Men’s basketball head coach Matt Lochte has coached several Division I athletes during his 14-year tenure at Dulaney. Despite this, Lochte referred to senior Josh Cornish, without hesitation, as one of the best leaders he’s ever coached.

Josh, one of two Cornish’s on the team, transferred here for his senior campaign, and has already made a monumental impact, averaging 21 points per game through 11 games thus far. Josh will be attending Southern Utah University next year, a member of the Big Sky conference. His younger brother Ike, one of three freshmen on the roster, has been getting attention from local Division I schools including Mount St. Mary’s and Towson University.

The elder Cornish is one of only five seniors in the program and is a natural leader. His quick studies of teammates’ tendencies, helped him fulfill a leadership role, allowing him to be the glue that holds the team together.

“Everybody learns the game differently, and I’ve acknowledged that through time,” Josh said. “When I first got here, I tried to teach everyone the same way, but now I’ve realized that one person develops their skillset one way, and someone else does it another way.”

Aside from his top-of-the-line leadership, Cornish has proved to be one of the elite scorers in the area. Lochte has credited Josh as one of the best shooters in Maryland, showcased by his 33 points in a close loss to the defending 4A State Champs, Perry Hall. He also dazzled in a Dec. 27. win over Oakland Mills, with a stellar performance of 25 points.

“Josh is as much as an assistant coach, as he is a player on the team,” Lochte said. “There’s no question, he is an extension of me and the coaching staff on the floor and in the classroom.”

The younger Cornish, Ike, has also embraced his role with open arms. While splitting minutes with senior forward Kevin Sharpe, Ike has made his presence known, scoring eight points against Oakland Mills, and five points against Perry Hall. He does not take very many shots, only shooting in quality opportunities.

“We don’t really look at Ike as a freshman, because he plays very maturely,” junior teammate Cameron Amoruso said.

Being brothers, Josh is inclined to be tougher on Ike than other players.

“I try to treat everyone the same, but that’s my brother so obviously I’m going to be a little harder on him,” Josh said.

The comradery of brotherhood creates a competitive atmosphere at practices and during games. Players, especially the Cornish brothers, are always pushing each other to work harder and improve, not only on the court, but also in the classroom.

“[Josh] makes sure that I stay on top of my books in school, and that there’s no slacking off.” Ike said.
Ike and Josh also go to the gym together, dedicating their training hours to each other.

“He’ll tell me if I do something wrong in practice. He knows what I’m capable of and just wants to see me be successful,” Ike said.

As a whole, the members of the team are all close friends off the court, which has been a big key to their 8-3 start. Their comfort level with one another helps contribute to success.

“[Being friends] helps our team chemistry because everybody likes each other and there’s no negativity between us,” sophomore star Ché Evans said.

From playing NBA 2k18 against one another, playing 1-on-1 in a backyard or bonding in the locker room, the players are a tightly knit group of friends.

“When you’re friends, you’re going to get on each other’s nerves, you’re going to get frustrated with each other, but you forget quickly because they truly are best friends off the court,” Lochte said.