BERNE — The kids are all grown up.

When Berne-Knox-Westerlo Coach Andy Wright took over the boys’ basketball program four years ago, members of this current senior class were in eighth grade. And now Wright will rely on those players to lead him and the Bulldogs to new places.
"These are the ones we started with in seventh and eighth grade," Wright said. "These are the ones that have been there the whole time we’ve been coaching, Coach [Brian] McCoy and myself."

And, with a couple of good juniors, BKW has high expectations for the upcoming season, which began on Wednesday in the first round of the Rensselaer Tournament.
"We want a top-three finish," Wright said after a scrimmage on Monday night.

Wright thinks his team matches up well with the teams in the Western Athletic Conference’s South Division.
"Canajoharie never lays down," Wright said. "But they lost a lot of seniors. Schoharie will be tough. Schenectady Christian is talented and got off their run last year. They’ve been champs or co-champs in the league for the last six years."
"Fun to watch"

But with eight seniors, Wright sees his team as experienced, even though just two starters from last year return.
"We have two of the better small-school guards in David Sikule and Matt Lounsbury," Wright said of his two returning starters.

And Wright will use those guards to dictate a different style of play than the past few years: Run, run, run.
"We’ll be fun to watch," Wright said. "We’ll run the court quicker than any team I’ve coached. And they’re excellent passers. If we are facing three defenders on a two-on-three, we’ll score."
"I’ve never been able to coach like this since I’ve been at Berne," Wright said. "My first year, I had an exceptional guard; after that, I’ve been catering to big men. We’ve sent the offense through the post.
"And we have a solid post player in Joey Conklin," Wright added. "He can also turn and face the basket, take a couple of dribbles in, and shoot. He’ll be tough to defend."
The fact that Wright has two starters back is a bit deceiving. Senior Josh Skinner started his whole sophomore season, but only started about half the season last year.
"He has valuable varsity experience," Wright said. "He is a very good three-point shooter. I would not be surprised if he has 30 three-pointers easily."

There will be some other seniors that Wright believes will step up this season.
"Ben Burton did not get as much time as last year," Wright said. "He worked hard in the off-season to get better. He’ll be a pretty valuable player. He’s a taller shooter at 6 foot, one inch."

Burton is one of the taller players on the team this season.

Small team with big heart
"We are a small team," Wright said. "But they have hearts. These kids have a lot of fire inside of them. This team’s record can be better than last year’s. I can see that happening even without height and size."

That attitude comes from his leaders and captains Lounsbury, Skinner, and Sikule.
"Lounsbury has the heart of a champion," Wright said. "He’ll be fun to watch. Any one of our kids can lead us in the scoring column. That makes us tough to play."

Wright would love to see his team’s hard work get rewarded right at the beginning of the season.
"I would love to see us upset Hoosick Falls," the coach said of his first game. "We lost to them in sectionals two years ago and last year we lost to them by two points.
"It would be great to open up by knocking them off and get a chance to play for the championship," Wright added of the Rensselaer tournament. "It could happen."

That would give the Bulldogs confidence for the season as they prepare for a tough WAC season and eventually sectionals.
"Small-school basketball is tough," Wright said. "Especially with Voorheesville and Watervliet coming down. Hopefully, that will make our kids hungry. Last year, Watervliet killed us. They wiped us out."

But with seniors Lounsbury, Skinner, Burton, Greg Mulson, Conklin, Keith Cunningham, Sam Viscio, and Eric Prescott all dedicated to the program, the Bulldogs are looking to go a long way.

Mulson and Cunningham will get a lot of playing time this season, Wright said.
"Some of the guys are willing to accept their roles to be part of something special," Wright said. "They know their minutes will be limited, but they come to practice and work hard every day because they want to win. Winning in basketball doesn’t always mean the men on the floor. It’s about all the guys on the team.
"I always tell the guys that basketball is an elitist sport in that only five guys can represent your school at one moment," Wright added.