Young Spartans Look Ahead to Next Season

Cayuga Community College Men's Basketball is hoping a difficult 2023-24 season with a roster comprised almost exclusively of freshmen will set the stage for a better finish to 2024-2025.

The Spartans ended the 2023-24 season with a record of 2-20, a record that included nine losses by less than 10 points. Both of Cayuga's wins were conference contests against Onondaga Community College.

Coach Tony Borges said the team struggled at times this season as they adjusted to college competition, but also pointed out that they were in almost 10 games that came down to the last few shots.

"We never gave up this season. We kept playing hard, had eight or nine games that were just a few possessions away from going in our direction," he said. "The season was disappointing. We have to get better, and we'll be out recruiting hard to try to make us better for next year."

Cayuga started the season with a handful of close losses to conference opponents Finger Lakes CC, SUNY Broome and Jefferson CC before picking up an 11-point road win over Onondaga CC. The second half of the season was a similar story, with the Spartans competing hard only to come up a few possessions short at the end of the game. The Spartans ended the season with a roster comprised entirely of freshmen who gained valuable experience throughout the year.

"We had a very young group who played hard defensively. We were a good defensive team, but we had trouble scoring the ball," said Borges.

Cayuga featured a balanced offense this season, with guards Desean Strachan, Hunter Martin, Donald Grant and Jorge Jimenez all averaging between seven and 10 points per game. Freshman forward Tony Borges led Cayuga with almost 15 points and 10 rebounds a game, which earned him a spot on the Mid-State Athletic Conference's 2nd Team.

Along with Borges, freshman forward Ryan Adams was among the team's top rebounders with five per game, and Jimenez led the team with almost three assists per game.