'Good buzz' in the city as Sudbury Five gets ready for finals

The head coach and the general manager for the Sudbury Five basketball team said the community is one of the reasons behind the team's success.

For the time in its franchise history, the team has reached the playoff finals. The first game is Thursday night against the Windsor Express.

The Sudbury Five is part of the Basketball Super League, which is a professional league based in Canada and the United States.

"I think there's a good buzz around the team, good buzz around the staff [and] good buzz around the city," Logan Stutz said. "Obviously, we've got a lot of work to do but just getting here is the first step."

Stutz said he's looking forward to continue getting support from the community throughout the playoffs.

"I think it's just the organization gives us all the resources we need to be successful. They backed the team very well along with the city," he said.

"The city backs the team very well. The fans back the city very well. So you get a lot of the right ingredients and then it's just my job to put it all together."

As for the team's chances against Windsor, Stutz said he's optimistic.

"We've seen them. We've had success for some. They have a bit more history and tradition when it comes to the finals. This will be their fourth finals," he said.

"They've won two of the three that they've been in."

Stutz said he's going to coach the team with positive energy through the playoffs. He said winning the championship would be a boon for the city.

"I think it's more important to Sudbury," he said.

"But the fact that we're here and we have an opportunity to do this for the city is something I think we can give the city that they'll remember for a long time."