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Ray J Dennis is relieved to just be playing basketball this season amid a pandemic.
He plans on making the most of it, too.
While navigating a basketball schedule around COVID-19 has proven a choppy proposition for many college teams this past month, Dennis and Boise State seem to be doing just fine. The Broncos are 4-1, already own a big win at BYU, with their 6-foot-2 sophomore point guard from Oswego East leading the way.
"We don't take this season for granted at all," said Dennis, a two-time Kendall County Newspapers Player of the Year at Oswego East. "We know it's a blessing and a privilege to get games in at all. There's schools at the college level that are struggling to get in games, to get on the floor. For us to get on the floor consistently is a blessing for sure."
Boise State last week beat BYU 74-70 for their first win in Provo since 1996, and Dennis had a huge hand in it.
He matched his career-high with 19 points and dished out five assists, the last one to Emmanuel Akot for the game-winning 3-pointer with 13 seconds left. Boise State jumped out to an early 14-0 lead, and held off the Cougars.
"That was a big win for us," Dennis said. "We were happy to be able to go into BYU and get that win. I thought we played well as a team, especially in the first half defensively. I think this is a jump start to what we can do all year."
Boise State has had two games canceled this year because of COVID-19, its Nov. 30 game with New Mexico was pushed back a month to Dec. 21 and a Dec. 22 game with Loyola Marymount has been postponed. The Broncos lined up a game with Weber State, a 70-59 win, just 72 hours in advance.
Amid all the craziness, Dennis and the Broncos don't seem to be missing a beat.
"Coach has a saying 'so what, no what,'" Dennis said. "Whatever happens, it's the way you respond to it. If a game gets canceled, we're just staying in the gym, staying ready to play whenever a game comes. We understand that things can pop up out of nowhere. We just stay ready to go."
Dennis, to no surprise, had himself ready to go for his second year in Boise.
When the NCAA shut down last year's season in March and classes went online, Dennis came back home.
He put in the work with Patrick Molinari, his high school assistant basketball and strength coach at Oswego East, along with Dennis' dad and his personal trainer David Bryant. He was home all of April, May and June before returning to Boise in July.
"Just really getting work in, grinding, getting ready to have a big season," Dennis said. "I know coach was expecting big things out of me."
He had good reason.
Dennis as a freshman played in all 13 games at Boise State, with 15 starts. He averaged 4.1 points in 17.5 minutes as the only freshman to get much playing time.
The highlight came Jan. 18 against Utah State, with his family in attendance, when Dennis scored a season-high 19 points. All of them came in the final 3:27, rallying the Broncos from 18 points down for an overtime win.
"That game showed that the coaches trust me, that they will have trust in me in the future," Dennis said. "That's what I was thinking at the time. I went through ups and downs throughout the season. That was the exclamation point for me in my own head, that I belong."
He's certainly showed this year that he belongs.
Dennis through five games is averaging 14.0 points, second on Boise State, with a team-best 4.2 assists.
He had 18 points in the Broncos' season-opening loss to 17th-ranked Houston, and 12 points in the most recent win over Weber State.
"I'm really just taking on more of a leadership role this year," Dennis said. "I feel more comfortable and a lot more confident on the floor. I put in a lot of work over the summer. When you get on the court, you have to trust all the work you put in."
Dennis is doing whatever he can to keep on the court. In a pandemic world, classes are online, Dennis and his teammates are tested for the virus 2-3 times a week, games are played without home fans in Boise and contact with the outside world is minimal.
"Last year I'd be on campus, interacting with people and teachers and students and this year I can't do that. You have to stay away from the outside world as best you can so we don't have positive tests and can stay on the floor," Dennis said. "That's been our lifestyle these last two months. I'm kind of used to it by now."
Dennis and the Broncos appear to have the makings of a special team, perhaps Boise State's first NCAA bid since 2015.
Senior guard Derrick Alston Jr., who flirted with entering the NBA Draft before staying at Boise, is the Mountain West Preseason Player of the Year. The Broncos also brought in a number of impact transfers, including Akot, a five-star recruit out of high school who played for a year and a half at Arizona.
"We can be good, top 10 in the country," Dennis said.
Lofty goals, perhaps, but there's precedent. Recall that at Oswego East he led the Wolves to their first sectional final as a senior, the best season in school history.
Beyond any individual marks, that's how he'll judge this season. Dennis and the Broncos, perhaps San Diego State's strongest challenger in the Mountain West, are scheduled to play the Aztecs twice in the regular season's last weekend in February.
"The biggest thing for me is I just want to win this year," Dennis said. "We really can. We have a talented team, good to win, eventually make some noise in the tournament. That's the biggest thing for me, is to do whatever the team needs – rebounds, assists, score, play defense, guard the other team's best player. Whatever it takes to win."