QUINTIN JAMES
Staff Writer
Coming into his senior season at Fredonia, forward Ian Helps has not only become the best player on the men’s basketball team, but he has become a leader. It has been three years of learning and getting better and, now in his senior season, he’s ready for one last run in the Fredonia blue.
Helps, in his three years at Fredonia, has been a consistent player on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor. He has averaged 17 points, seven rebounds and one assist during his career so far. The former SUNYAC Rookie of the Year is looking to finish off his college career on a high note and lead this Blue Devil basketball team to more wins.
Sitting down with Helps, he shared his love for basketball and how playing early on in New York City molded his game and his attitude on the court.
“It’s competitive, you have to work hard and I love it. That’s basketball.
“Playing there [in NYC], you have to be tough at an early age. There’s a lot of trash talk, it’s inevitable, you can’t let it get to you,” said Helps.
Growing up in NYC, Helps was a Knicks fan, and his favorite player was Latrell Sprewell. Sprewell played for the Knicks in the early 2000s.
When asked about players he models his game after now, Helps named a few of the game’s most versatile forwards.
“Blake Griffin and Anthony Davis because they can play in the paint, pass, handle the ball and shoot. They have all the intangibles.”
Helps’ freshman year at Fredonia was a learning experience both for the team and for himself. The adjustment to college ball was a bit of a challenge, and the team suffered a ton of losses. Their final record stood at 2-22. These losses were tough, but Helps and his teammates gained valuable experience through them.
“You have to learn a lot from losses. It’s rough, but the best teacher is experience. Coach has been on me about getting better after losses.
“Coming into freshman year, I wasn’t as strong and the game was more psychical and the guys were stronger. After our last game, I went to the assistant coach and we started a training regimen in the offseason.”
This offseason, Helps worked on a few things to not only better himself, but also his teammates. With a lot of the opponent’s attention focused on him, Helps is working on finding teammates easy shots when opponents try to double team.
“I wanted to be a better shooter with, free throws and jump shots. I worked on passing a lot as well, making my teammates better and helping out the offense.”
When the question was asked if three-point shooting was going to be a part of his game this year, he jokingly laughed and said “you never know” but reiterated that he’s not a shooter.
Free throw shooting has been one aspect of Helps game that he’s struggled with at Fredonia, and he explained how working on his free throw shooting and also his mid-range jumpers will make him more of a threat this year.
The individual accolades are nice and look good on paper, but Helps and the rest of his teammates want to win and are motivated. He explained that he’s hungry and has put in the work in the offseason and is looking forward to the season starting.
“I want to go out and win. Stats don’t matter, I’ve done enough. I’m hungry to win. If we work hard every day, the wins will come.”
A playoff berth is a goal of Helps and should be for the rest of the team. Helps wants to leave a mark at Fredonia and wants to be remembered as a player who did it the right way.
“I want to be remembered as a guy who left it all on the floor, no shortcuts, [and]someone who played their heart out every game.”