Swan Valley Vikings basketball squads looking to improve from last year
SAGINAW, Mich. — Winter in Viking Country means the Swan Valley Viking boys and girls basketball teams will be returning to the gym. The Viking squads have their eyes on March and the eventual “March Madness” that ends the season with the state tournaments.
The Swan Valley varsity boys are led by Coach Jason Brown, returning for his 3rd year. The varsity boys return seven players and welcome six from last year’s junior varsity squad. The team has set some lofty goals this year. De’Auriyon Bond says they are looking to win the District this season. The rest of the squad said their goal is to get better after every game and to improve on the number of wins from last year.
The junior varsity boys are led by longtime Vikings Coach Craig Monahan. Coach Monahan has worked with both the freshman and junior varsity programs for many years. While the junior varsity does not have the playoffs to look forward to, they are hoping to improve on last year’s record while improving their individual skills during the long season.
Tim Benzenberg leads the freshman Viking cagers, having previously coached at both the middle school and high school level. The freshmen are making the adjustment to and learning the game at a higher level. Freshman Cal DeLisle shared that the biggest adjustment for him will be the number of games the team will play during the season.
“We also need to learn to slow down and run our offense when we are trying to go too fast,” DeLisle said. “We need to learn to take what the other team is giving us offensively.”
Swan Valley’s varsity girls are led by Coach Reyna Luplow coming back for her second season. She took the reins last year from longtime Coach Dale Roberts. The Lady Vikes return a blend of experience and talent that they hope leads to a run in March. Seniors Kayla Baase, Hannah Murphy, and Hailey Sobel return for the Vikings. While the seniors bring a ton of experience, Coach Luplow likes to say “everyone is a leader since the players all bring different strengths and talents to the team.” They are looking to build on last season’s success after having won an astonishing 10 games!
The junior varsity girls are being coached by Rick Resio. Many of the girls on the team include freshman and sophomores because Swan Valley does not have enough players for a freshman team.
All of the players are glad to be getting on the court and playing in front of larger crowds this year.
“Having a full crowd and a loud student section really pumps up the team,” senior Jermain Clemmons said. “It makes it a little harder on the other team when our fans are going crazy.”
Starting in January, the Swan Valley boys and girls basketball teams will be on their home court either Thursday or Friday every week through the end of February. Please come out and show your support and Viking pride!
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