By: Cole Shelton

Follow @coleshelton91

Logan Stutz was never sure how he would fare as a head coach and general manager. Yet, he made the jump to do just that last season when he retired from basketball and took over as the head coach and GM for the Sudbury Five.

Now, entering his second season, Stutz has more confidence in himself and his team for the Five to have success this season.

"It is exciting to be back because I learned a lot," Stutz said in a phone interview. "I took a step back and reflected on my first year and made some changes for the second year to become more successful."



Throughout the offseason, Stutz was wondering how he could improve his team and spent countless hours looking for the right players. He was hoping to bring back some players but was also looking to improve on defence.

"We brought back a lot of our fire power and we felt we needed to improve on defence," Stutz said. "We got in defensive-minded guys, guys who have traditionally bought into where they have been before.



"This year we are definitely going to be more defence oriented," he added. "This offseason we went after guys who played good defence. The offence will come because we have Braylon and Jaylen."



For Stutz and the Five, to have Braylon Rayson and Jaylen Bland back is huge for the team and the success they will have. He knows the two of them will be tough to guard and will consistently put up points day in and day out.

Not only that, but they are great in the community, which Stutz wants all his players to be.

"It is great, they are fan favorites. Jaylen, to me, is ahead of his time in shooting, he is the best shooter I've ever seen. He's confident every time he shoots it," he explained. "He and Braylon are the one-two combo, teams have to figure out how to guard them. The guys know their roles and it works really well for us."



Something else Stutz believes will give Sudbury an edge is the fan base. He knows how crucial those fans can be in close games and says they contribute to most of their home wins as the team rallies behind them.

"It gives your players confidence, it improves the play on the court knowing fans have your back and they are die-hard fans," said Stutz. "They come out here and cheer for you. They buy in just as how players have to buy in. It goes a long way in our success."

At the end of the day, Stutz knows they must win basketball games and all the other stuff won't matter if they don't win. With only two teams making the playoffs from each division, the Five now each game is crucial.

"You got to win and that is professional basketball. There is the entertainment aspect but at the end of the day, you have to put the ball through the hoop and pick up wins," he said. "That is how everyone will measure success."

In the end, they are confident they will make the playoffs and know they have a team that is capable of winning a championship and bringing a title back to Sudbury.

"I absolutely think so. Even last year we didn't know where the chips were going to fall. I didn't want to talk about a championship in my first year coaching but this year we made a step forward and let's try to compete for a championship and maybe we are one of the top teams in the league.

"We prepare for ourselves well enough that there is no reason why we shouldn't win the championship. I'm confident in our group and the goal is to win for sure," Stutz concluded.