MEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL: ATHENS GRAD BABCOCK, ELMIRA COLLEGE OPEN 2022-23 SEASON TONIGHT WITH HIGH HOPES (2022-11-08)

By BRIAN FEES
Valley Sports Report
When Elmira College men’s basketball coach Casey McGraw talks about the prototype of what they are looking for in a player, an image of J.J. Babcock comes to mind.

The Athens freshman has the ability to do a little of everything, while playing multiple positions, and that skill, combined with Babcock’s work ethic, make him a player that McGraw is excited too see develop.

“If there is a type of player we would make up for our system, that’s J.J. Babcock,” McGraw said. “He’s a long, athletic guy. Can play a lot of positions. Led his team in points, rebounds, assists and steals (at Athens). He’s a really well-rounded player and I’m really excited to see how he develops.

“He’s a hard worker. He knows he has a ways to go until he has that kind of success in college and he’s not the kind of kid that shies away from that one bit. I think he’s excited about it. He’s been a sponge and working his butt off in practice.”

Babcock knows that the college game is a lot tougher than high school.

“It’s a lot different than high school,” he said. “It’s a grind every day. Everyone in college is your equal skill level, so it’s basically who wants it more. Everyone is fighting for their spots.

“The skill level is just crazy from high school to college. Everyone is the same, if not better than you. I’m just doing my role, I’ll do what coach asks of me this season and try and have a big impact.”

Babcock and the Soaring Eagles have been working as they prepare for the season, which kicks off tonight at Penn College.

“It’s amazing, it’s great,” he said. “We have been working hard all summer with preseason, conditioning, lifting weights, so we are just excited.”

The time in the weight room is crucial with the college game being so much more physical than high school.

“It’s definitely very physical,” Babcock said. “The contact … but, we just make each other better, it’s a lot of fun.”

Having upperclassmen to learn from, and to work out with, just makes Babcock better.

“A lot of these guys are really strong and physical,” Babcock said. “They’ve been here a couple years. They know what it’s like in the weight room. We just battle with each other, motivate each other every day in practice.”

The Soaring Eagles have plenty of returning talent, including last year’s conference rookie of the year Bryan Adams, and that just makes Babcock and all the newcomers better.

“Some of these guys are amazing,” Babcock said. “I know Bryan was the rookie of the year last year in the conference. It’s just awesome being on the team. He works very hard, he just motivates us to be a better team.”

The team also features fifth-year senior Quintel Clements, who like Babcock is a more local player, coming from a state champion Newfield team.

“Q has been helping me a lot with the offense,” Babcock said. “He plays the five, so having a fifth-year senior who knows what he’s doing, it’s great to have a leader like that.”

With talent all over the roster, Babcock will be able to get a few more open looks than he got in high school.

“It will be nice this year not having everybody keying on me,” he said. “A little more one on one, a lot better than one on two.”

For Babcock, it’s been a long time since he last had teams play him straight up.

“Never really,” he said of having teams not key on him in high school. “Maybe middle school.”

At Athens, there were a lot of times Babcock was the biggest kid on the floor. He could just post people up and score. But, things are different in college. On his own roster Elmira College has seven other guys listed as at least 6-foot-three so while Babcock is 6-foot-6, he isn’t always going to be the biggest guy on the floor in games.

That leads Babcock to want to step away from the basket a little more.

“Definitely shooting the three in college,” Babcock said of things he was working on. “The three-point line in college is extended. In high school, I was always bigger than everybody. I could post everybody up. In college, it’s more of a three-point game, so I’ve been working on that a lot.”

Babcock knows he could find himself playing anywhere on the floor in college.

“Coach said anywhere from the three to the five, the wing to inside,” Babcock said. “Wherever he needs me, I’ll play.

“I’ll just do whatever I can to have an impact. Obviously playing the three is my favorite spot to be, but I’ll do whatever coach needs me to.”

Babcock knows that he’ll have a pretty big group of fans at his games.

“It’s nice being like 30 minutes away from home, everyone will be able to come to the game,” Babcock said. “I’m pretty sure all the Athens fans will be at the game.”

One thing that’s making the transition to college a bit easier is having a more normal season this year without Covid impacting the season in the same ways it has in recent years.

“Not having masks helps a lot,” Babcock said. “Not having to worry about Covid, the protocols, being tested. It’s kind of a normal season and we are ready to go.”

For the Soaring Eagles, there are high hopes this year, and Babcock is ready to continue winning just as he did in high school.

“I have always been a winner,” Babcock said. “We won all through high school. I want to carry that here, we just want to win games.”

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IN PHOTOS: J.J. Babcock. … PHOTOS BY BRIAN FEES