BAND OF BROTHERS

Every basketball season is special for Blue Hawk boys' basketball coach Jake Mickelson, but this year is pretty unique in that he has two sets of brothers on the varsity team. In fact, there are four sets of brothers on the team from C team through varsity.

"I've had one set of brothers on a team but never two," Mickelson said after practice one day last week.

On varsity, seniors Sam Burgess and Bryson LeCoure get to suit up with their younger brothers Ethan Burgess, a sophomore, and Kellen LeCoure, a freshman. Then there are brothers Ian (a senior) and Jason (a sophomore) Myers, and Zac (senior) and Nathaniel (sophomore) Palacios.

Bryson said 99% of the time, it's fun to play with his brother. "It was weird playing together at first, but we're used to it now. It's cool playing with family members," he said.

The brothers chatted after practice one day last week, and the older players joked that the little brothers don't always listen to them. All agreed they get along much better on the court than at home, and Bryson said the Burgess brothers probably get along better than he and Kellen.

"I think they have a better connection than they realize," Mickelson commented.

Ethan and Kellen have things they admire about their older brothers. "Bryson can shoot really well and I have learned from him to always work hard," Kellen said, while Ethan added that older brother Sam is a good guard and is fast.

"I hope we pass on the success we're having this season," Bryson said of what they want to leave as their legacy. "Hopefully, they're better than us." Mickelson said that the seniors have worked their way up and set the standard to work hard and put in the effort to succeed. "We needed these younger players to step up this year and they are doing a great job. It's fun having the brothers together."

Bryson and Kellen's mother Christa said it's amazing to watch her sons on the court together. "I wish we had a couple more years with them together," she expressed. "From a parent's perspective, it's awesome to see them be teammates and support each other." She noted that in the first game of the season this year, Bryson threw a pass to Kellen for Kellen's first high school basket. "People see the connection and the chemistry. They grew up playing together so have a sense for how the other moves and plays," Christa added.

Coach Mickelson is enjoying having the brothers on the team. During a home game last month against Seeley Swan, he noticed that the LeCoure brothers were both on the court and the Burgess brothers were out. "I decided it would be fun to sub brothers for brothers," Mickelson said. The boys commented that there have been a couple times this season where they have all been on the court together.