Victor boys staying focused on task at hand with history on the horizon

VICTOR, N.Y. (WHEC) — 1978. That was the last time the Blue Devils won a Section V Boys Basketball Title.

"You use it as motivation but you just got to move onto the next game and next year and control the controllables," said Sophomore Nick Leonard.

"It definitely sits in the back of my head but trying to go out there every single day and do our best and hopefully we can get the result that we want," said Senior Phil Nwugwo.

Day in and day out, they’ve gotten those results for the most part. In the last three seasons, Tyler Roberts has led a team that’s played 55 games and won 50 of them. It’s gotten them to back-to-back title games.

"We just talk about doing our best, putting the team first. And we talk about being attentive and getting one percent better every day," said the head coach.

Victor is back in familiar territory as the top seed, with a (19-1) record. Nwugwo has helped lead the way. The 6’6 forward has been a force for them, repeatedly scoring in double figures.

"He’s been a four-year varsity player," Roberts said. "He’s like a coach on the floor. He knows our system as well as I do, as well as anybody does."

His experience isn’t unique here. Seven of the other ten guys are upperclassmen, an added bonus when trying to hoist that trophy.

"Any big game experience is important," Roberts said. "Just having been there and for the kids to rely on that and being in similar situations before is an advantage."

Coming as close as they did to making history doesn’t get lost on the Blue Devils but neither does something else.

"The past isn’t relevant for us this year," Roberts said. "It’s a whole new team, whole new group, and we’re just focused on our next game."

That next game is Friday against Rush-Henrietta in the Class AA Quarterfinals.