When it’s all said and done, success is going to be one word that will describe the 2017-18 Fayetteville-Manlius boys’ basketball team. And, no, I am not saying that they are going to go undefeated.
What I am saying is that, when things don’t go as planned, the Hornets aren’t going to fall into 14 pieces and will become closer, and, on the practice floor, every single player is going to spend the season working as hard as they can.
That was the story from day one. There are 12 seniors on this team and every one of them is looking to work with head coach Jason Dudzinski to create the culture that they feel is necessary to have fun, play hard, and win games.
Dudzinski said that those things are the most important parts of the season. “We want to make the playoffs and win the sectional championship, have fun, and enjoy the game,” he said, “we also want to play harder than anyone.”
The head coach said that awareness is a key to success. He said that “it’s always the small things that need to be worked on in practice over and over again” and it’s important that the players “pay attention to detail.”
In practice, Dudzinski emphasizes the importance of team defense and how communication and trust are the keys to a great defensive possession.
Two of Dudzinski’s seniors, Cade Collum and Tyler Schneider, said that there is good communication and a sense of trust working as the foundation for this team and that they are really looking forward to the bonds that it will create.
Collum added to that idea and said that he feels that he is responsible for making sure that this team does have a backbone that keeps it from falling over. “Hopefully I can lead by example through good sportsmanship and effort on the court and off the court. I hope to be a vocal leader and be someone to pick the team up throughout the season,” he said.
Leadership was something that the Hornets spent all of last season looking for, but chemistry was the number one thing that they lacked.
Referring to that, Schneider said that he is excited to help the team accomplish its goals and is looking forward to the team chemistry.
