Bianchi, Bradshaw Embrace New Roles

Last season, Jake Bianchi and Ben Bradshaw spent most of their time playing off the bench for Cary-Grove’s boys’ basketball team.

This year with the graduation of all five starters from last season’s team, Bianchi and Bradshaw are getting major playing time in starting for the 4-12 Trojans.

Bianchi said that it is a different experience being in the starting lineup and the team’s lack of wins early on hasn’t been because of the new players in the starting lineup.

“It’s a different perspective,” Bianchi said. “There is a little more pressure I feel like and we’ve had a rough season but none because of experience. It’s the tougher schedule we have played.”

Bradshaw said that the team’s success at the Jacobs Tournament including a win over Mundelein has the team heading in the right direction on the way to the Fox Valley Conference season.

“It’s a big difference, we’re still growing but we are getting better and have a lot of momentum coming out of the holiday tournaments,” Bradshaw added.

While is sitting at 4-12 with the FVC season starting, Cary can basically wipe the slate clean and start a new season in the conference. Bianchi said that the beginning of the FVC Valley schedule brings a new beginning for C-G.

“We’ve done all our off-season work and the season starts now for us,” Bianchi said.

Bradshaw continued by saying the conference season is where this team can leave their mark with a conference championship on the walls of Elroy Fitzgerald Gymnasium.

“Conference is probably the most important thing right now,” Bradshaw said. “The holiday tournaments and preseason all builds up to this. This is where you get to put the year on the wall. We’re looking to have an impact.”

Cary is 1-1 so far in the FVC Valley this season and will play McHenry at home on Wednesday.