QUINTIN JAMES
Special to The Leader
Going into the week, the Fredonia men’s basketball team had been on a roll — winning three out of its last five games and showing major improvement in all areas in the game. The team faced a tough task ahead of them as they had three tough SUNYAC road games ahead of them.
Going on the road isn’t easy and when it’s a conference team because the stakes are raised even higher. Fredonia had a golden opportunity to cement themselves in the SUNYAC playoff race with the end of the season coming up soon.
This season’s win total has already passed last year’s total and a lot of that, has to do with chemistry and the team’s growth. Head Coach Phil Seymour talked about how the team has gelled this year.
“Our maturity level has been higher this year,” he said. “Last year we had 10 freshman on the team and now they’ve had a year to mature and get better.”
Seymour also mentioned how his players are great listeners and their hard work is starting to pay off.
“We started working hard from Day 1. We have a good combination of good listeners and hard workers,” he said.
One major change that the Blue Devils have implemented was the use of “small ball” in the lineup. Players like Dante Williams and Richard De La Cruz have thrived in this lineup as the floor is more spread out for shooters and the pace of the game speeds up.
De La Cruz has really benefited from this as he’s shooting a team best 42 percent from 3 percent this season. He prides himself on shooting a good percentage and is always working on improving his jump shot when he can.
“Playing a small ball lineup spreads the floor and gives me and other guards opportunities to make open shots,” said De La Cruz
Sophomore Ian Helps also has benefited from this as he’s been called on more frequently to be a leader. Now a captain, Helps has had a stellar year so far averaging 18 points and nine rebounds, leading the team in both categories. The key to his success this year is constant work.
“I’ve been working on all parts of my game over the summer,” he said. “I’ve been working on my jump shot and I’ve been adjusting to not being in the post all the time.”
With these changes in place, the Blue Devils have experienced some success as they aren’t the same team anymore. They have a different mentality and are looking to surprise people in the SUNYAC conference.
This is uncharted territory for the Blue Devils as they looked to start a winning streak on the road.
The first test was a trip to Buffalo to face Buffalo State. The Bengals, who were 9-5 at the time, were looking to protect home court as they faced the suddenly hot Blue Devils. This game saw the Blue Devils and the Bengals duke it out as they went to overtime for the second straight game.
Unfortunately, the Blue Devils fell to Buffalo State in overtime 75-67, but they played hard and showed that they aren’t a pushover anymore. Helps had another double double posting 22 points and 15 rebounds as he led the fight against the Buffalo State defense. Junior guard Dante Williams had 15 points and 9 rebounds, and junior guard Kareem Brown added 11 points and six rebounds.
The game started off tight with the Bengals leading at half by just six points. They came out in the second half and dominated, stretching the lead to as much as 17 points. Last year the Blue Devils would’ve gave up but they fought their way back behind Helps and the rest of the team.
After two missed free throws by Buffalo State with 10 seconds left, Fredonia tied it at the buzzer to send the game into OT. There, the Blue Devils couldn’t sustain the momentum but fought as hard as they could.
After that tough loss, they had to wait three days for their next game. A battle with lowly New Paltz was next and the Blue Devils were, for once, a favorite heading into the game.
Fredonia didn’t play like the favorite in the first half, as they were down by seven heading into the break. New Paltz led by as much as 11 and looked to pull off the upset. Fredonia finally woke up in the second half however and pulled out a close win of 66-64.
Helps had another strong performance posting another double double with 26 points and 15 rebounds, while Brown added 16 points. The Blue Devils were aided by their strong free throw shooting. They shot 82 percent from the line, which helped them pull out the close “W.”
The next day the Blue Devils faced a tough Oneonta team and were run out of the building, losing by an ugly score of 95-66. Other than a Fredonia 11-3 run to start the game, they were dominated in all areas of the game and the game was over before it really even started.
Helps led the way with 15 points and junior guard Richard De La Cruz had 11. Other than that, the game was not something the Blue Devils will be proud of when they look back at the film.
The Blue Devils are still in pretty good shape heading into the stretch run. Currently sitting in seventh place, one spot out of playoff position, they look to take advantage of these next few weeks where they will be playing at home a lot.
Helps and Williams talked about how the locker room feels different right now.
“It’s a good vibe in the locker room. Winning certainly helps, but we’re a family now,” he said. “We all know each other and motivate each other to do better.It feels good to win and we just want to continue to feeel that way.”
The key to the Blue Devils success will be to defend the ball for 40 minutes and to not get too up or down on themselves.
“We can’t play down to teams and we can’t have a negative mentality for team’s above us in the standings. We have to go out there and play hard for 40 minutes every game. Every game is a must win from here on out,” said De La Cruz.
This week starts a string of important SUNYAC games for the Blue Devils. They look to start the push to the playoffs and send a message that they aren’t to be taken lightly.
This week the Blue Devils will host Potsdam on Friday at 7 p.m. and Plattsburgh on Saturday at 4 p.m.