John Dyer roamed the sidelines as boys basketball coach at Sullivan East for 32 years. He stepped aside after last season, but his presence is still being felt.
“I never thought he was going to leave and when he told me I was like ‘wow,’” Sullivan East first-year head coach Dillon Faver said. “It is kind of a surreal feeling, it is still kind of weird not having him around. He is around, I talk to him daily, but it is definitely different. It is definitely a transition.”
Faver has quickly learned the different roles served by a head coach and assistant, a position he served as for the previous eight years.
“There is a big difference between being a head coach and an assistant coach, all the little details that you have to do,” Faver said. “The locker room has to be ready. I have made a new coaching office for all the coaches to be in and collaborate there before and after practices.
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“Getting a schedule created, and with this pandemic going on, having a schedule and keeping the exact schedule has been difficult.”
He does have plenty of talent to work with. At least one preseason poll lists the Patriots as the popular pick to win the Three Rivers Conference title.
“That is the ultimate goal. We want to play every single game, every single minute, every single second,” said Faver, whose Patriots were 2-3 heading into Wednesday’s weather-delayed home game with Daniel Boone. “I think we have potential to do very well in the league. We are in a tough league, we have great teams, we have great coaches, but I expect these guys to be at the top of the league, to take it game by game, to really enjoy it.
“I don’t want them to take this stuff for granted. I want them to enjoy every single second they get on the basketball court because before you know it, it is gone. I do have high expectations for our guys and our team and the program. We are definitely looking to be at the top of the league and go on from there.”
The Patriots boasts a roster of 11, and Faver expects at least nine of them to get “major minutes” this season.
“We are trying to get guys in who can make plays. Some guys are going to have a good night and other guys may not have as great a night that night,” he said. “We have nine guys that can play so one night one of our guys might come out and hit 5 out of 6 3-pointers and the next night he might go o-fer.
“Just depends on our matchups and trying to get comfortable in what we do and who gives us the best opportunity to win the game that night.”
Leading the way is talented 6-foot-2 junior point guard Dylan Bartley, who averaged 23.1 points per game last season.
“It just comes natural to him. He works on his shot daily, he is strong. He is also a quiet leader, but is a great example off the court as well for the guys on our team,” Faver said. “A great competitor, I think he wants to win at everything he does so that pushes him to be the level basketball player that he is. He is just wants to compete and wants to win.”
He is far from all. Bartley will be joined in the starting lineup by Johnathan Waldon, the 6-3 duo of Clayton Ivester and Mason Montgomery and Ethan Bradford, who starred at quarterback for the Sullivan East football team.
“[Ethan] is a great competitor, he has got some fire to him,” Faver said. “He wants to win at everything too…He is a great competitor and leader as well.”
Leading the way off the bench is 6-7 Austin Davis, who can be a weapon on both sides of the floor.
“[Austin] is playing great. I think he does great for us under the hoop, I think he changes shots,” Faver said. “I think he is really working on balance as his strength. In the preseason he really got in the weight room pretty well, but how he affects shots defensively has been a major part of his game in helping our team.”
Other contributors off the bench are heady senior Isaac Grubbs and junior guards Braden Standbridge and Logan Murray.
“Our guys are great. I think over the preseason I think the guys in football worked hard. I think the guys who are working out in basketball worked really hard. I think we have good leadership on our team,” Faver said. “Isaac Grubbs has just been a leader through weights and conditioning and on and off the court in the classes. He has made all ‘As’, I think he has made one ‘B’ and it was a 92.
“We have great leadership. I think we have great depth. We have nine guys that have the potential to finish a game on any given night. It is definitely nice having these guys fighting with you.”
Expect the Patriots to shoot the 3. They have the guys to do it too.
“We are shooting a lot of 3s,” he said. “Hopefully we can shoot open ones, but I think we have shooters so I tell them if you are open, shoot it. I am never going to yell at you for taking a great shot. If we are open we are going to shoot a 3 and if not we are going to drive and try to get layups and free throws.”
Sullivan East averaged 71 points per game last season. Repeat that performance and pick up the defense and this could be a special season.
“You have got to play defense to win. I have told them that is enough to win every basketball game if we can get stops defensively,” Faver said. “That is the kind of the key this year, to play every single second, even on the defensive side…
“If the basketball is going in the hoop or not in the hoop, we still have to play defensively. I think that is one of the keys for our success this year.”
bwoodson@bristolnews.com | Twitter: BHCWoodson | (276) 645-2543