The GSBA (Greater Sudbury Basketball Association) U15 Storm Boys may have to show a little patience.
For as much as head coach Syan Thompson has challenged his troops to swiftly move the ball across half in two seconds or so following possession, their goal of climbing to the top two groupings of teams in OBL (Ontario Basketball League) standings might be a slightly more gradual process.
But they are headed in the right direction.
Recording victories in four of their first six outings this year, the U15 Storm made the jump from Division "E" to "D", preparing for a two game set this coming weekend in Markham.
A pair of wins in early March gave way to a four-game split just under a month later as the Sudbury squad started quickly, taking down Eurostep Basketball from Etobicoke 67-63 and dethroning the Northern Kings from Pickering, 80-50.
Sunday proved to be a tougher go as the GSBA reps fell to both the Barrie Royals (64-63) and the Eastern Earthquakes from Durham Region, 74-65.
Though the re-assembled team welcomes only one newcomer to the fold (Seamus Murphy) from the 2023-2024 collection of talent, the work continues when it comes to staying on par with their southern Ontario court counterparts.
"We need to communicate better on defense," noted coach Thompson. "We do communicate on defense, but I want it to be a lot more vocal when we are on the floor."
As for a style of play, Team Thompson is nothing if not up tempo.
"We are a run and gun team," he said. "As soon as the ball gets off the rim, we're out running. We're getting the ball across the half and then attacking the basket."
A solid shooting team from beyond the arc, the Storm rebound well in large part due to the interior presence of both Kamron Tessier and Angelo Kalonji, applying a great deal of pressure on defense with the likes of Koen Levasseur and Levi Blouin creating deflections and steals.
Rounding out the 2024-2025 roster are Christopher Folino, Felix Naghi, Fred Becker, Jack O'Connell, Liam Hagen, Thomas Deredin and underagers Samuel Niyonkuru and Tyion Thompson.
