Basketball Coaches Change Their Depth Chart
Connor Strange
Co-Editor-in-Chief
Coach Anthony Harms headed the girls basketball team for years, leading the Lady Vikes in four tremendous seasons. Last year it was announced that he’d move over to the boys team as head coach, and coach Ryan Reeder is prepared to step into his shoes.
For the boys’ team, some dynamic seniors were seen off at the end of the year, including Dylan Janecek and Ross Sheridan. Despite the graduation of those playmakers, Harms is confident that the team will recover and show some fresh talent.
“We’ve got a lot of guys that can play this year. We probably have more depth than we ever have since I’ve been here,” Harms said. “There are a lot of guys that are pretty committed, and it’s exciting.”
On the girls’ team, coach Reeder is hoping for a season with a lot of success.
“I have very high expectations,” Reeder said. “We should be highly competitive and we have high goals for ourselves this year.”
A big focus for Waverly basketball in the 2014-2015 season is speed. Harms expects his players to do a lot of running up and down the court.
“We’re going to run a lot more this year,” Harms said. “We’ll probably press more and play man defense a bit more.”
A similar initiative will be taken with the Lady Vikes; coach Reeder is looking into an equally intense playstyle.
“We’d like to be more up-tempo and play at a faster pace than what we’ve had before to be more competitive,” Reeder said.
Both teams will need some time to get into the rhythm their coaches are pushing for. However, the hard work will shine through later in the season.
“It’s going to take us a little while to adjust to how we want to play, but I have a pretty good feeling that by January and February we’ll be pretty tough,” Harms said.
Though Harms is looking forward to his new position as head boys basketball coach, he still has fond memories of the girls’ team he coached in past years.
“I had a really good experience in the four years I was head girls coach,” Harms said. “I built some great relationships and had some very successful teams. I’ll miss that, but I’m excited for a new challenge.”
The change in coaching staff could have created some difficulties for the girls team, but Reeder reports an excited and ready-to-win roster.
“So far, they’ve been awesome,” Reeder said. “They all have a great, positive attitude. It’s the only thing a coach can ask for is to have that mentality - that want to learn and play hard.”
Girls’ and boys’ basketball are gearing up for the dawn of two new seasons, and they’re prepared to dazzle.
“It’s an exciting time,” Harms said. “Hopefully we’ll be successful and something that the school and community can be proud of.”
