The Corner, Featuring Dylan Trenaman

Player Name: Dylan Trenaman

Year in School: Junior

Sport: Boys Basketball

Name of School: Paul D. Schreiber HS in Port Washington, NY

Brief bio/summary from coach about player:

Dylan is a skilled basketball player and a fierce competitor. He plays the 4 spot for us and is one of the better offensive creators for our team. He has the ability to handle the ball and is an excellent passer. He also has the ability to knock down the 3 which makes him a very valuable weapon for us on the offensive end. His fire and passion for the sport are definitely something his teammates feed off of.

Let’s Hear From Dylan

What has helped you develop the leadership mindset you have today?  

Mainly, it has been Coach Dooley and my teammates. During last season, I watched how seniors would carry themselves in games, practices, etc., and tried to pick up what I could from them. Coach helped me find ways to become a more mature player and how to become a leader as a junior. It took some time but I was able to improve as the season went on. Now, with a year of experience, I know how I have to carry myself and how I can help my teammates to reach our full potential.

How do you think improving as a leader has helped you become a better athlete/player? 

Improving as a leader has helped me as a player because it has given me confidence and an extra gear on the court. To be a leader, I need my teammates to trust me, respect me, and have a good relationship with me. To gain my teammates respect, I have to play at a high level at all times and take no plays off. Maturing as a leader has also made me a more selfless player.

How do you think improving as a leader has helped your team?  

I think improving as a leader has helped my team play more as a unit. I think the point of being a leader is making sure everybody is fully committed to the same goal. If someone isn’t focused on the same goal, hopefully I can be a model to someone on what they should be doing and what to be focused on. As a leader, if I’m able to get 5 or 6 guys to work together then everybody will follow. Once that happens, the team is all working toward the same result.

Was there a moment where you recall “turning the corner” and realizing you had to take the next step as a leader?

I definitely think a turning point for me was an away game at Baldwin last year. It was the first game of league play but we had been playing for more than a month. I scored 0 points and was a non factor and I let it get to my head during the game. After that game. I decided going forward that even if I wasn’t playing my best game I had to have the best possible mental game I could have. Once I started doing that, I saw myself grow as a player and a leader.

What do you do differently now that you may not have done in the past as a leader? 

I try to seek out ways to make my teammates better rather than just myself. In the past I was more consumed by my growth and performance, but now the team’s growth and performance is my number one priority.

How Do Others View Dylan’s Leadership Growth

Parent or teammate statements about player’s leadership growth:

Max Mallah: I remember freshman year Dylan was a quieter kid on our team. Now going into our senior year his basketball IQ has helped him grow into a terrific voice on our team who always knows how to motivate us.

Coach’s Response

Coach statement on player’s leadership growth:  

I’ve known Dylan as a basketball player since he’s been in the 6th grade. He has grown a lot as a player and a leader since those days. Dylan’s biggest struggle has always been controlling his emotions on the court and it’s caused him at times to not play his best. He has made great strides in that department and by the second half of this season I think he really started to learn how to control his emotions and use them in a positive way without losing the fire that makes him special. During this quarantine time he has been seeking out ways to make himself and the team better; and i’m really excited to see the impact he has on the team next season.

How has Lead ‘Em Up has impacted your program?

In searching for ways over the last five years or so on how to develop a better culture, better leaders, and people I’ve come across a few programs that have really helped us to be able to do that. Lead ‘Em Up has had a tremendous impact in that area of development, which in turn has directly helped our success on the court. The activities and specifically the vocabulary used in those exercises are so easy to use and remember that we are constantly able to use one-two words to help get us where we need to be mentally and emotionally. It’s helped us connect as a team on a much deeper level and has made the job for me so much more impactful.

Do you have a player worthy of being spotlighted?