There is nowhere to go but up for the Sudbury (GSBA) U14 Storm boys basketball team.

Technically speaking, that's not 100% accurate - but suffice to say that there are a great deal more teams ahead of them to leapfrog on the ladder that is Basketball Ontario OBL play than those which might be in the Storm's rearview mirrors.

Given that just three of their 14-player roster have any rep basketball experience at all, this is an appropriate starting point - even if their earliest encounters come with a touch of trepidation.

"Sometimes I'm nervous just because we don't know how good they (the other teams) are going to be," said Rylan Donnelly, a grade eight student at Ecole Publique Hanmer. "It can be hard to play good defense when you don't know what you're up against."

Having their eyes opened with a 54-27 setback at the hands of CSA Newmarket, the Storm were far more competitive in game two of their opening weekend of action, beaten 52-43 by the Dundas Dynamos.

With four years of club experience, Donnelly is very much enjoying the sport that he was lured to largely thanks to the opportunities he had to watch his older brother play.

"He was playing VEMBA (Valley East Minor Basketball Association) and I liked how he would always drive and score on the layups," said Donnelly. "He played amazing defense and got blocks. He was fun to watch."

A small forward / power forward type who continues to work on his rebounding and finishing with contact, Donnelly knows that it will take a little time meshing his group with so many new faces to OBL play.

"We need to incorporate team chemistry, make sure everyone is talking to each other," he said. "The coaches here know a lot about the sport. They know some really good drills to run."

And while game play will likely always prevail over practice sessions, there are a few workouts that receive more of a thumbs up than others from Donnelly and his teammates.

"The drills that involve the entire team, with our players playing defense too so that it feels like we are playing in a scrimmage," explained Donnelly.

The U14 Storm were in Toronto last weekend for another two game set, with their next such event set for early in 2024.

Joining Rylan Donnelly on the team coached by Devin Kinsella and Michelle Flood are Kane Gideon, Skyler Laplante, Henry Longston, Bently Szwed, Carter Brunet, Will Laporte-Alexander, Joshua Paradis, Mohnish Thota, Abbas Shah, Colton Sartor, Roland Bostrom and Kion Mayores Gepilano.