Teammates are fast friends off the court, too
In what has become a game-day routine, Brennan Ray and Dion Bailey head to Ray’s for hot food and relaxation on the Saturdays they have a home game.
“He makes waffles and we just go over there and watch a couple of college basketball games before we go to practice – our shoot around,” Bailey said.
These Saturday morning get-togethers allow the team members to take their focus off of the upcoming game.
“Basically it is just a calm period – just relaxing, just having a good time, taking our focus off for just a minute before we have our shoot around,” Bailey said.
Ray and Bailey started becoming friends at the beginning of last year when Bailey joined the team.
“We became friends at the first of last year when [Bailey] first came here,” Ray said. “Dion is someone who plays with a lot of excitement and a lot of intensity just like I do. We both compete hard, and we try to pick everyone up. We kind of built on that and have been pretty good friends ever since.”
“Brennan was a cool guy off the court, an older kind of guy that you want to be around, who you learn a lot of things from,” Bailey said. “I asked a lot of questions and he let me know the system. Last year we became tight on the bench. Our routine is the same, and it just carried on to this year.”
Bailey also likes Ray’s style and how he fits in on campus – especially how well he gets along with people.
“I call him San Diego because he is always wearing his shades,” Bailey said. “He’s just a cool guy; he shouldn’t be in Utah with the shades, but when he goes to California he has the shades on.”
Ray and Bailey became close friends at the beginning of this year at the Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska. During that tournament, for the first time, Ray and Bailey shared a hotel room for the week. Since then they have been roommates on every road trip.
“He’s my roommate when we’re on the road, so we go out and do things together,” Bailey said.
The friendship the two share is also very important on the court and affects how they play the game. Both players are very defense-oriented and bring a lot of energy to the court.
“[Defense] is the role that they gave us – to come out and give that lift energy-wise. That’s what we both bring to the game,” Bailey said.
“We try to get each other psyched up,” Ray said.
Both Bailey and Ray are part of what has become known as the “bench mob.” This key group of players can come into the game and provide a lift to the team while giving the starters a chance for some rest.
“We always say we have to represent the bench mob,” Ray said. “We kind of feel we’re the leaders of the bench and those guys coming of the bench, and it’s our job to set the examples for others.”
Bailey and Ray also feed off each other’s energy, they said. Big plays psych them up and they are constantly working to encourage the other.
“If I’m not doing well, D will get in my face, and we really play well together out there on the floor,” Ray said.
“Any dunk he does gets me going. We observe the floor while the game is going on,” Bailey said. “The first five minutes, we just observe and say ‘You need to do this,’ and ‘You need to do that,’ and ‘You have to come at him and pump him on the chest and let him know this is how it is.'”
Bailey also said he’s impressed by the little things Ray does and his intensity, especially for his size.
“He pumps me up about charges – the little knick-knack things he does, it just gets me going,” Bailey said. “He’s only 6-5 and playing the post. To be able to do the stuff he has at 6-5, just imagine if he was 6-11, doing that stuff – he would be an awesome player. The things he does just at his height, he doesn’t take a day for granted and I like that a lot. That gets me going itself.”
The crowd and the intensity in the Spectrum also get Bailey and Ray going – especially when they start chanting “Bruiser” any time Ray enter the game.
“I think it’s great,” Ray said. “I take that as a compliment, that they kind of notice my style of play, and that’s how I play. I bang around and try to get physical. I love it, personally.”
“It’s the best,” Bailey said. “It’s the best place to play in the Big West.”
The community and support was one of the reasons that Bailey came to Logan from Santa Rosa Junior College in California.
“It was just like my junior college, which was in a small community. I know how small communities don’t have much to do, so they come out to basketball games and give you the most support,” Bailey said. “It seemed like a good place to study and focus, and that’s what I’ve been doing so far. I can’t complain, I don’t regret a thing about my decision to come here.”
Ray agreed with Bailey about the community and said it was influential in his decision to come here.
With another year of eligibility, Ray is planning to stay for another year to play basketball and work on his master’s degree in business administration. After earning his master’s, Ray said he plans to try to get into law school.
Bailey’s plans after graduation are to return to California and possibly enter the music industry in production or promoting, he said, though he would love to play basketball because it’s what he loves best.
“The past two years have been real special,” Ray said. “We’ve been able to form a lot of great friendships and good bonds, ones that will last through the years. We’ll definitely keep those up.”