AKRON - Legendary Tippecanoe Valley boys basketball Bill Patrick has said that if he ever had a losing season he'd walk away from the bench.

Patrick is 623-215 in 38 years of coaching.

And while Valley fans can expect Patrick on the sidelines for a 39th year, this year's Viking squad has a lot of unknowns.

Gone are the likes of David Lash and Shane Drudge.

The two players shared Times-Union Player of the Year honors last season as they led Valley to its seventh straight Three Rivers Conference championship, a sectional championship and a 19-5 record.

Lash and Drudge both played since their freshmen year, with Drudge starting, and helped Valley dominate the TRC and win two straight sectionals.

Lash and Drudge averaged 14.4 and 14.3 points per game, respectively.

The lone double-digit scorer returning for Valley is 6-foot-2 junior Chad Hoffer.

Hoffer came off the bench last season to average 10.0 points per game to go along with a 73.3 percentage from the free-throw line.

"I think he'll have a good year," said Patrick of Hoffer. "He's athletic, has good quickness, jumps well and plays hard. He's a kid that hates to lose."

There are three seniors on this year's Vikings roster.

Jerrod Parker, Kevin Kindg and Adam Nelson will provide the senior leadership for Valley this year.

Patrick is high on what Kindig is capable of this year.

"He could have a great year," said Patrick. "He's got a lot of ability to be one of the best players in the area."

Kindig scored just 5.6 points per game but shot nearly 60 percent from the field and 55 percent from beyond the three-point arc.

"We've pushed him to shoot more," said Patrick of Kindig. "He's going to have to score more if we're going to win."

Parker will provide a solid prescence after leading the Vikings' football team to a 7-3 season and a TRC crown at the running back position.

Nelson played in 19 games last year and scored 1.4 points per game.

Hoffer and Valley's three seniors will comprise Patrick's starting lineup. Patrick said he's unsure who else will start but candidates include 5-11 junior Ryan Scherzer, 6-6 junior Shane Salyer and 6-1 Steve Tillman.

Patrick said the fifth starter will depend on who the Vikings are playing.

Valley opens the season at Warsaw Wednesday.

The Vikings will also take on Northern Lakes Conference schools Plymouth and Wawasee.

Valley's game against Plymouth will be highlighted by a ceremony to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the 1982 Plymouth boys basketball team, led by current Chicago Bulls coach Scott Skiles, that won the state championship.

The contest with Wawasee Feb. 23 is one that worries Patrick as he cites the Warriors as "probably the strongest team on our schedule."

In conference action, Patrick believes it's the most wide-open it's been since he came to Valley after a long, storied career at rival Whitko.

Patrick believes that Rochester is the team to beat with several starters returning from last year and the addition of Bruce Grimm, who moved from Triton to Rochester last summer.

Manchester should also be improved with juniors Aaron Medley and Dan Bourne while Whitko is expected to be imrpoved as it's led by sophomore Cory Snep.

The Vikings ended last season with a 63-57 loss to eventual 3A state runner-up Jay County.

While it's uncertain how far the Vikings can go this year, especially with a loaded Wawasee squad in what would be Valley's regional, the succes will be directly related to how Hoffer steps up in a starter's role and how the likes of Kindig, Parker and Nelson transition from role players to key players.

Tippecanoe Valley Vikings

No. Name Grade

10 Jordyn Boggs 10

12 Josh Cooper 10

20 Chad Hoffer 11

22 Ryan Scherzer 11

24 Shane Salyer 11

30 Steve Tillman 11

32 Kyle Ritchey 11

34 Bryce Hardesty 11

40 Jerrod Parker 12

42 Kevin Kindig 12

50 Adam Nelson 12 [[In-content Ad]]