After a year of no FMCC Raiders basketball, the men's basketball team and Head Coach Ej Gallup have high hopes for the 2021-22 season. The Raiders will look to many newcomers to lead the team back after the COVID-19 hiatus.
"It has been great to have classes back in session, kids on campus and my guys in the gym. Obviously accepting the head coaching position and then not having a season in the same year brought about some obstacles. But here we are, finally after a great pre-season, getting familiar with my guys and then my guys getting familiar with one another. We have a tight knit group and we are all excited to get the season started," said Gallup.
FM returns one sophomore in Adnan Ahmed. He appeared in 17 games last season and looks to be the leader on and off the floor this season.
Some key newcomers to the squad are Joseph Rowback at the forward position. De'Vante Mateo and Kory Bergh look to make an impact early at the point guard position and Joey Ladipo at the shooting guard.
"We have one returning player from the last time that The Raiders had a home game, so our local fans can definitely expect a new look and new faces. We have 10 former foothills council players on our team, so I definitely put a strong emphasis on coming in and giving as many local kids an opportunity to continue their basketball careers as possible. Add to that, we have another 5-6 kids that have come into our community from out of town and have been nothing but great additions to our program," added Gallup.
The Raiders finished 5-17 in 2020 and hope to be a contender in the Region in the 2021-22 season. The men's basketball team will begin their season on November 3rd on the road. FMCC will travel to play Cayuga at 5:00 p.m. They will host their home opener on Saturday, November 13th at 1:00 p.m. when they host SUNY Adirondack.
"Our outlook for the season is to just enjoy the opportunity to play ball again. We have some players that won't be eligible until the second semester and they are working hard in the classroom and on the court. That leaves some opportunity for other players to step up during the first semester. I want to thank everyone at FMCC for welcoming me and my guys to the school, especially Kevin Jones, for making my transition from playing to coaching a lot easier," stated Gallup.
