The Oswego State men’s basketball team discussed what is needed in preparation for the new campaign, recruitment and pressure in a preseason press conference on Oct. 13 in the Marano Campus Center.

After reaching the Sweet 16 of the NCAA postseason tournament and recording the most wins in a single season by a Lakers men’s basketball team, head coach Jason Leone was wary to revel in the spotlight.

“One of the things I talked with the team about last year and after the newcomers arrived in August was, when we have these types of years, relative to our standards, we take a baby step back,” Leone said.

The long-time coach credited these previous lapses to previous training regiments and the battle against human nature. With the buzz around campus Leone wants to make sure his team doesn’t lose sight of the path to success.

“One of the bigger challenges of coaching college athletes is the battle against human nature,” Leone said. “This year there’s certainly a lot of excitement on campus given that we’re returning six of our top eight scorers, adding some good pieces and I’m just as excited as anybody but one of the things that can happen is you forget what got you there last year.”

He also said one of the methods he utilizes to keep his team from getting ahead of themselves is empowerment. 

Conversations about complacency and being transparent are how he makes sure his players keep themselves grounded. Leone also noted that there is a long time between preseason and the postseason and his team will need to take it day-by-day if they want to succeed.

“We can’t fast forward a daily clock and get to February, there has to be this systematic and chronological approach where we have to value each day and quite frankly you have to embrace the ups and down that happen during the season,” Leone said. “The different lessons you go through are critical once you get into postseason play if we’re lucky enough to get there.”

For the players, something they want to carry over from last season is their dynamism. According to fifth-year senior Julien Crittendon and senior Jamal Achille, the team’s ability to play with speed and transition from one side of the floor to the other was an important aspect in their success.

“I think one of the strengths we want to try to utilize, especially with the team we had last year and with the group of guys coming back, is our speed and athleticism,” Crittendon said. “I think that’s one strength we took advantage of while playing certain teams.”

Achille echoed his teammate and added that part of the squad’s mindset is to continue to be a defensive force in the league.

“I feel like we’re still a very versatile team and we still want to carry on our defensive strategies and still be a great defensive team like we were last year,” he said.

An aspect of the season this year that has changed for the Lakers is the number of home games. The men’s basketball team is slated to play only nine home games compared to 16 away games. Leone knows that playing away from home is different and requires more from players, however he believes there is a positive to take away.

“One of the things we try to emphasize to the players is that playing on the road is certainly different, it requires a lot more attention to detail and you’ve got to make sure, from a preparation standpoint, your focus is there in the days leading up to those games,” Leone said “Playing on the road is a great way to find out a lot about your team especially before you go into the meat of the league schedule.”

Transitioning to recruitment, Leone highlighted two of the three new faces that were brought in this past offseason. The first of which was Joey Rowback who was recruited to join the team in the early days of the pandemic. At the time, Rowback made the decision to go to Fulton-Montgomery Community College where he averaged close to 30 points. The second player he highlighted was Saint Rose College transfer Cartier Bowman. Originally committed to move to Tarleton State’s team in Texas, he decided to join the Lakers.

“We really kicked the tires on him all summer,” Leone said. “He can play on the perimeter, play inside, he’ll be able to guard all positions and I think he’s the type of athlete that we need to be in contention in our league.”

Leone is aware that despite bringing back a large number of players, chemistry is something that will always need to be built. He has faith in his team getting better with every year that passes, however “no team, no player and no coach is the same the next year.”

“One of the things I talk about all the time with the team, is that [building cohesion] takes time so we can’t judge things on a day-to-day basis,” Leone said. “There will be some ups and downs, this is not going to be smooth the whole way through, but the one thing that I do like about this group of guys is that they seem to be very tight together and mature.”

Achille followed this thought process as he discussed how the first goal on his mind is not the national championship title.

“Ultimately we want to bring home the [National Championship] but we can’t make that the main goal we have to take steps,” Achille said. “It’s all a process, we can’t get in over our heads … just taking it day-by-day and living in the moment.”

Finally, to wrap up the press conference Leone spoke about the pressure he and his team are under this year. However, his voice never wavered when he said how the pressure is something he is looking forward to.

“I think [pressure is] a great thing for these guys,” Leone said. “You find out a lot about yourself. You either embrace it or it makes you crumble.”

The Oswego State men’s basketball team will tip-off their season on Nov. 11 against Hobart College in the Eastern Connecticut Tip-Off Tournament. Their first regular season game comes a few days later as the team hits the road to face Clarkson University on Nov. 15.

Photos provided by Spencer Bates