SEAN CHASE

Well I’ve finally come up for air after months of focusing all of my effort and energy into our local sports coverage.

While it wasn’t always perfect, I hope you know that Jerry and I ran ourselves ragged in an attempt to get your kids/teams into the paper.

Second, there are too many talented basketball players up here to ignore.

I wanted to mention everyone in my previous column, but it would have been 2,000-plus words and nobody has time for that.

Instead, I’m going to break it down into a few schools at a time.

This week, I’m going to talk about Iron Mountain, Kingsford and Norway boys teams.

I’ll start with the school I can see from The Daily News, the Mountaineers.

Local legend Tom Izzo mentioning the paper on Wednesday, while speaking with reporters ahead of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, may have made my decision easier.

The Iron Mountain boys varsity team, with head coach Harvey “Bucky” Johnson at the helm, was a wagon all season.

Finishing 22-2, the only team that could figure out the Mountaineers was Menominee. Everyone else got dealt a heaping helping of Oskar Kangas.

The 6’6 junior center dominated nearly every court he graced this season and averaged a double-double (19.5 points per game and 10.1 rebounds per game). Although you would expect a player of his size to live exclusively in the paint, that’s not Oskar’s style. Like his older brother, Reece, Kangas can hit 3-pointers off the dribble as well as in catch-and-shoot opportunities.

He’s definitely one of the top players in the Upper Peninsula, no matter the division.

Iron Mountain wasn’t a one-trick pony this season though.

Reece Kangas could bury three-pointers from anywhere and could frustrate players with his tenacious defense.

However, it was Matt Colavecchi who made his mark on games through defense. He became known for stopping the opposing team’s best scorer and forcing the entire squad into errant passes.

And still, I think Gerald Sampoll-Torres was the second-most impactful player on the court for Iron Mountain. The entire Iron Mountain offense runs through Sampoll-Torres. He is a great decision-maker with an outrageously smooth handle. Although he isn’t the largest kid on the team, opponents who don’t focus on him are made to pay for their poor decisions, time and again.

Another team who made opponents pay for their mistakes all season was the Kingsford Flivvers.

After finishing their season with a loss to Marquette that would have secured a share of the Great Northern Conference title, the Flivvers, led by head coach Dan Olkkonen, rolled through the early rounds of the playoffs.

Kingsford rolled through the district, featuring Gladstone and Escanaba, earning another district crown.

While I wasn’t sure how the Flivvers’ matchup with Sault Ste. Marie would go, they ran over the Blue Devils and straight into a matchup with Ludington.

Growing up, we faced the Orioles multiple times. So I had a feeling that Kingsford was in trouble.

However, I was dead wrong because of Gavin Trevillian.

Out of nowhere, Trevillian snuck up behind Ludington ball handler Gage Jones and picked him clean before driving for the game-winning basket as the Flivvers won their first regional boys basketball title since the 1991-92 season.

My jaw hit the fake-wood top of my desk.

While Trevillian’s impact was undeniable at that moment. Kingsford wouldn’t have made it nearly as far without junior guard Gavin Grondin.

After seeing Grondin miss two key free throws in Mountaineer Gym, I wondered if he would be able to handle the pressure of struggling in a high-pressure moment.

I didn’t get long to ponder the thought as he continued to improve throughout the season, culminating in a 39-point performance in the Division 3 State Quarterfinals. He also crossed the 1,000-point threshold during the game and pushed him into the conversation for the U.P. Player of the Year. I can’t wait to see what he does as a senior.

The final team I’m going to talk about this week is the Norway boys varsity team.

When basketball season started, I didn’t know that Munising was one of the top teams in Division 4. I quickly found out after the Knights and head coach Jeff Gallino escaped the Lakeshore with a win.

I’ve said it before, but I also had no clue that Alex Ortman was a walking bucket.

It was an incredible honor to be in attendance as he crossed the 1,000-point mark. However, it was something he said that will stick with me forever.

After posing for pictures with seemingly everyone in the gym, I pulled Ortman aside for an interview. While speaking with him, he mentioned chasing his brother Connor, who also scored more than 1,000 career points at Norway.

My brother, Joshua, is only a year and four months younger than me and I understand the love Alex has for his brother.

However, he wasn’t the only hooper on the team. Mason Trudeau, Bryce Adams, Cole Baij and Owen Baij are certified hoopers. But I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Ian Popp. Not only did he save me from a black eye and bruised ego by stopping a loose basketball from smashing me in the face. He showed me that he is a dog out there.

While he won’t lead the team in scoring, Popp makes his impact felt at the rim.

He may not be a six-footer and I couldn’t convince him to go for an in-game dunk, but Popp used his speed and explosiveness to send a shot or two into the walls of the Norway High School every time he touched the floor. That type of effort will carry him far in life.

Next week, I’m going to give some quick thoughts about the North Dickinson, Florence, Niagara and Forest Park boys varsity teams and then we’ll get into girls basketball.

If you have a suggestion to improve local coverage or a tip on an upcoming sporting event we might not know about my email is schase@ironmountaindailynews.com.