At the end of the 2010-2011 high school basketball season, Dickinson head boys’ basketball coach Sean Drennan knew that he was headed for a new season of change.
“We lost 11 seniors from last year’s team,” said Drennan, who lost standout scorer and Hudson Reporter First Team All-Area honoree Brent Burgess from that group of graduating seniors. “We only had role players coming back. I knew we had good kids, but I had no idea where we would be.”
Drennan put together a busy summer schedule for his team, playing as many games as possible.
“We had about 65 games scheduled,” Drennan said. “We went to team camps in Bloomfield and Cliffside Park. We played in the Jersey City Summer League in Hamilton Park. A couple of nights during the summer, we played as many as three games in that one night.”
Sure, that’s a way to get yourself endeared to the players, bringing them to play three games in one hot, sweltering summer night.
“But they all showed up,” Drennan said. “It showed to me early on that they were really dedicated.”
However, the Rams weren’t exactly good. They went 1-8 in the Bloomfield team camp.
“We actually played some zone defense,” Drennan said. “In all my years of coaching, I don’t think I ever used it. We actually got good at it and used it a little more. It actually worked out well. By the end of the summer, we improved so much.”
It also helped that senior Tyquan Burno decided to transfer to Dickinson from St. Anthony. The nephew of former St. Anthony and DePaul standout point guard and current Manhattan College assistant Rashon Burno, Tyquan left the Friars and headed up the hill to Dickinson.
“When he did that, my whole world changed,” Drennan said. “He was the first real point guard I’ve ever had at Dickinson. Knowing him and his background, I knew I just had to give him the ball and let him operate. I knew he was going to be able to take us to a totally different level.”
Burno has been nothing but brilliant since joining the Rams.
“He’s able to do so much with his knowledge of the game and his experience,” Drennan said. “He is able to bring up the rest of the team. Everything seems to be second nature to him, because it comes so easily. I think it took a while for the rest of the team to get adjusted to him, because he controls the game.”
More importantly, in 15 games, Burno has turned the ball over only 24 times. That’s an extraordinary amount no matter what level he’s playing at. He’s averaging better than 15 points and seven assists per game.
“He’s helped to teach the others that sometimes playing at half speed is better than running up and down the floor,” Drennan said. “I can’t say enough about the kid. I think he’s a First Team All-County player.”
Sophomore Duane James is another key performer, developing into one of the best long-range shooters in the county.
“Last year, when he was a freshman, he had no idea what he was doing,” Drennan said. “He would just run up and down the floor and throw up shots. Now, he understands his role a little better. I still have to tell him to get to the rim, but he shoots the ball so well that it gets overlooked.”
The 6-foot-1 James also has a remarkable statistical line. He’s made 47 overall field goals this season, but an amazing 35 of them have been from behind the arc. That’s beyond uncanny.
“He has such a quick release that he’s tough to stop,” Drennan said. “He would be so hard to stop and would be so well rounded if he drove the ball more.”
Senior Shannon Key is another vital reason why the Rams are doing so well this season. Key, a 6-foot-1 power forward, is averaging almost nine points and nine rebounds per game.
“A lot of the credit goes to him,” Drennan said. “He’s developed a game to the point where he’s a basketball player now.”
Junior guard Denzel Clinton is another strong performer for the Rams. The 6-foot junior is a good player in transition.
“He gets up and down the floor,” Drennan said. “He plays above the rim. He’s very athletic and our best defender.”
Senior Pete Rivera rounds out the starting five. The 6-foot-3 Rivera, a student at County Prep, joined the Dickinson program last year after his father was one of the most active parents in trying to keep the Hudson County Schools of Technology athletic programs alive.
“He’s become a man this year,” Drennan said. “He defends all the big guys and goes after rebounds.”
Rivera collected 15 rebounds in a recent win over Hoboken.
Freshman guard Anthony Florence is Burno’s backup at the point. The diminutive Florence, all 5-foot-6 of him, is a legitimate threat.
“He’s our future,” Drennan said.
Junior Travon Roberts is a 5-foot-10 guard and David Bethea is a 6-foot-1 junior forward.
“Both are solid players off the bench,” Drennan said.
The Rams own an 11-4 record overall, courtesy of three straight victories. They are playing like a team that is among the top half of the teams in the Hudson County Interscholastic League.
“After the summer, I think we’re where I thought we would be,” Drennan said. “I think we’re among the top half of the county. I like to think we are. It’s a very competitive county this year. But we’re excited to be where we are. I’m happy and pleased. I think we’re going in the right direction.”
Which means a berth in the Hudson County Tournament semifinals and a berth in the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 2, Group IV playoffs. It’s all there for the taking, even with a new roster. There is one constant – and that’s Sean Drennan and he deserves the most amount of credit for taking this Dickinson team and turning it into a contender.
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.
SCOREBOARDProving that they’re Ram tough
