Suttons Bay Basketball hopes for a breakout season in the Northwest Conference as the Norsemen prepare to tip off their campaign Monday against TC Christian at 7 p.m.
The Norsemen will be led by a strong senior class, including standouts Urijah TwoCrow and Grayson Opie.
”I’m really excited. Over the offseason, we’ve had some good get-togethers, a lot of open gyms, working together, and bonding as friends. This group is probably one of the closest groups we’ve had. We’ve seen it with football as well. This year, we’re just really close and we’re excited,” TwoCrow said. “We’ve only gotten stronger and better from last year.”
Opie is also excited to build upon the chemistry from football with his teammates.
“We’ve’ve all been coming to open gyms, and we’ve all been playing against each other, making each other better, challenging each other in practices and whatnot. I’m just really excited for this season,” Opie said.
Suttons Bay went 8-14 overall in 2023-24 and will be looking to remain competitive in more games this season. Glen Lake defeated Suttons Bay last season 75-33 in a district semifinal game.
The team will also rely heavily on sophomore big-man Zacahriah Raphael and junior guard Austin Vang.
”We put in a lot of work, and we’ve played for so long now ... That chemistry is at the peak. So we’re just ready to surprise people this year,” Vang said.
Raphael added: “I’m just excited for the season. We’ve gotten a lot better. We’ve worked hard. We’ve built a bond as a team.”
The Norsemen are ready to unleash what they believe will be a lethal offense this season.
“Everybody’s going to touch the ball. We’ve all improved, we’ve all gotten to that level ... (Anybody on out team) can go get a bucket,” TwoCrow said.
The Norsemen are focusing on fundamentals as they begin their season.
With their sights set on a district championship and NWC contender, the team is ready for action.
“We want to win,” TwoCrow said.
Under second-year coach Noah Phillips, the Norsemen are showing renewed confidence.
Despite being hired just days before last season began, Phillips has now settled into his role and is enthusiastic about his current roster.
“The guys are ready to rock and roll this year,” Phillips said.
“We lost a couple key roles from that senior class last year. But I think this year, as far as that core varsity group is, we have a lot of return guys and they’re either juniors or seniors this year. They get what the program is, get what the mentality needs to be and we’re trying to build here.”
The Norsemen will face their first test Monday in a highly anticipated matchup against TC Christian at 7 p.m.
Following that game, they’ll take on Mesick and Frankfort before traveling Frankfort, to face St. Francis.
For Phillips, a St. Francis graduate, the matchup against his alma mater holds special significance.
In these early games, Phillips primary focus is helping the team find their rhythm at game speeds.
