With two thirds of their roster new to club rep basketball this year, the GSBA (Greater Sudbury Basketball Association) U14 Storm Boys are playing a little catch-up in 2024-2025 - but doing so at a very rapid pace.
Head coach Dave Brunet and assistant coach Tom Fenske have been thrilled with the progress that they have seen from their young troops, a collection of talent that has now captured victory in three of their past four OBL games.
An opening game setback at the hands of Grass Roots Kitchener (35-32) was followed by wins over the Parry Sound Stingers (59-16), Elevation Athletics (Newmarket - 52-24) and the Napanee Junior Hawks (45-37).
"Over the last couple of months, we have slowly developed into a family where all the boys hold themselves and their teammates accountable for what they are or are not doing on the court," noted coach Brunet.
"It's a special thing to see this happening right in front of us as the boys are all developing into fundamentally sound basketball players."
The 12-man Storm roster sees only four returnees in the form of Roland Bostrom, Noah Lamontagne, Izick Boudreau and Carter Brunet.
With team goals touching into areas such as loyalty, on several level (to teammates, coaches and the game) as well as demonstrating a love for the game and all that goes in to seeking improvement on the court, the local lads are starting to find glimpses of the kind of confidence that leads to team success.
"We tell our players that communication and connection helps to build a strong team, and that great teams are not only committed to doing great work, but also committed to each other," Brunet continued.
Building those connections means quickly assimilating the above-noted quartet with GSBA newcomers Charlie Chisholm, Colton Fairfield, Deklerk Viljoen, Mathis Larochelle, Preston Pitawanakwat, Semay Deol, William Macleod and Xavier Fenske.
"This is a very special group of young men and we are honoured to be their coaches," summed up Brunet.
The Storm are currently fine-tuning in anticipation of a two-game set on January 25th, with a four game weekend to follow (February 22nd - 23rd) and an abbreviated series in March (15th), all leading up to the Basketball Ontario Provincial Championships in May.
