SUNS MEN TO TURN UP THE HEAT
The Sherbrooke Suns BIG V Men are looking to advance up the Division 2 standings in 2019 and have secured last season’s two club award winners in MVP Nick Spicer and Consummate Professional Harry Minifie to provide stability moving forward.
Refreshed after a rollercoaster 2018 season, the pair were two of only four players who featured for the Suns in all 22 games last season and following the harsh reality of losing nine games by 12 or fewer points, the team are optimistic with additional depth to lean on this coming season.
Minifie (25), is a young veteran who progressed through the Sherbrooke junior program and will enter his 5th season in the BIG V arena in 2019, returning after a four-year hiatus last year.
Initially baited to come and tryout at the start of 2018 by a friend he quickly become one of the league’s most dependable role players with his ability to mix it both inside and out posting career best numbers of 11.2 points at 44.2% from the field and 4.6 rebounds per game. He saved his best for last having a season best 28 points and 10 rebounds against eventual League Allstar Emmanuel Malou in Round 17 which adds to the anticipation that his best is still to come.
Minifie was thrusted to take the captaincy for the second half of the 2018 season and being a Sherbrooke local showed each time he stepped out on the floor in the yellow and black with his no fuss blue collar approach.
“I'm passionate about coming back to play because even though our win/loss ratio doesn’t paint a great picture, the guys who were part of the team developed into an important core for this season and beyond,” said Minifie.
“Personally 2018 opened my eyes as I had never played with a bunch of guys that just wanted to play the game that I love with passion and it didn’t matter who was playing with us we welcomed any one without bias. I really think we made huge strides which will push us further in 2019. The guys that are returning along with new faces all have a full understanding that we’re here to win and will do anything to achieve this.”
Spicer who at 26 crossed from Warrandyte in the 2017 off season seeking greater opportunity and really found his niche logging 693 minutes for the season while notching double figure points in 15 of the teams 22 regular season games along with league wide recognition in round 13 and round 15 for his Blue Carpet performances which included a 35-point haul against North East in late June.
As 2019 approaches Spicer will notch his 100th BIG V appearance in the early rounds and he is eager to see the team return to the playoffs, “Last season was a personal best for me, but it was also a big learning experience with lots of personnel changes throughout the team which made it very challenging to get into rhythm.”
“I’m looking forward to what this team can do this season, with a few additions we look much deeper than we did last year. We’ve got a great bunch of guys who work hard and are hungry to push towards a playoff appearance.”
Speaking on his returnees Head Coach Ryan Rogers said “Harry and Nick are both passionate about building a winning culture and are at an age where they want to win now which is important considering where the Sherbrooke senior program have been in recent years.”
“Harry Minifie played some key roles for us throughout last season, and he will be challenged for greater consistency as we regard him very highly.”
"He is highly respected by his teammates, the wider club and it is terrific that we helped reignite his passion for the game to see him continue with the club in 2019.
"Nick Spicer showed he is in the best handful of perimeter shooters in the league, so it’s very pleasing to have him commit to the club and with greater depth we feel he will be able to expand his game.”
"We believe there is plenty of growth in both guys both on court and in the leadership space moving forward but they also fill an important gap in our age profile as a team."
Last Modified on 13/03/2019 21:09
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