SLIPPERY ROCK — Ethan Plesakov wasn't accustomed to having this much down time.

In past years, the Slippery Rock High senior had barely hung up his football cleats before he was lacing up his Nike Kobe Mambas for basketball season.

Not in 2020-21. Not during a pandemic.

Instead, Plesakov had two months off between the grind of a football season and the lightning pace of a basketball campaign.

What did he do with that extra time?

“Absolutely nothing,” Plesakov said, laughing. “Nothing. Nothing at all. I got out of football, turned in my pads and I just sat on my couch and did nothing.”

It was a bold move, but one that oddly has paid off for Plesakov.

Usually in the first month of basketball season, Plesakov is still feeling the aches from a long year on the gridiron.

This year, he had a chance to heal.

“I think it really helped, especially my legs,” Plesakov said. “In football, you get beat up a lot and that time helped a lot.

“If anyone needs some advice,” Plesakov deadpanned, “I can tell you to sit on the couch and you'll have success.”

The 6-foot-4 Plesakov is averaging 17 points per game for Slippery Rock, which is 4-7 at the midway point.

While 4-7 doesn't look all that special on paper, for a program that has posted a 13-79 record over the previous four seasons, it is a step in the right direction.

Slippery Rock boys basketball coach A.J. Motta said Plesakov is always jovial, always smiling and always having fun this season.

Winning some games will do that. Having some success will do that.

“Ethan has been huge for us,” Motta said. “Not only is he scoring, but his leadership on the floor is very much felt.”

Plesakov is one of the few seniors on the roster; the Rockets are in many respects a young team.

“They follow his leadership a lot,” Motta said. “That's meant more to us almost than (Ethan's) scoring.”

One of the players Plesakov has mentored is sophomore John Sabo.

The two were also a potent duo on the football field in the fall as wide receivers. Now they are doing it on the basketball court.

Sabo, a 5-11 point guard, is averaging 15 points per game. He missed five games recently because he was in close contact with a COVID-positive individual and had to quarantine.

He's back now.

“It was definitely tough, tough watching them play on the court without me,” said Sabo, who streamed the Rockets games from home. “I tried to offer as much support as I could. I'm just happy to be back.”

In many ways, Sabo makes the Slippery Rock offense go.

He uses his quickness to penetrate and create opportunities for himself or others.

“My mindset is more of a pass-first point guard,” Sabo said. “I love to get my teammates involved. I feel like that one extra pass can make a big difference for the team.”

In Sabo's absence, other players like Dylan Gordon stepped up.

Gordon, another sophomore, has cracked double-digit points in three of the Rockets' last four games.

Plesakov said he feels like part of his job this season is to make those underclassmen feel the confidence he is beginning to feel now.

“If I pick on you, I like you,” Plesakov said. “That's my big thing. I think in the past I wasn't blessed with some of the seniors, especially in football, with that. It's kind of hard when your senior class isn't as positive around you as a younger player. I try to be really good to the younger guys.”

What the Rockets are loving more than anything is being able to compete night in and night out in a rough region in District 10.

There was a time in years past when Slippery Rock would head into a game knowing it would lose.

That feeling doesn't exist this season. Even against some of the powerhouses in the league, the Rockets have for the most part held their own.

“There's not many games where we've underperformed,” Motta said. “We have a fighter's chance. Just be there at the end and see what happens.”

For Plesakov, this season has been a breath of fresh air. He was losing his love for basketball. Now, he's getting it back.

“Losing stinks,” Plesakov said. “It's so hard, especially the last two years, to come out and don't win as much. I think getting some wins, it really helps the confidence.

“Who knows where we'll end up? Who knows what the playoffs are going to look like? Maybe we can grab some wins we didn't the first time around. A really big thing for me is hopefully I got to help turn the program around. We have some very talented young guys in a couple of years here, they are going to be a serious contender to make runs in the playoffs.”