Firebirds motivated by sub-state loss

photo by: Mike Yoder

Free State senior Jacob Pavlyak starts a fast break during drills at the Free State High School basketball camp Wednesday, June 8.

Ask Free State High boys basketball players about their two-point overtime loss in the sub-state finals last season, and months later, the pain is still there.

The Firebirds led for the majority of regulation against Wichita Southeast and fell just shy of the school’s first trip to the state tournament since 2013.

More than 13 weeks later, at the beginning of their summer workouts, the new focus is making sure they don’t fall short again.

“The fact that we were so close to winning, and then we just let it slip away at the end,” senior Jacob Pavlyak said, “it definitely makes us hungrier this year and ready to go to get back to that.”

Practicing Wednesday in the third day of team camp at FSHS, the Firebirds played with the same intensity as most regular-season practices.

On one play, Free State senior Jay Dineen bumped heads with another player chasing after a loose ball, receiving a black-and-blue bump below his eye and eventually stitches above his eye.

At this time last year, the Firebirds were learning a new offensive and defensive system under their new coach, Sam Stroh.

“Year Two is always easier,” Stroh said. “We don’t have to do as much teaching as far as what we want to run and as far as our system, our expectation and our culture at practice. It’s always good. This time is fun — summer time to develop new kids, see a good incoming freshmen class. We’re excited about the summer.”

Along with the team camp, the Firebirds are in the midst of summer-league play. They posted a 5-1 record in the MidAmerica Nazarene University tournament last weekend, with their only loss against Blue Valley Northwest, which took fourth at the Class 6A state tournament and returns most of its roster.

After this week’s team camp, the Firebirds will play in the KAMO tournament this weekend, Kansas University team camp from June 17-19 and the University of Denver team camp from June 24-26.

Playing with a large varsity rotation last season, usually around 12 players in most games, the Firebirds have a strong group of returning players.

“It’s definitely good to have a lot of experience,” Pavlyak said. “I think we probably have some of the most experience in the Sunflower League this year. We’re pretty confident with what we can do with that.”

The biggest difference, which the team will be working on throughout the offseason, is players stepping up into newer and bigger roles.

Stroh noted the junior-varsity squad had a strong season last year, and those players are gaining valuable experience in the summer-league games, adjusting to the speed and strength at the varsity level.

“We lost a big part of our team last year,” senior Shannon Cordes said. “You have to step up and be a leader. It’s a little bit of a different feel because of a different role. But it’s the same stuff as last year.”

The Firebirds hope all of this work in the summer will help them finish what they started last season. Stroh said he watched the season-ending loss to Southeast on tape about five times.

Looking to make the jump to the state tournament, Stroh issued a challenge to his players at the beginning of summer workouts.

“We have to find a way to make that extra play to get to the state tournament,” Stroh said. “It’s a long ways away from now, but that’s why we are here, to get better from now to March.”