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Feb. 3—YANKTON, S.D. — Sutton Arend didn't arrive at Mount Marty as a finished product, but this season has revealed just how far he's come since arriving on campus.
A junior guard/forward for the Lancers' men's basketball team, the 6-foot-4 Emery native is no longer just a promising local product. He's a go-to scoring threat and one of the most efficient scorers in the Great Plains Athletic Conference.
Arend, a 2023 graduate of Bridgewater-Emery High School, is in the midst of a true breakout season. Through 21 games played as of Feb. 3, he leads Mount Marty in scoring at 17.3 points per game, nearly doubling his sophomore average, while shooting an efficient 58.7% from the field and 77.9% from the free-throw line. Arend's scoring average ranks No. 9 in the GPAC, while his shooting percentage mark stands at No. 5. He has scored 20-plus points six times this season with his career-high 30 points coming against York (Neb.) on Nov. 8.
The jump hasn't just been noticeable, it's been pivotal for a Mount Marty team that sits at 11-10 overall and 10-6 in GPAC play, good for third place in the conference standings. The Lancers are narrowly ahead of Concordia (Neb.) and Briar Cliff (Iowa), both at 9-6 in the GPAC, and Arend's emergence has been a major reason why.
"I saw my scoring kind of start at the end of last year when I got my opportunity, and I just took it," Arend said. "That really spring-boarded me into this year. I got my confidence up a little bit, and I just never looked back from that moment."
That late-season momentum during his sophomore year laid the foundation. After appearing in just six games as a freshman, Arend found his footing last season, playing in 16 games with four starts. He averaged nine points per game on 57.5% shooting and pulled down 3.4 rebounds per contest, showing flashes of the offensive potential that is now fully on display.
Mount Marty head coach Collin Authier recognized the trajectory early.
"I remember watching the game at the Corn Palace when (Bridgewater-Emery) played White River his senior year, and he was phenomenal that game," Authier said. "His athleticism and talent, you could just see it.
"When he got here as a freshman, you could see how good he was going to be, and it was just about working on consistency," he continued. "That consistency started coming every day, and last year when he was fighting for minutes, I think that spring-boarded him into the season he is having this year."
Arend has started all 21 games he has appeared in this season, averaging 27.1 minutes per contest and 4.7 rebounds with 29 total steals to go along with his offensive figures.
Arend's offensive leap hasn't come from forcing shots or trying to be something he's not. Instead, it's been rooted in self-awareness and trust in his skill set and in the teammates around him.
"A lot of it is confidence, sticking to what I am good at, not trying to do anything special and just playing my role to the best of my abilities," Arend said. "I know the areas of the court that I am going to be most successful at, and the guys around me have made my job really easy."
Authier echoed that sentiment, pointing to Arend's scoring instincts and effort-based plays that have fueled his offensive production this season.
"He does a great job as a natural basket maker, and our guys know where to find him," Authier said. "He finishes a high percentage of shots. He competes. He understands that his energy, hustle plays and stealing extra possessions really gets him going, and he feeds off that. It's just been an opportunity he has earned, and he keeps producing every time we go to him."
Beyond the numbers, Arend's story carries added weight because of where he's from. Playing college basketball barely an hour from his hometown of Emery has allowed him to stay connected to his roots, something that continues to motivate him every day.
"It feels great to be able to play in front of my family, and in front of a lot of people I know," Arend said. "That part of this journey has been awesome. It feels like a home environment for me, really. It means everything to me, and that's kind of why I stayed around here to be able to represent my hometown and the small school that I came from."
That pride and familiarity have translated into comfort on the court and leadership off of it. Authier highlighted Arend's presence in the locker room as another area of growth that he has seen from him this year, outside of being on the court.
"What he does is he keeps our locker room light-hearted," Authier said. "He's funny. He's got a sense of humor. He's fun. Our guys have fun with him. He's a presence in our locker room because of who he is as a person. And I've told him, I don't ever want him to change. I want him to be the guy who is keeping that energy high in practice, and having fun and joking around to keep it light-hearted."
As Mount Marty pushes through the end of the GPAC schedule with only four regular-season games left, Arend's evolution from local standout to an efficient collegiate scorer has become one of the program's defining stories. For the Emery native, it's a season built on belief and one that's still being written.
"When you look to see where he's at today compared to when he first stepped on campus as a freshman, I couldn't be prouder of how far he has come," Authier said. "There's a lot more in store for what he's capable of, and I am excited to be a small part of his journey."
Continue reading...
A junior guard/forward for the Lancers' men's basketball team, the 6-foot-4 Emery native is no longer just a promising local product. He's a go-to scoring threat and one of the most efficient scorers in the Great Plains Athletic Conference.
Arend, a 2023 graduate of Bridgewater-Emery High School, is in the midst of a true breakout season. Through 21 games played as of Feb. 3, he leads Mount Marty in scoring at 17.3 points per game, nearly doubling his sophomore average, while shooting an efficient 58.7% from the field and 77.9% from the free-throw line. Arend's scoring average ranks No. 9 in the GPAC, while his shooting percentage mark stands at No. 5. He has scored 20-plus points six times this season with his career-high 30 points coming against York (Neb.) on Nov. 8.
The jump hasn't just been noticeable, it's been pivotal for a Mount Marty team that sits at 11-10 overall and 10-6 in GPAC play, good for third place in the conference standings. The Lancers are narrowly ahead of Concordia (Neb.) and Briar Cliff (Iowa), both at 9-6 in the GPAC, and Arend's emergence has been a major reason why.
"I saw my scoring kind of start at the end of last year when I got my opportunity, and I just took it," Arend said. "That really spring-boarded me into this year. I got my confidence up a little bit, and I just never looked back from that moment."
That late-season momentum during his sophomore year laid the foundation. After appearing in just six games as a freshman, Arend found his footing last season, playing in 16 games with four starts. He averaged nine points per game on 57.5% shooting and pulled down 3.4 rebounds per contest, showing flashes of the offensive potential that is now fully on display.
Mount Marty head coach Collin Authier recognized the trajectory early.
"I remember watching the game at the Corn Palace when (Bridgewater-Emery) played White River his senior year, and he was phenomenal that game," Authier said. "His athleticism and talent, you could just see it.
"When he got here as a freshman, you could see how good he was going to be, and it was just about working on consistency," he continued. "That consistency started coming every day, and last year when he was fighting for minutes, I think that spring-boarded him into the season he is having this year."
Arend has started all 21 games he has appeared in this season, averaging 27.1 minutes per contest and 4.7 rebounds with 29 total steals to go along with his offensive figures.
Arend's offensive leap hasn't come from forcing shots or trying to be something he's not. Instead, it's been rooted in self-awareness and trust in his skill set and in the teammates around him.
"A lot of it is confidence, sticking to what I am good at, not trying to do anything special and just playing my role to the best of my abilities," Arend said. "I know the areas of the court that I am going to be most successful at, and the guys around me have made my job really easy."
Authier echoed that sentiment, pointing to Arend's scoring instincts and effort-based plays that have fueled his offensive production this season.
"He does a great job as a natural basket maker, and our guys know where to find him," Authier said. "He finishes a high percentage of shots. He competes. He understands that his energy, hustle plays and stealing extra possessions really gets him going, and he feeds off that. It's just been an opportunity he has earned, and he keeps producing every time we go to him."
Beyond the numbers, Arend's story carries added weight because of where he's from. Playing college basketball barely an hour from his hometown of Emery has allowed him to stay connected to his roots, something that continues to motivate him every day.
"It feels great to be able to play in front of my family, and in front of a lot of people I know," Arend said. "That part of this journey has been awesome. It feels like a home environment for me, really. It means everything to me, and that's kind of why I stayed around here to be able to represent my hometown and the small school that I came from."
That pride and familiarity have translated into comfort on the court and leadership off of it. Authier highlighted Arend's presence in the locker room as another area of growth that he has seen from him this year, outside of being on the court.
"What he does is he keeps our locker room light-hearted," Authier said. "He's funny. He's got a sense of humor. He's fun. Our guys have fun with him. He's a presence in our locker room because of who he is as a person. And I've told him, I don't ever want him to change. I want him to be the guy who is keeping that energy high in practice, and having fun and joking around to keep it light-hearted."
As Mount Marty pushes through the end of the GPAC schedule with only four regular-season games left, Arend's evolution from local standout to an efficient collegiate scorer has become one of the program's defining stories. For the Emery native, it's a season built on belief and one that's still being written.
"When you look to see where he's at today compared to when he first stepped on campus as a freshman, I couldn't be prouder of how far he has come," Authier said. "There's a lot more in store for what he's capable of, and I am excited to be a small part of his journey."
Continue reading...
