2012-13 Recap – Lakers Talented Roster Showcased Great Heart All Season Long
CANANDAIGUA – Whether it would be in practice or in games this past season, the Finger Lakes Lakers prepared themselves to play with great energy each time they stepped into game action on the court. Led by Richard Jones at the helm of the coaching staff, the Lakers, in 2012-13, played quality basketball throughout the duration of the season.
Finger Lakes boasted a hardworking group of men day in and day out on the floor. Led by the services of sophomore Richard De La Cruz in most games, the 6-foot-2-inch sharp shooter helped play a big role in assisting Jones past the 200-win mark plateau for the head coaches' career. De La Cruz, who played in all 30 Laker games in his final season with the team, scored in double figures 25 times. His 14.3 points per game scoring average led the team.
Jones, who now has 206 career wins behind him, coached a great group of players this past season. He had the privilege of coaching character-filled men like that of De La Cruz. A great lead-by-example type of a person, De La Cruz was just one of ten great leaders the Lakers had in 2012-13. The roster, from top to bottom, resembled leaders and unselfish basketball players.
The other nine talented men who made up Jones's roster included the likes of Ben Wilburn, Kelvin Munoz, Kaleem Edwards, Martin Young, Trevor Sanders, Sean Carbonell, Will Arberry, Dominique Higgins, and Nate Miller. Each of these players was seen as valuable assets to the team. Let's review what each of them brought to the table.
Wilburn and Munoz, both sophomore guards, gave the team reliable scoring options off of the bench. Along with their offense, both players supplied the Lakers with strong defensive efforts on the court each time they entered it.
Edwards, listed as a 6'4" guard, served as Finger Lakes top swingman. His size and athleticism coupled with his length allowed him to be extremely versatile.
Young and Sanders both solidified what was a strong bench this year for Finger Lakes. Young, in his first year with the team, showed signs of great optimism. When entering the court this past season, his presence on the offensive and defensive ends would be felt in beneficial ways for the Lakers. Sanders, a top notch shooter, provided the team with a reliable three-point artist.
Carbonell, Arberry, and Miller, covered the interior post with great efforts all season long. Carbonell was super strong on the glass as he led the Lakers in rebounding with his 6.4 rebounds per game average. Arberry, defined as an iron horse in the paint, came on strong as the season played itself out. The freshman, undoubtedly a promising player, averaged 9.1. points and 5.9 rebounds per game. In the Lakers final 16 games of 2012-13, Arberry averaged 12.1 PPG. Miller, a 6-foot-6-inch center, provided the team with great size and strength inside the lane.
Rounding out the roster was Higgins. A speed demon at the point guard position, the freshman was the team leader in assists as he averaged 4.1 APG. Combined with his strong passing skills was Higgins ability to play defense. A sound defender, the Rochester, NY native averaged a team-best 2.5 steals per game this past season.
The Lakers, as a team, displayed a quality offense and defense on the hardwood throughout 2012-13. They put forth a roster that could score and defend the ball. Offensively, they averaged 64.6 PPG as a squad. Defensively, they ranked first in the region in the least points allowed per game category. Prior to entering regional playoff play, Finger Lakes allowed just 55.3 PPG.
Finger Lakes saw its greatest play come inside the MSAC this previous season. Finishing second in the standings, the Lakers went 9-3 in conference play. Overall, they ended the season with 13 victories. Summing up 2012-13, Finger Lakes season, which ended in the regional quarterfinals on the first day of March when it lost to Herkimer County CC, the top seed in the tournament, was overall a positive one.