Lady Vikings basketball team ready for an outstanding season

By Kasie Jordan '16

Lady Vikings of Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School are well into the basketball preseason with physically and mentally challenging conditioning regimens. For some, this is their first year in the program, but for others they have been anxiously waiting for their senior season to begin. With 10 returning seniors, two new coaches, one new division, and 40 girls united under one goal, the Lady Vikings are guaranteed to have an outstanding season.

The 2015-16 basketball season brings great change for the Lady Vikings. Many outsiders ponder how the team will cope with the loss of four key senior players. Although the loss is an impactful one, these young ladies have already begun to fill the void.

Senior Shannon Garvey explains, “Yes, we understand that we have lost many key players, but every team experiences this when seniors leave. As seniors, we have all stepped up our workouts and motivation, so that other teams will not be able to identify weaknesses.”

Coach Anthony Redding '89 does not see this as a loss. He is used to the cycle of seniors leaving and freshmen coming. Coach Redding is expecting practice to show who will fill the roles of leadership both on and off the court. He is expecting all ten seniors to step up, welcome the new-comers, and develop their leadership skills.

The Vikings are held to very high expectations throughout the community. With their record being 21-4 last season, all of their fans are expecting an even better run in the playoffs this year. These young women are very goal oriented and also understand that living up to the expectations of everyone around them is not always easy. Of course every team’s main goal is to make an appearance at the state championships, but these ladies go even further by laying out the steps of how they will get to this point.

Both Coach Redding and Shannon Garvey have many goals set for the program as a whole. Shannon described that she would always like to have a successful practice every time the team comes together and to make an impact in their new division.

Coach Redding’s goals differ just a bit. He says that he would like to see growth in the development of young women on and off the court. He would like their experience as an athlete in the Viking Village to translate into their experiences as women in the world.

As an underclassman, Serena Saba has many goals that she would like to accomplish in her next three seasons. This year she would like to focus on have effective practices, and making as many great memories with the whole team as possible. When asked how they would achieve this goal, Coach Redding, Shannon Garvey and Serena Saba responded by saying, “as a team.”

Having a strong team bond is very important to this group of coaches and young women.

The Lady Vikings are preparing themselves for a very tough season. In the words of Coach Redding, “they can’t let up.” This is a mindset instilled in the girls from the very first practice. The ten returning seniors are expected to step up and lead this team through everything they will face this season. The preparation and tools are given to the girls to make this a successful season. It is up to them to execute it together.

Kasie Jordan is a senior at Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School. She is an honors student with a GPA of 3.6 and a member of the Lady Vikings basketball team. After graduation she plans to major in nursing.