Opponents: Bob Kirk Invitational (NIBC)

By: Steven Pham 

Graphics by: Jon D'Angelo

Wichita, KS. - #8 Sunrise Christian Academy travels to Maryland to continue NIBC conference play at the Bob Kirk Invitational. On day one, Sunrise plays Legacy Early College on December 8th at 7 p.m. CST. For day two, Sunrise plays #24 La Lumiere on December 9th at 5 p.m. CST. Both games will be aired on ESPN+. 

Day one: vs. Legacy 

B.J. Jackson has been Legacy’s head coach for over a decade now. Legacy is led by Michigan State commit Coen Carr. He is ranked #71 on ESPN’s Top 100 for the class of 2023. His running man Elijah Crawford has played well this season. Crawford showed off his ability to score with 22 points in their loss to La Lumiere. 

The rest of the roster includes; Khalil Arnold, Jordyn Kee, Malachi Brown, Hayden Assemain, Jude Wilkins, Cameron Thomas, Chad Cook, and Daniel Jacobsen.

Both Carr and Crawford are coming off poor performances against #3 Montverde Academy and are looking to bounce back this week. Legacy is at the bottom of the NIBC standings at 0-3 in conference play and is looking to pull off an upset against Sunrise. 

Sunrise needs to let someone not named Carr and Crawford beat them. They need to limit Carr and Crawford to perimeter shots and not allow them to attack the paint. John Bol will be the biggest x-factor for Sunrise with his size and length inside. Bol has been getting involved more offensively and has made an impact on the defensive end every game. 

Day two: vs. La Lumiere 

Patrick Holmes is in his 5th season as the head coach of La Lumiere. They are led by Louisville commit Kaleb Glenn. He is ranked #79 on ESPN’s Top 100 for the class of 2023. La Lumiere has multiple players that can score 10+ a game and any given player can get hot at any point. 

The rest of the roster includes Trenton Walters, Tyler Bailey, Zaide Lowery, Danny Murray, Christian Humphrey-Rembert, Hampton Dauparas, and Gus Yalden. 

La Lumiere is 1-1 in the NIBC standings with a win over Legacy and a close loss to #13 IMG Academy. Glenn is coming off his worst game of the early season and La Lumiere is going to need a bounce-back game for him if they want to take down Sunrise. 

Sunrise needs to limit La Lumiere’s perimeter shooting. La Lumiere is averaging 7 threes on 40% shooting in their two NIBC games and is averaging the 2nd most points per game behind only Montverde. Sunrise’s defense will be the x-factor in this game and whether they can turn defensive stops into transition points as La Lumiere is averaging the most turnovers in the NIBC.