Cato-Meridian boys basketball coach Ryan Brunelle wanted to do things differently this season.

Five games in with an undefeated record and a top-15 state ranking, the Blue Devils are buying into the fact that change is good.

Brunelle started the season by tweaking several things, including the schedule. Cato-Meridian will travel to Section V's Red Jacket for its holiday tournament to get a look at basketball outside central New York.

“I said, ‘Let's go and see what the other sections are about,'” Brunelle said. “It seems like every year we draw a different type of team we're not used to (in the postseason). So I think by going in and playing teams in this tournament that we're not used to, it will give us that experience come sectional time.”

But the Red Jacket Tournament isn't the only event the Blue Devils are participating in. Cato-Meridian has been invited to the Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament New Year's weekend at OCC and will play Onondaga. The tournament traditionally showcases some of the best teams in Central New York in several different classes.

Brunelle's starting five will get a chance to prove themselves in these tough upcoming games. Andy Wegman runs the senior-laden team on the floor, along with fellow seniors Dillon Caswell, a press-breaker and defensive specialist Preston Dennison. Underneath, post players Cody Humberstone and AJ Rothenburg (one of Section III's top-10 scoring threats) can do more than rebound.

Each has an outside shot and can defend the best players in the league.

Bench players Joe Soccio, Shay Stanistreet, Matt Schmitt and Ben Kline each add different things when they're out on the floor, whether it be speed, defense or another presence underneath.

Brunelle has faith in the bench.

“If anyone got into foul trouble, we wouldn't miss a beat,” he said. “I don't get worried when they're in the game.”

All players have had to learn Brunelle's read-and-react system. He's had his team study it through videos, articles and obviously practice, and it is a big part of the Blue Devils' success.

“You rely on your kids to understand the offenses; it's not your basic set picks and stand around,” Brunelle said. “Every night it could look different, but the kids have to know it in and out in order for it to work.”

So far, it has. Cato-Meridian is one of the top scoring teams in the section, but a big part of winning is still the defense. The Blue Devils are rebounding extremely well so far, and it's not just the forwards that are crashing the glass. Team rebounding was something Brunelle wanted to work on.

“Our big guys are boxing out, our guards come down to rebound if our big men don't,” Brunelle said.

Cato-Meridian has a tilt against Tyburn Academy on Monday before going into the stretch of road games. If the Blue Devils want to win, they'll have to play smart, but Brunelle is confident in that area.

“Our basketball IQ is our biggest strength,” Brunelle said. “They understand the concepts of the game, which as a coach, that's where you want your kids to be.”