Dryden boys basketball sees early success with veteran team

When it comes to local boys basketball, early signs indicate that the IAC North Large Division will be incredibly competitive once again. Defending champion Lansing is off to a strong start, as is Trumansburg—who beat the Bobcats by 25 points. Three years removed from a division title, Dryden is well in the mix to top a tough division.

The Lions are off to a 6-1 start, as of January 12. The biggest recipe for success has no doubt been their defense. In fact, they lead the entire IAC with just 44.1 points allowed per game and have not allowed any opponent to score over 60 points. It certainly helps that Dryden boasts five players who are at least six feet tall, something that head coach Zach LeViere doesn’t take for granted.

“The key to the success is guys buying into our man-to-man defense and also our length and athleticism on the floor,” LeViere said. “You can’t replace height and length on the floor. We’re blessed this year with having lots of guys who have some athleticism and also some height, with Xander Scott controlling the paint at 6 feet, 6 inches, and then Peter Nydam as another rim protector at 6 feet, 5 inches. Danny Murphy as a guard at 6 feet, 4 inches just gives us lots of length where we can do lots of things defensively, switching and still being able to protect the rim has really helped us, and then on top of that, rebounding.”

Another thing that stands out about the Lions is that they have one of the most experienced teams in the league. They did not lose any of their eight players from last season—now all upperclassmen—and added three newcomers to bolster their depth. The veteran presence has been doubly beneficial to get the season off to a flying start.

“[The] guys know what to expect in practices, know what we’re trying to do,” LeViere said. “They’re able to take some responsibility and get themselves through certain drills and run certain things in part on their own at times, which is great for them to kind of take that ownership for themselves. And then in games and in our game strategy, we’re implementing a couple new things, but for the most part our philosophy is similar to last year, so we were able to hit the ground running and just be working on executing our strategies more so than just teaching what the strategies are.”

The lone bump in the road so far was their defeat to Lansing on December 17. But LeViere saw the setback as a silver lining, allowing them to reassess and improve. The following two games as part of the Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament at the Visions Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton were a resounding success, taking down Greene and Unatego.

“Coming off of that loss, we kind of focused in on some of the details both offensively and defensively, just having energy on the court and a sense of urgency,” LeViere said. “I think it can be easy to just show up and then play relaxed for a couple of quarters and see where things are, and then come the fourth quarter, it’s like, ‘Oh, alright, game’s close. We gotta turn the knot.’ One of the things we’re working on is playing all four quarters with that sense of urgency. It’s one thing that I’ve talked about how I feel like this team still has some growth to be had. And that’s definitely one area of growth is to get these guys to buy into playing every game like it’s their last.”

One player who has really taken that message to heart is Xander Scott. The reigning IAC First Team All-Star is the go-to player on offense for the Lions, averaging a team-high 19 points per game through the first six games of the year. 

“He’s really picked up right where he left off last year,” LeViere said. “He’s an awesome player and an awesome human being, as well. He brings a lot of positivity to the team, brings a lot of positivity to the court. He works hard and he has great touch around the rim. I think one of his most underrated attributes is his soft touch. within five to eight feet of the basket.”

Peter Nydam has also had an impressive start after missing the beginning of last season due to injury, not only scoring at a high rate but also distributing the ball to great effect. Daniel Murphy—their primary ball handler—has also stood out even outside of the stats, as LeViere praised his ability to do the little things that don’t show on the scoresheet, such as making timely cuts to free up one of his teammates.

The Lions are not only gunning for the top spot in the IAC, they’re also aiming to make the Section IV Class B championship after a semifinal finish last year. While there’s a lot of basketball left to be played, don’t be surprised to see plenty of postseason success in Dryden down the line.