Seven times Joel Geriak interviewed for head coaching jobs. And seven times, until Wilton hired him four years ago, Geriak was turned down.

“There will always be a little bit of a hunger for me,” Geriak said on Monday. “Proving that I could do it, and not just for one year.”

Geriak is now not just validating himself, he is erecting the largest of exclamation points. Following Friday’s win over St. Joseph, the Warriors, with a sparse historical resume in the sport, are 51-28 under Geriak, including an unexpected 6-1 this season.

It is the reason “In Joel We Trust” T shirts are the town’s hottest item this winter.

“I laugh; that’s the kids’ thing. It’s flattering,” Geriak said. “That’s my job, to get the kids in the best possible position to win and pull some wins out.”

Since an opening night non-league loss to Pomperaug, the Warriors are unbeaten. Teams are shooting just 40 percent from the field against them.

“It is our defense and rebounding,” Geriak said. “For a team that’s not big, we’ve been rebounding well. The one game we didn’t rebound well was Greenwich and we were still able to win.”

That’s because the Warriors held Conor Harkins, the Cardinals’ top player and league’s leading scorer, without a field goal and to just two points.

Wilton has one of the league’s breakout stars in Jack Williams, its only returning player with significant varsity experience. He is averaging 20 points per game. Only a junior, he is still the team’s captain.

“I honestly believe he is one of the best players in the league,” Geriak said. “I’m just trying to keep it quiet as long as I can. Jack is coming into his own. He’s done a good job with leadership, he doesn’t force shots. He trusts his teammates as well. Not just shooting every time he has the ball.”

Matt Kronenberg, another junior, is averaging 13 points. Most significant minutes are going to non-seniors.

Geriak, a former player at Westhill and long-time assistant, is a realist. In a normal season, he understands this would be a rebuilding year. But there are far fewer floors this season to the penthouse. That, coupled with the Warriors’ fundamentally sound play, has allowed them to quickly rise to the top of the standings.

“I’m a little surprised,” Geriak said. “We only have one legitimate returner in Jack Williams. The rest of the team has come around faster  than I anticipated, which has made my job easier.”

Wilton has surpassed expectations in each of Geriak’s three seasons. He said he patterns what he is doing with basketball in the town to the way football is run in New Canaan.

“Without the titles,” Geriak stressed. “It is about consistency with the system. From when I got here until now, we even have the youth program using out system as well. It is just watered down.”

So are the Warriors going to reprise their role as league darlings? We are about to find out. This week comes a road trip to Fairfield, starting Tuesday with Warde, with a roster similar in composition, followed on Friday with Ludlowe. Ridgefield, Trinity Catholic and Danbury are up next.

This is the season of the 50-50 game, and Wilton has a number of them coming up. So far it has found ways to win.

If this continues, those T shirts may soon be replaced by a statue.

Bracketology

No. 1 Danbury (7-0, 4-0) vs. No. 8 Fairfield Ludlowe (4-4, 1-3). The Hatters keep rolling, though they got caught sleepwalking against Darien. Putting the Falcons in the eighth spot is based on their potential: they shouldn’t be struggling as much as they have been. Turnovers remain a problem.

No. 2 Brien McMahon (8-0, 4-0) vs. No. 7 Stamford (6-2, 3-1). The Senators were in need of the test they received from the Black Knights on Friday night. Stamford remains a surprise.

No. 3 Trumbull (7-1, 4-0) vs. No. 6 Trinity Catholic (5-2, 2-1). The Eagles’ inside size give them an element most other teams lack, but a killer instinct was missing last week. No team in the conference has more upside than the Crusaders, who have tremendous athletic ability but will need accelerated maturity to be a postseason factor.

No. 4 Wilton (6-1, 3-0), vs. No. 5 Fairfield Warde (5-3, 3-1). These two teams meet on Tuesday night in an intriguing matchup. Only in this year’s FCIAC does Wilton make the climb from outside the top eight into the fourth spot this week. The Mustangs’ Giacomo Brancato may be the early leader for league Player of the Year.