Norman Dale he’s not, but Seabury Academy boys basketball coach Marcus Heckman must feel a little bit like he’s walking in the shoes of Gene Hackman’s character from the classic movie “Hoosiers.”

Coaching at a small school in a basketball-crazed state, the task of turning tiny Seabury into a state champion seems pretty daunting, but Heckman says he loves the challenge. He also has a lot of time because most of the team is sophomores and juniors.

That’s why Heckman designed Seabury’s Cinderella strategy with a two-year plan.

“Our goal is: ‘Where do we want to be in February and March of 2005?'” Heckman said. “Everything we accomplish in the meantime is gravy. March of 2005 is when we’ll have a junior and senior class who have been around for literally five years, so that’s what we’re gearing toward.”

Not that the Seahawks are just throwing in the towel this season. The only difference between this season and next is how victories are perceived.

This year, Heckman said he would consider daily progress in practice a victory as the Seahawks learned the system. Next year, they’ll worry about wins and losses.

Heckman knows his kids can shoot, but they need to pass, rebound and play defense to win games. Heckman has designed practices to make sure the players perfect those skills.

“Everything that we do we call a progression,” he said. “We have a rebounding progression, a man-to-man defense progression, a passing progression. We’re approaching our practices just like building blocks. We are right now building the fundamentals.”

The Seahawks are a youth-laden squad. Andy Park is the only senior on the roster, and Heckman has praised his leadership and work ethic. Of the 14 players out for basketball at Seabury, however, most of the minutes will go to the taller, more experienced underclassmen.

Seabury Academy juniors Laura Frizell, left, and Steven King are ready to start their basketball seasons at their new home court. Both squads open the 2003-04 season Thursday at the Williamsburg Tournament.

Grayson Dillon and Adam Davis were starters as freshmen last year, while then-sophomore Steven King also joined them in the starting rotation. Sophomores Tavis Sartin and Paul Bireta saw significant playing time, as did junior Matt Parker. That group will be the nucleus at Seabury for the next two years.

“I’ll be leaning on them early in the season, that’s for sure,” Heckman said. “But we definitely have a critical mass of experience returning, and I’m thrilled with what they’re putting into it right now.”

Also contributing to the rising expectations at Seabury is the fact that the Seahawks are playing in a new gymnasium. They’re finally practicing on a full-size court and have more convenient practice times available. That, Heckman said, could be the biggest building block in helping the Seahawks work toward 2005.

“The kids last year maxed out our success with what we had to work with,” he said. “These kids have a tremendous opportunity because we’re building something. There’s nobody before us, so we’re building a legacy. We’re creating something new. In 20 years when Seabury is a much bigger school, the program’s going to be where it is because of what we’re doing now.”

The Seahawks open their season Thursday at the Williamsburg Tournament.