When the winter months roll around, students not only look forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas but also basketball season. The student section who cheers on the boys and girls team has always been a loud group. Ordering ‘blue crew’ jerseys and being at every game is the Spartan mindset. After the success of last season, the fans are more than ready to help the boys and girls team succeed.
The boys team, coached by Steve Hillman, had an outstanding record of 24 wins, two losses and no ties. The Spartans went to state for 2 years in a row (2014/15 and 2015/16), and while they have not ended up on top, they are hoping to finally take the win this year. From last year, the boys team has lost major players such as Will Carius, John Czarnecki, Diante Fields, Kyle Mickel and Carter Milam. These players made it easy for PV to have an advantage when it comes to height. All six players with a height greater than 6’3. “PV overwhelmed us with it’s size and strength a little bit,” Muscatine Coach, Brandon Welsch, said at last year’s state qualifying game. With these major loses the Spartans need players, Alex Kitzmann and Trevon Montgomery (now seniors) to take the lead and finish what last year’s team started.
While the boys have had success in the past the girls team are patiently waiting for their time to shine. Coach Goetz has been focused on the little things that the team isn’t gifted with. The boys team is gifted with height but the girls are just the opposite. While struggling with height the team instead emphasizes their strengths such as speed. Basketball season has always been known for athletes being in the best shape of their lives, due to the sprints after sprints the players do. It may seem tedious and tiring in the beginning, but it has set PVGBB apart from the other MAC teams. Junior player, Grace Necker, says, “I think the team is going to have a very successful season, but I also think we are going to have to overcome some hurdles that have hurt us in the past.”
Some of these hurdles Necker mentioned include the channeling of their strengths along with accepting the role each player has to the team. While not all players get to play as much as others, every foot that steps on that court affects the game. The message PVGBB is trying to send is to give 110% anytime a player sets foot on the court. To leave nothing behind is the mentality for this season, so out of this, the fans hope to see a good outcome. The Spartans are ranked last in the 5A division but are hoping to soon change this. “Our goals are winning the MAC and going to State, which means overcoming the regional final game. This game has ended our season for the past couple of years and getting past it is something only three PVGBB teams have done,” says Necker.
