like we’re getting blown out of these games. Most of them are close at the half, and sometimes we’ve even had the lead. It’s all about learning how to finish.”
With over two-thirds of this year’s squad consisting of freshmen and sophomores, it’s easy to see why the coaching staff is excited for big things to come.
“When you’re in a spot like this, you have to focus on the little things. I don’t want these guys to lose hope; you can never lose hope,” Seymore said. “As a coach, I try to get my players to improve their individual games as much as possible. They need to set goals for themselves, every day, every practice, every game. That’s how you have to approach a season like this one.”
There’s still a positive attitude during what has turned out to be a tough season for this young team. Optimism and positive attitude aside, there are some holes in the hull that need shoring up. When asked about the recruiting situation, coach Seymore said “that’s exactly what they’re trying to do.”
“We’re a bad three-point shooting team. We’re a bad free-throw shooting team. That’s what we’re looking for this offseason.”
It seems like coach Seymore’s positive attitude rubbed off this weekend on the team’s road trip to the North Country. They started the weekend off with a 65-57 win over Potsdam, their first conference victory of the season. Ian Helps led Fredonia with 16 points and 16 rebounds, and Alexander Grace poured in 13 points on 4-7 shooting.
Saturday’s matchup didn’t go so well, as Fredonia lost in a blowout, 73-41 against Plattsburgh.
All in all, Blue Devils fans can breathe a sigh of relief. Now that the team picked up at least one conference victory, and with a new recruiting class to go along with some of this young talent, there could be some fun basketball for Fredonia fans just over the horizon.