By Marc Thaler
Staff Writer

GOFFSTOWN – Making adjustments to a different way of life is the biggest key for any college freshman.

Daily schedules differ from those regimented high school days, course loads intensify as the work becomes more demanding, and that newfound freedom can, at first, be a bit frightening.

In addition to settling into their new scenarios as students, Jeff Dickson of Saint Anselm College and Sam Carey of Southern New Hampshire University – a pair of local athletes and products of Manchester high school basketball – are immediately being forced to find their way on the hardwood of college hoops as well.

"I love it," said the 6-foot-8, 235-pound Carey, who starts for SNHU head coach Stan Spirou. "You can't ask for more playing time and more touches than I'm getting. All I want to do is keep coming out and making smart decisions so coach can keep me in there as long as I can go."

"The skill level is 10-times better than anything I've ever played against," said the 6-foot-2, 180-pound Dickson, who plays for his father, Keith. "It just takes a lot of getting used to. The speed and contact, it's a lot faster."

In their first season of Division II competition, the local standouts have impressed. Dickson, the former go-to guy at West, and Carey, a star during his Central days, are key contributors to their respective squads in 2004-05.

"You have to pay attention to him in there – he's such a load," Keith Dickson said of Carey. "At this level, you better grow up quick. And he's going against some pretty good players."

Of his son, one of the first players off the Hawks' bench, the St. A coach said, "(Jeff) is one of those kids. Every time you put him in the game, our team gets better almost every single time ... He is so basketball smart and plays with such intelligence that we move the ball better on offense when he's in and we're a significantly better defensive team when he's in just because of his basketball I.Q."

As the Hawks and Penmen battle for playoff positioning in the Northeast-10 conference, both freshmen are being asked by their coaches to help their teams deliver critical wins.

Although they've taken their abilities to the next tier, neither Dickson nor Carey is asked to carry his crew, especially since each player is surrounded by talented teammates equal to the task.

"In college, you don't have as much room for error," Carey said, "because if you do something wrong, there's a whole lot of guys on the bench good enough to come in and replace you."

Likewise, Dickson said he doesn't feel any pressure to be a prime-time performer. Not yet, anyway.

"I'm just taking the minutes I get and trying to be as productive as I can with how long I'm out there for," he said.

Thrown right into the season's first Saint Anselm-SNHU meeting back on Jan. 6, these frosh might've been fresh to the rivalry, but it didn't deter them from leaving their mark on the outcome.

Nearly three weeks ago, Carey provided the eventual game-winning bucket before Dickson missed a potential game-winner in the closing seconds of a Penmen victory at SNHU Fieldhouse.

In the follow-up performance inside Saint Anselm's Stoutenburgh Gymnasium on Saturday, Jan. 22, Dickson and the nationally ranked Hawks were 67-48 victors.

"I thought St. A's came out with more passion, more intensity than we did," Spirou said. "They physically manhandled us. I thought that was the difference. Physically they beat us up. They got every loose ball, every key rebound."

In splitting the season series and facing various conference foes, Carey said he's learning plenty about what it takes to consistently be successful at the D-II level.

"You've gotta work harder in practice and in the weight room because that's really what helps you out the most," he said.

Despite all the hard work put in by these impressive young players, they don't discount the fun factor that's sure to come when facing each other the next few years.

"It's good seeing another kid from the area," Dickson said. "It's kind of funny, too, being rivals at West and Central, then coming here and taking it to the next level."

"To play against someone you know, it's just fun win or lose," Carey added, "because you know you're both out there just going at it."

Game notes
In front of nearly 1,300 fans who filed into Stoutenburgh Gymnasium on Jan. 22, Dickson and Carey each played 24 of 40 possible minutes.

Dickson finished with five points, four assists and three rebounds, while Carey accounted for 11 points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals.