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Before the team took the court, Syracuse men’s club basketball coach Justin Katz told his players to act like they were losing.

“We’re down by 17,” Katz said.

It was a message Katz delivered coming into the first few games of the season this year, an unexpected method for a team that went undefeated in conference play for the first time in team history. Syracuse wasn’t actually down 17, but rather leading by 23 with 11 minutes left.

“We saw what mentality we got into when we were winning big,” Katz said. “We always needed to put in the effort like we were down 17 because if we didn’t, we would end up losing.”

Syracuse lost to Binghamton in January 95-88 after blowing a 23 point lead. But the Orange turned around and won their next 10 games. SU averaged a 22-point margin of victory over its opponents during the winning streak, recording multiple 40-point blowouts. Its success stemmed from a tight bond and familiarity between the players coming into this past season.

“No matter who we got from these tryouts this would be a super talented team,” freshman shooting guard Kazembe Okera-Anglin said.

Many of the players grew accustomed to each other by playing pick-up games at the Barnes Center at The Arch. They built chemistry and mutual confidence on the team by learning different player’s tendencies and go-to moves.

Unlike a varsity sport, practice isn’t mandatory for club basketball. When the team first formed, players would inconsistently attend practices, making it difficult for the group to maintain any cohesion. Katz knew something had to change.

“We needed to get a culture of coming in and putting the effort in,” Katz said. “Once we got that going the team started to trust each other more.”

Junior guard Daouda Diawara said believing in his teammates elevated him from just being a scorer to becoming an all-around offensive threat. In club basketball, teams play one another twice in one day. Opposing teams would quickly identify Diawara as SU’s go-to-guy, so the guard adjusted to make the right play.

“[I know] when to facilitate and be unselfish and find that balance,” Diawara said. “I’m trying to win, not just score.”

Diawara was just one of many assets in Syracuse’s offensive system. Senior guard Derek Lautzenheiser said the team could score at will because of its versatility in the frontcourt. Diawara attacked the basket and Okera-Anglin hit the mid-range shot, while others, including Lautzenheiser, stretched the floor. During practice, players had no problem with speaking up when someone made a mistake.

“It may sound a little toxic but it’s not,” Diawara said. “It’s an environment where we are very blunt with each other and we don’t want to sugarcoat anything at the cost of getting better.”

Road trips helped the team grow together as a unit. Car rides to games at Niagara University and Rochester helped build a familial culture off the court.

“We were gaining relationships off the basketball court which is important,” Lautzenheiser said. “Even if I don’t play basketball anywhere else, at least I have these relationships with these guys.”

Although Syracuse ultimately came up short in the first round of regional playoffs, its perfect regular season record topped the league. For players like Okera-Anglin and Diawara, who are returning next season, the next step will be to win the championship that eluded them this year.

Until next fall, when their season starts up, Katz wants his team to remember.

“Remember what we were able to accomplish, that can be done again. Remember how we lost at regionals in the first round. Remember how we can improve. We can get better and go farther, so remember that [for next season].”

Published on April 16, 2023 at 11:24 pm