Viking Ship Full Of New Faces
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Dale [email protected]
If the Vikings, who are 132-26 in that span for a state-best winning clip of .835, are to continue their winning ways they will have to do so without the core of last year's 16-win team.[[In-content Ad]]The 2007-2008 Vikings won the Three Rivers Conference championship for the ninth-straight season, but gone from that team are all five starters.
In fact, of all the points the Vikings scored last season, only 72 were scored by players on this year's team.
Junior Taylor Burkhart (20 games) and senior Devin Vogel (18 games) are Valley's leading scorers back from last year. Both scored a total of 21 points last season. Junior Anthony Tolson scored 12 points in 14 games last season.
No other Valley player on this year's roster scored more than a total of six points last season.
Plain and simple, veteran coach Bill Patrick is going into Wednesday's season opener at Kosciusko County rival Warsaw with a group of unproven varsity players.
"We graduated all five starters from last year's team, we don't even have 100 points back from last year," said Patrick, who enters his 40th season of varsity coaching, bringing with him 39 consecutive winning seasons and 658 career victories. "We're not going to go out there and dazzle any body. We're going to have to play unbelievably hard. We're going to have to work harder than every team we play. There's no other way to put it."
On top of his players not carrying with them a lot of varsity game experience, Patrick and his staff of assistant coaches also have to deal with a number of injuries and illness.
Junior Caleb Rovenstine's right leg is in a walking cast. Patrick said he may be able to play in late December or early January.
Senior Josh Cooper had knee surgery, and Patrick said he isn't sure when he will be ready to play.
Burkhart had a stress fracture in his back. Patrick said he isn't exactly sure when Burkhart will be ready to play.
Junior Zach Owens, a transfer from Warsaw, was out of summer basketball with an injury and then missed some school with mono.
"In 40 years of coaching, I've never see this many injuries or illness," said Patrick, who has guided the Vikings to a sparkling record of 180-45 in his 10 seasons at Valley. "It's been impossible to get a lot accomplished. We haven't had a practice yet where we've had every player available."
The likely starting five for Wednesday's season opener at country rival Warsaw will include Tolson, Vogel and Owens. Joining that trio in the starting lineup could be seniors Brad Shepherd and Ross Miller, junior Jordan Littlejohn or sophomore Dan Kitch.
Senior Kenny Campbell and junior Michael Lewis round out Valley's 12-man roster.
The tallest person on Valley's 12-man roster is the 6-foot-3, 270-pound Littlejohn.
Burkhart is the only other Viking listed as tall as 6-2.
Patrick said this is the first time in his now 40 years of coaching that he hasn't had a player that can dunk the ball.
He said it isn't something thatís important, but that his team will have to work around that lack of height on both offense and defense.
"It's not that important," Patrick said of not having a player that can dunk. "We're just not as athletic, and our skills aren't where they've been in the past. As we get some kids back and get some experience we should improve and be a totally different team. This is a different group of kids. People have to realize it's not going to be the same style of basketball. Most of the teams we play are going to have more size and be more athletic and have more skills than we do. We're just going to have to go out and work harder than those teams."
After their season opener Wednesday at Warsaw, the Vikings host Argos on Dec. 2.
Valley, which has won the TRC championship each year under Patrick except his first, open conference play Dec. 19 at home against Whitko.
If the Vikings, who are 132-26 in that span for a state-best winning clip of .835, are to continue their winning ways they will have to do so without the core of last year's 16-win team.[[In-content Ad]]The 2007-2008 Vikings won the Three Rivers Conference championship for the ninth-straight season, but gone from that team are all five starters.
In fact, of all the points the Vikings scored last season, only 72 were scored by players on this year's team.
Junior Taylor Burkhart (20 games) and senior Devin Vogel (18 games) are Valley's leading scorers back from last year. Both scored a total of 21 points last season. Junior Anthony Tolson scored 12 points in 14 games last season.
No other Valley player on this year's roster scored more than a total of six points last season.
Plain and simple, veteran coach Bill Patrick is going into Wednesday's season opener at Kosciusko County rival Warsaw with a group of unproven varsity players.
"We graduated all five starters from last year's team, we don't even have 100 points back from last year," said Patrick, who enters his 40th season of varsity coaching, bringing with him 39 consecutive winning seasons and 658 career victories. "We're not going to go out there and dazzle any body. We're going to have to play unbelievably hard. We're going to have to work harder than every team we play. There's no other way to put it."
On top of his players not carrying with them a lot of varsity game experience, Patrick and his staff of assistant coaches also have to deal with a number of injuries and illness.
Junior Caleb Rovenstine's right leg is in a walking cast. Patrick said he may be able to play in late December or early January.
Senior Josh Cooper had knee surgery, and Patrick said he isn't sure when he will be ready to play.
Burkhart had a stress fracture in his back. Patrick said he isn't exactly sure when Burkhart will be ready to play.
Junior Zach Owens, a transfer from Warsaw, was out of summer basketball with an injury and then missed some school with mono.
"In 40 years of coaching, I've never see this many injuries or illness," said Patrick, who has guided the Vikings to a sparkling record of 180-45 in his 10 seasons at Valley. "It's been impossible to get a lot accomplished. We haven't had a practice yet where we've had every player available."
The likely starting five for Wednesday's season opener at country rival Warsaw will include Tolson, Vogel and Owens. Joining that trio in the starting lineup could be seniors Brad Shepherd and Ross Miller, junior Jordan Littlejohn or sophomore Dan Kitch.
Senior Kenny Campbell and junior Michael Lewis round out Valley's 12-man roster.
The tallest person on Valley's 12-man roster is the 6-foot-3, 270-pound Littlejohn.
Burkhart is the only other Viking listed as tall as 6-2.
Patrick said this is the first time in his now 40 years of coaching that he hasn't had a player that can dunk the ball.
He said it isn't something thatís important, but that his team will have to work around that lack of height on both offense and defense.
"It's not that important," Patrick said of not having a player that can dunk. "We're just not as athletic, and our skills aren't where they've been in the past. As we get some kids back and get some experience we should improve and be a totally different team. This is a different group of kids. People have to realize it's not going to be the same style of basketball. Most of the teams we play are going to have more size and be more athletic and have more skills than we do. We're just going to have to go out and work harder than those teams."
After their season opener Wednesday at Warsaw, the Vikings host Argos on Dec. 2.
Valley, which has won the TRC championship each year under Patrick except his first, open conference play Dec. 19 at home against Whitko.
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