By Joseph Staszewski
The time is approaching when the ball in Jordan Fuchs’ hands changes and he wants to be ready.
Basketball practices begin this weekend and a day after the senior was on the football field with his Christ the King team, he took the hardwood to represent New York City at the Metro Classic as a season warm-up.
“I know when we start practice Coach [Joe] Arbitello is going to run me to death,” Fuchs said.
Fuchs, who hadn’t picked up a basketball competitively since July, started slow. He picked things up in the second half and finished with eight points in the Boros’ 111-106 loss to the Burbs all stars at Archbishop Molloy Sunday afternoon.
“I just felt awkward on the court,” Fuchs said. “I’m not in basketball shape yet.”
He keyed an important stretch in the third quarter with a put back. Fuchs then caught a two-handed alley-oop from Lincoln’s Isaiah Whitehead to give the Boros a 71-65 lead. He said the hardest thing was dribbling and he felt uncoordinated at times. Boros and Boys & Girls Coach Ruth Lovelace was impressed with his performance nonetheless.
“I think he did great if he hasn’t touched a ball since the summer,” the coach said. “His coordination was a little off, but he came up big for us.”
Despite the good signs, Fuchs knows he has a long way to go before he gets back to the level he felt he was at this summer with his New Rens travel team. Fuchs has interest from schools like Connecticut, Rutgers and Iowa State to play both.
“I have a long way to go from where I was in July,” Fuchs said. “I felt like I was coming into my own basketball-wise.”
He must focus on football for now with the Royals heading into the CHSFL Class A playoffs next week after a disappointing 2-6 campaign.
“I wanted to just pick up a basketball and shoot, run up and down,” Fuchs said.
