The new season cannot come fast enough for the Saint Viator girls basketball team. After a rough season last year, change has brought new hope to the team. Mr. Jason Raymond is back coaching, coaching at his alma mater. Mr. Raymond is excited to be back, but is still adjusting to his new surroundings

“It feels great to be back.” Said Mr. Raymond. “Everybody has been so welcoming which has been wonderful. A lot has changed in the building since I have been gone. I find myself getting lost sometimes with all of the new athletic facilities that we have now compared to the old days when I was here. But, the improvements are great and I am looking forward to the 1st tip of the 2015-2016 season.” Mr. Raymond has already shown his players that he is dedicated to improving the program.

“Being the only senior this year and having another new varsity coach to have to adjust to this upcoming season was quite intimidating at first,” said senior Julia Bergstrom. “Although, once I got to know Coach Raymond, I couldn’t be more excited for my last year of basketball at Saint Viator. Coach Raymond is an alum of Viator and his passion for not only basketball but our school is contagious.” The Lions will bring a very young team onto the court this year. The team features only one senior: Bergstrom. Despite being full of youth, the Lions will not be full of inexperience. Mr. Raymond has instilled hard work and dedication into the team, as they attended camps and summer leagues every day over the past summer. Now during the school year, the team continues to work hard by attending open gyms and workouts with Coach Mr. Richard McLoughlin two days a week. The youth does not concern the Lions from a success standpoint, as Bergstrom points out.

“This year’s team will for sure be as young as it has ever been,” said Bergstorm. “Because of lack of upperclassmen involved in girls basketball we have many underclassmen that will be on the varsity team this year. However, I am not worried at all. These younger girls are extremely talented and have so much passion for the game which is what leads me to believe this year’s team will be a great one.” The Lions have their work cut out for them. They play in the very tough ESCC. Mr. Raymond acknowledged this fact, “The ESCC is a fantastic conference,” said Mr. Raymond. “The defending 4a state champion [Benet] resides in the ESCC. So, we feel honored to be able to compete in this conference. It is tough from top to bottom. Our goal for this year is to compete with the top half of conference. We would love to break into the top 4.” The aforementioned young athletes provide a bright future for the Lions, but everyone must focus on being successful in this current season. Being successful, however, does not necessarily mean winning as many games as possible. This fact was reiterated by both Mr. Raymond and Bergstrom.

“My goals for the season are simple. We are going to focus on how we play and everything else will take care of itself!” said Mr. Raymond. “We want to win every game, but that is not realistic for most teams. For us, the most important goal we need to have is to play basketball the right way. We want to play the game with great character, sound fundamentals, be defensive minded and play fast! Always one game at a time!” Bergstrom seconds that point.

“My goal is to make the best of this basketball season,” said Bergstorm It is obviously a team goal to win as many games as possible. However, ultimately I think it is important to grow as a program and create a competitive and fun atmosphere for the underclassmen especially to develop their game.”