Lake Leelanau St. Mary basketball enters the season with fresh leadership and player development as they aim to bounce back from last year’s 8-15 record.
St. Mary tapped Jim Bunek takes the helm as the Eagles’ new head coach, while former boys coach Matt Barnowski transitions to lead the girls program.
“I enjoyed a full summer of competition, drills, working with the kids, getting them in here, and getting to know them, their skill level, and helping them build into a team,” Bunek said. “I’ve got some great senior leadership. a tall group of juniors, and some sharpshooters... It’s going to be exciting.”
The Eagles plan to build their identity around strong defense, emphasizing patience and ball security on offense.
“One of the things we’re gonna strive for is patience on offense and we are going to live off our defense,” Bunek said.
The Eagles will open their season at home against Frankfort on Tuesday, Dec. 3.
Leading the charge for St. Mary are seniors Luke Bramer, Gannon Mitchell, Avery Bunek, along with juniors Cody Couturier and Oliver Mitchell.
“It’s crazy knowing that it’s my senior year and it’s my last year. It just feels like yesterday, I was just a freshman playing varsity. “I’m going to give it my all this year,” Bramer said. “I really think it just all comes down to practice. How we practice is how we play.”
Couturier is embracing his emerging leadership role and focusing on team unity.
“I love basketball and I love the group of guys we've got. The energy’s high right now,” Couturier said. “We are working on our defensive assignments and hitting our shots when we’re open... I definitely have to step up and be more vocal on the court.”
St. Mary’s previous season ended with a 63-55 loss to Frankfort in the regional semifi nal.
This year’s district competition includes Buckley, TC Christian, Leland, Suttons Bay, St. Mary and Frankfort.
