Dec. 31 -- FREEMAN, S.D. -- Optimism is growing, and quickly, surrounding the Freeman boys basketball program.
Armed with a roster of rising talent that plays a style emphasizing speed, length and selflessness, the Flyers are out to prove they belong in the upper echelon of Class B in 2025.
"We've worked hard for a number of years now, and everybody seems to be bought in and invested in what we've done in the process," said coach Lance Friesen. "It's starting to come to fruition a little sooner than some maybe thought, but we're a skilled team."
Last season, the Flyers were 14-8 and one basket from the Class B SoDak 16, falling by one point in the Region 4B semifinals. Even now, they're just three years removed from winning two total games across three seasons from 2019-20 to 2021-22, including a winless 2020-21 season.
"That (region tournament loss) hurt us all," said junior guard/forward Tate Sorensen. "That's a big part of why we are where we are now. It's fueled the fire for us."
Though just three games into the new campaign, Freeman has already put the class on notice. The Flyers opened the season by toppling preseason No. 2 Viborg-Hurley and also claimed a 14-point win over perennial tournament team White River at the Hoop City Classic. In the most recent South Dakota Prep Media poll from Dec. 23, Freeman slotted in as part of a three-way tie at No. 5 in Class B.
After losing just two seniors to graduation, Freeman benefits from a roster that's largely intact from a season ago. Early on, the Flyers are reaping the rewards of continuity, as Sorensen, David Walter, Chris Aasen and Luke Peters are all averaging at least 10 points per game. Sorensen, a junior and second-team all-Cornbelt Conference performer last season, averages a double-double at 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Walter, a standout freshman, puts up 16 points and seven rebounds per game. Senior Sawyer Wipf helps anchor the starting lineup, while the Flyers bring several budding underclassmen off the bench.
A guard-heavy rotation allows them to play a fast-paced style that yielded 64 points per game so far, a top-10 mark in Class B. Though the Flyers' roster may lack a traditional big man, the length of Sorensen, Walter and sophomore Oliver Waltner -- all at 6-foot-2 or taller -- gives them options in the frontcourt against bigger opposition.
"We've got too many good players for any one guy to just go out there and try to be the man," Friesen said. "We need a team effort and everyone to buy in, and if we do that, it should be a fun style."
According to both Friesen and Sorensen, the Flyers' biggest area of growth from a year ago is in their maturity, both physically and mentally. This time around, Freeman is tougher, better equipped to handle top opposition and has a better handle on how to close out wins in close games.
Though a Freeman boys basketball team hasn't qualified for a state tournament since 1999, those are the clear ambitions of this year's Flyers.
"If I'm being honest, it's to make it to state," Sorensen said of the Flyers' goals. "That's a long way from now because we're only 3-0, but that was our goal last year, too. We know it's possible, but it has to be a team effort. It has to be a 'we over me' attitude."