Feature Article: Upstate Swagger

When Upstate Swagger walks into the gym, it may take a little while to recognize the talent you see in front of you. With players that look like your average basketball fan, the men on Upstate Swagger can easily be confused for anything but basketball players. It’s this type of attitude that the team thrives off of when they are on the court.

As soon as the referee throws up the opening tip, Upstate Swagger seems to do almost everything right. Constantly looking out-matched by their opponents superior athletic ability (which has been the case in every game thus far this season), Upstate Swagger beats opponents by playing the game of basketball the way it was meant to be played; five guys touching the ball every time down the court, everybody on the team doing the “little things” and the defense playing as one impermeable unit. Just ask Syracuse University guard Brandon Triche, who scored just 16 points in his teams loss to Upstate Swagger Monday night.

The teamwork the fans see when Upstate Swagger plays is uncanny. Extra passes, boxing out, hustle plays, and even inbound setups that seem to be drawn up by Coach K himself are done without second thought on the fly, a testament to the way these players play.

When looking at the roster, one can finally see why Upstate Swagger is so good. Sean Burton,  a local legend, star at Ithaca College, ex-professional player in Iceland and current coach at Utica College is the starting point guard. Dave Golembiowski, SUNY IT’s all time leading scorer is their go to offensive threat. Scott Morton, who played professionally in England can score from anywhere on the court. Scott Knapp, one of the greatest Section III basketball players of all time, has such a quick and pure release, he can drill a three with multiple defenders in his face.

The rest of the roster, consisting of: Jared Sudderly, Junior swingman at Hartwick College, Nick Grimmer, ex player and current coach at SUNY IT, Joe Smith, Head Coach at SUNY Morrisville, C.J. Cantil, ex Hamilton College player, and Chris Connelly, current Head Coach at Utica College, help comprise an Upstate Swagger roster that has a basketball I.Q. that is second to none.

“Bob Knight once said that mental is to physical as 4 is to 1,” said Burton after one of the teams first four wins on the season. “It doesn’t matter how big, fast or strong you are, if you don’t play as a team, you aren’t going to win.” Burton, who has been known to shoot from as far back as half court, often passes up his sometimes trigger happy jump shot to use his superior court vision and feel for the game to know where his team mates are and set them up perfectly at all times.

Golembiowski, who played professionally in Germany this past year, said, “The experience is invaluable, playing with a group of guys like this. We have coaches, coach’s sons, and people that know the game. These guys are very helpful in certain situations, and they help me out in particular because I want to start coaching soon.”

Upstate Swagger started the year with three easy victories. Their first real test came Monday night when Triche and JD’s Finest came to town looking to rebound after a forfeit loss the previous week. Without incoming Syracuse center Dajuan Coleman or sophomore point guard Michael Carter-Williams, Upstate Swagger’s superior knowledge of the game was too much for JD’s Finest to handle. Upstate Swagger came away with a 76-70 victory. The final score doesn’t tell the true story of the game however, as Upstate Swagger was up as many as 20 points throughout the game.

Upstate Swagger looks to continue their domination of the King of Kings league Monday, July 16^th at 6:45 P.M. against Greater Grace, a team led by Syracuse ballers James Southerland and Rakeem Christmas. If Upstate Swagger has taught us one thing this year, it’s that it doesn’t matter who is on the other team. If Upstate Swagger plays the way they are capable –the way they know they can play-- they will come away with the win, ten times out of ten.