The future might not be now for the Cornell High School boys basketball program, but the way third-year coach Brian Bethel sees things, it’s not all that far away.
Bethel watched his Raiders struggle to a 3-18 record a year ago, and they figure to have their hands full again this season.
“We’ll be a young team,” Bethel said of this year’s model at Cornell, which could feature as many as 10 freshman dressing for some varsity games.
“We’ll be a small team and a young team. But it should be fun. It’ll be something to build on in the future.”
Bethel said he expects another 10 players to make the jump from Cornell’s middle school team to the varsity next year.
“If we can get through this rough patch,” Bethel said, “the future will look bright.”
This year’s team will feature several players who went through last year’s 3-18 gauntlet, including senior guards Alex Benitez and Terrence Collington and junior Eduardo Benitez. Alex Benitez stands 5-foot-11 while his brother Eduardo measures 5-10. Collington is 5-9.
Bethel said there was no other way for last year’s team to get through the season than to just “keep fighting through it.”
“We just kept playing,” Bethel said. “It was tough, but the kids never gave up – they never quit. They got better each and every game.”
Despite the final record, Bethel said he thought his team improved as the season went along.
“I’m just hoping that we carry over to this year the way we were playing at the end of last year,” he said.
Three players who saw action last year graduated — Santana Lee, Ashton Jones and Walter Clarit.
Also figuring to contribute this year are Devin Lamb, a 6-foot sophomore who saw some varsity playing time last year; freshman Zy’Air Dupree, who gives the Raiders some size at 6-5; Kenny Wade, a 5-8 junior; and Julian Smith, a 6-1 senior.
Bethel said his team played fairly well in its first two scrimmages.
“But we have some things we need to improve upon,” he added.
The Raiders will make their season debut at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at home against Freedom.
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