By Matt Browning

Sunrise Madness took place on Saturday, Oct. 23 and was similar to what the University of Kansas does with Late Night in the Phog. Sunrise introduced the players who performed in the three-point and dunk contest that showcased what fans could expect in the upcoming season. 

Lourawls “Tum Tum” Nairn Jr., a former student-athlete at Sunrise and member of the Bahama’s senior national FIBA team, was the guest speaker. In 2015, he made a final-four appearance as a member of the Michigan State Spartans and worked with the Phoenix Suns in 2018. His jersey was retired at Sunrise Madness.

“The 2021 Sunrise Madness sponsored by Jimmy Johns was a huge success again,” Sunrise coach Luke Barnwell said. “Our players were welcomed to a full gymnasium and the support was outstanding.”

Sunrise finished second in the nation last season and returns four players ranked in the Rivals Class of 2022 Top 150, including Grady Dick, who has committed to Kansas and Mark Mitchell, who is the No. 11 player in the class and is considering Duke, UCLA and Kansas. Sunrise also has two players ranked in the Class of 2023 Top 150.

It will be another loaded schedule for Sunrise, with one of the premier games coming on December 11th on ESPN against La Lumiere at Bishop Carroll High School.

“Spotlight games used to be few and far between in the years past and they were circled on the schedule,” Barnwell said. “However, with the formation of our new league, the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (NIBC), every league game is going to be against the best teams in the country.  The league helps us stay present as we just try to focus on each game in front of us.”