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 (Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption:
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Versatile Fritsch Providing Leadership As Hun Boys' Hoops Off to 6-1 Start
By Bill Alden
Before the Hun School boys' basketball team even started its season, Charlie Fritsch sensed that there was something special about the squad.
"I think that this group is a little different, I think we get along better," said the senior forward who is in his second year with the program.
"I think the whole starting five are boarders as are the first couple of reserves so it's a community. We spend a lot of time together, I think we really like each other. We want to do well for each other. We want to go out there and play as well as we can."
The Raiders got out of the gate playing quite well as they went 5-0 and won the prestigious Peddie School Invitational Tournament in the process.
But the team may have showed its special bond most clearly when it fell 68-67 at home in double overtime to nationally-ranked St. Benedict's on December 14.
Buoyed by its boisterous student fans in the "Stone Section," Hun fought back from a nine-point fourth quarter deficit to force overtime. The Raiders fought the Gray Bees down to the wire in the two extra sessions but ran out of gas and fouls.
Two nights later, Hun shook off the disappointing setback by cruising past Trinity Pawling 63-41 in a game that saw the Raiders build a commanding 59-28 lead by the waning moments of the third quarter.
In Fritsch's view, the way Hun responded to the loss to St. Benedict's spoke volumes about the team's togetherness.
"We were just trying to come out and get the heartbreak from Tuesday out of our minds," said Fritsch, who had a game-high 14 points, five rebounds, three assists, and three steals in the win over Trinity Pawling. "We came out even more intense, wanting to do it even better than Tuesday. We helped each other a lot."
Fritsch has taken it upon himself to help out his teammates. "I got voted as a captain so I have to be an emotional leader," asserted the native of Durham, N.C. whose older brother Nathan starred for Hun as a post-grad in the 2002-03 season.
"In terms of the way we play, I'm just talking out there, making sure the guys get in the right spots. I try to knock down shots and make things run smoothly. I do a lot of different things."
Hun head coach Jon Stone is certainly pleased with the versatile Fritsch's contribution to Hun's effort so far this season.
"Charlie is the kind of kid who does all of those little things," said Stone, whose team will bring a 6-1 record into the Joe Silver Tournament at Hillside which starts December 27.
"He had three steals tonight in the first quarter. He did a good job of controlling tempo. He knocked down shots. He played hard defense, he got rebounds. Charlie does everything well and tonight was a capsule of that."
Hun's performance collectively in the win over previously unbeaten Trinity Pawling was a capsule of the team's resolve.
"The sign of a good team is how you react when you face a loss like that," said Stone, who got 12 points from Myron Rolle last Thursday together with eight apiece from Geoff Rizk, Idris Hilliard, and Leo Nolan. "We reacted pretty positively tonight. We were intense. We got a lot of points off of turnovers. The defense was inspired."
Stone has been inspired by what he has seen so far from his team this season. "We've got some qualities that are special, there's no question about that," asserted Stone, who is in his fifth season guiding the Raiders.
"Defensively, we're starting to find ourselves and we're making a commitment. Early on, your offense tends to be behind your defense. We're not starting to find an offensive rhythm in terms of our set but we are finding one another on the court."
The cautious Stone, however, isn't about to get carried away about his team in December.
"We've got a lot of the season to go," added Stone. "We want to make sure we keep moving in the right direction and keep improving. If we sit back now, we'll be in trouble."
Fritsch, for his part, believes that the loss to St. Benedict's will keep the team from losing its focus. "After the St. Benedict's game, coach asked us if any of us thought we were going undefeated and we said yes," said Fritsch.
"Any team should come into the year expecting to win every game. Obviously, we lost. Coming from here, we just want to come out each night looking to play our game. We're hoping that can lead to a win."
