Everyone in the gym knew the ball was going to Will Rayman.

It wasn’t a play call Millbrook coach William Thom had to think about — he had Rayman, the New England Preparatory Athletic Player of the Year. Down three in a playoff game against the top-seeded Canterbury (CT) High School, Thom called a play to get Rayman a 3-pointer in the far-left corner.

Right behind a wide-open Rayman, the student section watched the ball go in and out, taking Millbrook’s season with it.

Back in the locker room, Rayman told his team how proud he was of them. He told them what the season meant to him, and how he appreciated playing alongside them. But he didn’t apologize. In that situation, most players would have “wallowed” and told their team that they should have made the shot, but Rayman showed maturity in the way he handled himself, Thom said.

“I worked so hard to make those shots in games, and even now, I work so hard, and sometimes, they’re not going to go in,” Rayman said. “If it doesn’t, then it just doesn’t.”

Rayman has taken this maturity and mentality to Colgate (1-1), where the senior is now a second-year captain. Last season, Colgate won the Patriot League and made the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 23 years. Rayman was at the center of the team’s success, said head coach Matt Langel. Averaging 13.1 points per game, shooting 42.9% from behind the arc and averaging the most minutes on Colgate last season, Rayman helped lead the Raiders to a 24-11 season, their best record in 75 years.

“I credit a lot of people, but I can’t say that there’s anyone more important to the growth of our culture and progress of our program than (Rayman),” Langel said. “He’s a coach’s dream.”

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Against No. 2 seeded Tennessee in the 2019 Tournament, Rayman scored 10 points and grabbed five rebounds, keeping Colgate close in its 77-70 loss. For Thom, Rayman’s performance was telling of how intelligent he could be on the court; he didn’t change his game or play outside his capabilities. He played with “poise,” Thom said.

Rayman was able to handle that spotlight because he carries a certain level of confidence, knowing that no one on the court has outworked him, Langel said.

On days off when the team is told to go rest and stay away from the gym, Rayman would wait until late at night before heading to the gym. On multiple occasions, Langel has run into Rayman at the gym when he came into the office at night to finish up some work.

“You literally have to kick him out of the gym,” Langel said. “He can’t go a day without feeling like he has to work on some part of his game.”

Growing up in Manhattan, Rayman was on the smaller side, and he played mostly guard. Until his senior year of high school, Thom said Rayman was projected as a Division III perimeter player. Then, he grew from 6-foot-4 to 6-foot-8 in less than a year, changing his trajectory.

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Since Rayman had a late growth spurt, he had already developed a perimeter-oriented skillset, but struggled to grow into his new frame at first.

When Langel first recruited Rayman, he remembers a player who would always fall down on offense, defense or when going up for rebounds. Rayman lost some of his coordination and couldn’t dribble more than twice with his left hand, but through “relentless” work, he’s made a great deal of progress, Langel said.

“When horses are first born, (they) can barely walk. It’s like a baby giraffe and its legs can hardly hold it up, and then after a couple years they were thoroughbreds and while they weren’t competing in the Kentucky Derby necessarily, they got to be big and strong and super impressive animals,” Langel said. “I think Will’s progress is kind of in that.”

Part of that progress came from working with forward Rapolas Ivanauskas. Last year, the two had a trade-off — Rayman would teach Ivanauskas some aspects from his defensive game, and Ivanauskas helped Rayman with shooting, particularly with his left hand.

When Ivanauskas transferred from Northwestern at the start of last season, there was uncertainty whether the two forwards would get along on the court. Rayman had to take a smaller role, Langel said. But Rayman recognized Ivanauskas’ potential, and Ivanauskas said he doesn’t know what would have happened had Rayman had a bigger ego.

Langel describes Rayman as an all-around player, one whose versatility will allow him to play two or three different positions, if needed. He sacrifices a larger offensive role, Langel said, in favor of extra passes, rebounding and playing tough defense. He’s the glue holding this team together, Ivanauskas said.

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“He’s got it all,” Ivanauskas said, “He can shoot, he can post, he can take midranges, he can pass, he can dribble, he’s got a lot to his game. But I think the intangible for him is he loves playing defense, he’s really tough, and he will outwork you on the court.”

Trailing 72-70 with 10 seconds left against Loyola Maryland on Feb. 16 last season, the ball came to Rayman for the 3-pointer in the left corner, just like five years prior. As he released the shot, he knew that whether the ball went in or not was no longer in his control — he only had confidence that he had put in the work at practice. That’s all he could do.

This time, the ball swished through the net, and Colgate would go on to win 75-72.

“I sometimes joke with him that ‘You can’t run through a wall, so don’t try,’” Langel said. “But he literally would try to run through a wall for his team to find a way to win.”

Published on November 12, 2019 at 9:45 pm

Contact Roshan: [email protected] | @Roshan_f16