Second-year basketball Head Coach Pat Eliasen watched intently as his defense set up against the Silver Bay Mariners in a game played last year at home. The Vikings sport a young team this year, but Eliasen is excited for his players to begin games and grow their skills and develop teamwork throughout the season.
Cook County boys’ basketball coach Pat Eliasen and his staff welcomed 15 players to the 2014-2015 Viking roster. The team is young, sporting two eighth-graders, Leif Anderson and Trusen Gordon, as well as a handful of ninth- and tenthgrade players.
Coach Eliasen likes to see younger kids get involved with basketball. The first week he brought up the seventh- and eighthgrade teams and had them practice with the varsity to give them a taste of what is to come. It was also a chance for his staff to get a look at these promising young players and that is how they discovered Anderson and Gordon.
Junior Rory Bakke and senior Jamie Wick have been named team captains, said Eliasen. “Both are looking good in the first two weeks of practice.”
Bakke will play guard and Wick will play at the wing.
Inside players include Lucas Phillips and Andy Farley, who, said Eliasen, “are working well in the paint and we hope to have them as our rebounders.”
One kid who spent a lot of time in the off-season working on his game was Sam O’Phelan, and the coaching staff has noticed his improvement.
“Nobody has worked harder in the off-season than Sam O’Phelan and it shows. He is coming into his own and he will be seeing a lot of time for us,” Eliasen said.
Two promising guards, said Eliasen, are Jarod Spry and Marcus Logan. “Jarod has shown quickness and good ball handling skills as well as Marcus.”
Coach Eliasen said the team’s offensive schemes would change throughout the year as defenses dictate.
“Our offense will vary throughout the season and we will play according to the defense that opposes us. We have worked on zone and man and they’re both looking good. We are also trying to work on good screen and roll, cutting and taking the ball to the rim strong.
“Defensively we will have man-to-man, 3-2 and 2-3 zones as our primary sets with variations of each. We are working hard on our transition game and hope to put points on the board with the fast break this year,” the coach said.
The Vikings’ first game was at press time against Nashwauk-Keewatin on Friday, November 21. The team won’t play at home until they have played five straight away games. Their first game in the Vikings’ gym in front of friends and fans will be January 6 at 6:30 p.m. when they face the Silver Bay Mariners.
“The coaching staff is excited and we are looking forward to a positive year,” said Eliasen.
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