A track team that doubles as a basketball team?

Perhaps coach Syan Thompson is on to something here.

All kidding aside, his Sudbury Storm U14 Boys are, first and foremost, hoopsters at heart, a squad which has climbed the rankings nicely this year as they travelled to Ottawa to compete in the Ontario Championships (Division 8) this weekend.

It's simply that given the up-tempo style of play that Thompson favours, there is a heavy emphasis on the importance of cardio and the benefits of same.

"We probably average 20 points a game alone off turnovers, sprinting up the court and finding the open man," noted guard and captain Jack O'Connell. "We're at our best in the third and fourth quarter when every team is gassed."

"We're still running hot, being in the right position and hungry for the ball."

Getting his feet wet with the sport during a work-related family stint overseas in New Caledonia (just off the east coast of Australia), O'Connell and a handful of his teammates have now been with coach Thompson for some five or six years, giving them an advantage over opposition teams that are far more transient.

"It helps because I know how to play with these players, how they will react to certain situations, when I need to step in and kind of lead the team," noted the 14 year-old student at Lo-Ellen Park Intermediate School.

"It's been fun playing with these same players and seeing how much they improved."

That said, not everyone on the 14-man roster has been here since day one. Where the team was very much built around shooting, speed and defense early on, there has been a shift to insert more size into the lineup.

Born in Kingston (ON) but moving to Sudbury before his second birthday, Felix Naghi fit many of the physical attributes the Storm were searching, even if his hardcourt background was a touch unconventional.

"I really didn't know basketball at all but got recruited by a friend on this team," said Naghi. "We were playing together at recess at school."

That was the extent of his basketball background. Thankfully, Naghi was also blessed with a great deal of perseverance and a healthy dose of perspective, such that he could see the light at the end of the tunnel.

"I was worse than everybody else so it was hard playing with them to start," said the 13 year-old fellow Knight, also in grade eight. "I didn't know any of the rules of the game, didn't know how to score a layup, and I wasn't good with my left hand."

"I had to learn a lot and learn from the other guys on the team," Naghi continued. "In my second year, I was feeling more comfortable, talking more with the guys."

Now four years into his tenure with the GSBA, the burgeoning forward has yet to hit anything close to the peak of his improvement.

"I have more confidence driving to the basket; I can finish with contact much better."

Thanks to the contributions of many, the Storm posted a 6-0 record in Pool J play in the OBL (Ontario Basketball League) and has opened play at provincials with a pair of wins.

"Everyone is conditioned, everyone knows their role on the team so no, it didn't surprise me at all," stated O'Connell, referencing the success the team has enjoyed.

"We all came together and all played as a unit."

The remainder of this 2023-2024 Sudbury U14 Storm boys team includes Kaden Saidi-Smith, Fred Becker, Christopher Folino, Angelo Kalonji, Maxime Belzile, Levi Blouin, Tyion Thompson, Thomas Deredin, Samuel Niyonkuru, Liam Hagen, Koen Levasseur, Kamron Tessier, assistant coach Emily Derks as well as Jack O'Connell, Felix Naghi and coach Syan Thompson.

The Storm have opened play in Ottawa with a 67-40 win over the Ancaster Magic and a 70-31 win over Kemptville. They are set to face the 2-0 Cambridge Centaurs at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, with a fourth game guaranteed on Sunday.