Mid-Season Team Profile: Norway Knights

Middle of nowhere? Possibly. Small-town atmosphere? Absolutely! Make no mistake, the Norway Knights are a team that needs to be respected and recognized. One of the many things I love about UP Basketball is it stays very close to the roots of the game. What I mean by that is it's usually very unselfish basketball and most wins come down to good defense and sheer grit. Now, do you find this type of basketball in other parts of the state? Absolutely. But throw in the small-town atmosphere, combined with the community involvement, and you have a great recipe for continued success in a program. Insert the Norway Knights. I have been looking to cover this team for quite a while. After a gritty win this past Tuesday against Division 2 top 10 Kingsford on a thrilling buzzer-beater, they've given us A LOT of content to divulge...here goes:   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Starting 5</h2>    15.7 PPG (47%); 8.5 RPG; 3 APG   I listed Cole as a combo guard, but he plays more of a SF/wing. Often in the paint and often creating havoc on the defensive side. It's also nice to see Cole not being afraid of diving for loose balls - something not many kids do anymore. On the offensive side, Cole is tricky to defend and can create space down low for an open shot. OOOOR....he can create separation and hit a game-winning shot from the top of the key, which is exactly what he did in their thrilling win over Kingsford.     10 PPG; 24 3FG Made   Very quick and very athletic. Bryce is the jack of all trades on the team. I included some stats for each player and an item that sticks out instantly about this squad is balance. They are balanced and Bryce is a huge part of that. Bryce is excellent in transition and has the foot speed to excel past his opponents. He gets to the rim well and seizes odd-man situations - has great peripheral basketball vision and IQ! Smooth shot and can heat up beyond the arc to energize a team run.     11.3 PPG; 32 3FG made   One of two in a nice backcourt combination for the Knights. He and Pineda do an excellent job of taking care of the basketball and breaking a press. Kingsford can come at teams hard and fast with their quickness and speed throughout their entire lineup. Gallino and Pineda did an excellent job of using their basketball IQ and level-headedness to keep turnovers down as well as control the tempo of the game. Halfway through the 3rd quarter, the Knights found themselves down by 9 when some of AJ's athleticism was put on display. A quick three, a nice running jumper from the wing, and a quick steal and assist to Adams and AJ had his squad right back in this game.     6.1 PPG; 3.6 APG; 5 RPG; 3 SPG   The team's maestro. Great handles and smooth, quick feet. Anthony has great situational awareness on the court. He is disciplined and does a great job taking direction from his coach - two very admirable traits. Kingsford threw Grondin and Trevillian at Anthony (their best two defenders) and he handled the pressure with exceptional ease.     12.8 PPG (48%); 2.3 SPG; 5.4 RPG;   The second leading scorer on the team and a very athletic kid. Mason spends a lot of his time in the short corner where he is always scanning the floor and watching for opportunities. He is also an excellent defender and is very disciplined. Every single one of these kids impresses me with their ability to see the right basketball play, there's not one "black hole" amongst any of them. Exactly what we would expect from a well coached, small town team.    2026 Elliot Kraemer (3.5 PPG; 3RPG) comes off the bench and contributes solid minutes in all five positions. Six...that's it, six players is all Coach Gallino has on his varsity squad. His JV players sit on the bench with him and a few are available for 5 quarter play. Staying healthy and out of foul trouble is paramount for this seasoned squad. They are VERY disciplined and it is very apparent that they have been all playing together in multiple sports for many years. This team reminds me a lot of the 2022 Ewen-Trout Creek squad, a squad that made it all the way to the Breslin and lost a thriller in OT to Wyoming Tri-unity in the championship game...all while playing only 5 to 6 kids. Tonight they face off against a tough Stephenson and their remaining regular season schedule is quite grueling with Escanaba, North Central, and Crystal Falls yet to come. Most of these games are at home, so the "6th man" crowd should definitely be a benefit. We will be providing some future coverage on this district as I predict this one to be the one to watch in Division 4 in the UP.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/Team-Celebration.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/Team-Celebration.jpg?w=1011" alt="" class="wp-image-2758421" /></a></figure>   The Knights celebrate with their fans after a 60-57 win over Kingsford on a last-second triple by Cole Baij. (Photo credit on all above pics to Grace Shiltz)

Middle of nowhere? Possibly. Small-town atmosphere? Absolutely! Make no mistake, the Norway Knights are a team that needs to be respected and recognized. One of the many things I love about UP Basketball is it stays very close to the roots of the game. What I mean by that is it's usually very unselfish basketball and most wins come down to good defense and sheer grit. Now, do you find this type of basketball in other parts of the state? Absolutely. But throw in the small-town atmosphere, combined with the community involvement, and you have a great recipe for continued success in a program. Insert the Norway Knights. I have been looking to cover this team for quite a while. After a gritty win this past Tuesday against Division 2 top 10 Kingsford on a thrilling buzzer-beater, they've given us A LOT of content to divulge...here goes: