Basketball 'second fiddle' for Wyoming team at Hoop City Classic after teammate died unexpectedly
Dec. 29—MITCHELL — Heavy hearts are on the court this week at the Hoop City Classic, with the Thunder Basin High School boys basketball team from Gillette, Wyoming, mourning the death of a teammate.
Max Sorenson, a junior basketball player for the Bolts, died unexpectedly on Dec. 26. He was 17.
His coach, Rory Williams, described Sorenson as a talented athlete but a person who cared a lot for his friends, family and teammates.
"He was a great basketball player and an even better kid," Williams said. "I know that's a cliche but it's true with Max. He was a great friend, a great teammate and a great all-around young man. ... We were fortunate to be a part of his life. I don't have the words that will ever make it better."
His family moved to the community from Texas a few years ago but immediately fit into Gillette through his involvement with sports and youth activities, Williams said. On the court, Sorenson was important to the team, playing as Thunder Basin's third-leading scorer on a squad that won a state championship in 2022, which was the Bolts' first boys basketball title since the school opened in 2017.
The Bolts discussed whether to travel to Mitchell and Sioux Falls, where they had four games in three days scheduled. Williams said he left the decision up to his players. He said it was important for the players to be together as a team.
"It was very devastating to our team but they wanted to come and be together," Williams said. "They want to be on the bus together, they want to be in the hotel together, they want to be in the restaurants together. They need that to grieve appropriately at their age. Basketball was just second fiddle."
Prior to Thunder Basin's first game on Wednesday at the Corn Palace, the crowd in attendance observed a moment of silence. During the introduction of the starting lineups, the Bolts' opponents from Houston High School in Tennessee hugged members of the Thunder Basin team prior to tip-off.
It's also been challenging for the Bolts' cross-town rivals from Campbell County High School. Camels coach Bubba Hladky said a few of his team's players were close with Sorenson through their church and community activities. The two squads from Gillette have become Hoop City Classic regulars, making the trip to Mitchell and Sioux Falls for the third consecutive season.
"Max was a gym rat, so our kids that are gym rats spent a lot of time with him at the (Gillette) Rec Center," Hladky said. "He just had a smile on his face all the time and he always had a great attitude. ... No kid at this age should have to deal with something like that, losing a teammate and it's been a hard few days."
Hladky said Gillette is a tight-knit community and when Campbell County parents organized to have T-shirts made for the boys and girls teams to wear during warmups to honor Sorenson, the coach said it was a no-brainer. All four Gillette teams wore blue shirts during warmups this week, with each of them having the No. 3 on the back, with the Campbell County shirts saying "In memory of Max" on the front.
"Everyone from the Camels loves Max. If you would have taken a picture of the Camels wearing a blue shirt a week ago, it wouldn't have made sense," Hladky said. "But under the circumstances, our kids will wear that blue No. 3 shirt with pride."
Williams said the support of event organizers, opposing teams and community members has been appreciated. He said a local Mitchell church paid for Thunder Basin's meals on Tuesday night when they arrived in town.
"We've had a lot of people that have been great to us, asking what they can do, what they need," Williams said. "It's great that there's people that care when they see a group of kids that are hurting."
