The sky could be the limit for the Lindbergh Flyers boys basketball team this season.
Nathan Biggs’ squad returns three starters from last season’s group that finished 17-11.
Quinn Sunderland, Greg Leavitt and Zac Goss all return this season for Lindbergh basketball.
“Each of them were key contributors last year and we hope to see even more out of them this season,” Biggs told The Call ahead of the season’s start.
Biggs said the goals for this year’s team are no different than any season.
“We set out with the same goals each year: 20 wins, conference championship, district championship,” he said. “We have a chance to accomplish these goals this year with the help of experience from our returning players and some good young talent.”
Even though it’s very early in the season, Biggs has been happy with what he has been seeing.
“Older guys practicing hard and showing good leadership as well as young guys stepping up and challenging older guys for spots on the floor,” he said.
While success on the court is important for the Flyers, Biggs admitted that there’s a lot more that he expects from his players.
“We are hoping to continue to develop a culture of doing things the right way,” he said. “This includes in the classroom, hallway, lunchroom, community and gym. By focusing on the little things, we continue to develop a culture of winning.”
That culture got off to a great start, as Lindbergh opened the season with a 65-8 win over Bayless. Sunderland and Goss combined for 24 points in the win. Sunderland also had nine rebounds.
Flyers open on a hot streak
It’s been three up and three down for the Flyers so far.
The team opened the season with three convincing wins, defeating Bayless, Clayton and Affton.
The wins over each school gave Lindbergh back-to-back Southside Classic titles on Dec. 1.
The Flyers defeated Bayless 65-8, Clayton 52-27, and then took down Affton 57-21 to secure the championship.
The two lopsided scores allowed Lindbergh to get playing time for several athletes on the team.
“It’s very important for us to have the opportunity to get many guys in the game early in the season,” Biggs said. “It gives us another evaluation tool to use when figuring out rotations. We are fortunate that all 12 guys played very hard and showed their interest in contributing. We have very difficult decisions to continue making regarding rotations.”
While it’s early in the season, the Flyers find themselves with a good problem, as three different players are averaging double-digits on the scoreboard. Zac Goss (11 points per game), Greg Leavitt (10.3) and Quinn Sunderland (10) are each leading the Flyers in scoring.
“This year is unique for Lindbergh,” Biggs said. “We have quite a few guys who are capable scorers and skilled players. It makes it difficult to scout and try to take away certain players if other guys are capable of scoring as well.”
Biggs said while he is happy to be 3-0 and repeat tournament champions, the team still has plenty of work to do.
“We pride ourselves on our defense,” he said. “Although we definitely played hard and limited scoring of our opponents, we have plenty to work on when it comes to closing out hard and containing, being in correct position and in a stance, and being ready to play before our matchup catches the ball. We were very solid defensively, but not perfect, which is what we are striving for.”
Goss and Leavitt were both named to the all-tournament team for their efforts.
“They each played substantial minutes in all three games of the tournament and had huge impacts on the game including, but not limited to scoring, making plays for others and defensive tenacity,” Biggs said. “It is also worth noting that even though Quinn Sunderland did not score as much as he likely will throughout the season, he has a huge impact on the game with his rim protection and how much attention he draws on the offensive side of things.”