One starter back; Vikings retool under new coach

Former assistant Al Panka takes over as head coach of the Minneota girls’ basketball team this season for Chad Johnston, who is now coaching the boys’ basketball team.
Panka inherits five players who saw extensive action a season ago when the Vikings finished 28-5 and placed second in Class A, losing to Hancock 54-43 in the state championship.
Bryce Jeppesen will be the team’s B-squad coach.
The Vikings graduated several key performers from last year’s team, including leading scorer Natalee Rolbiecki, along with starting guards McKenna Yost and McKenzie Tolk, and post players Jeren Rost, Kennedi Jurrens and Megan Moorse.
Ireland Stassen, a 5-9 senior forward, is the lone starter back. She averaged 9.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game last year. The others who gained valuable court experience off the bench last year was Kenadi Arndt (3.5 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.0 spg), a 6-0 junior forward; Grace Hennen (2.8 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.0 spg), a 5-8 junior guard; Dakoda Hennen (2 ppg), a 5-8 junior guard; and Faith Myhre (1.5 ppg), a 5-8 junior forward.
Stassen, Arndt and Grace Hennen are the captains this season.
Also lettering last season were Emma Bottelberghe, a 5-8 junior forward; and Kiersyn Hulzebos, a 5-5 sophomore guard.
Newcomers this season will be Megan Krog, a 5-10 senior forward; Ella Johnson, a 5-11 junior forward; and Nevaeh Hennen, a 5-7 sophomore guard.
Panka noted that there may be others may be added to the varsity following the first week of games as the coaches would like to see them in game situations before finalizing the varsity roster.
“I feel our strengths this year will be our depth, quickness, a good team chemistry and the girls are very coachable,” Panka said. “Many of the girls had roles on varsity last year, but they will need to step into larger roles than they had.”
The Vikings are expected to be competitive in the Camden Conference and Section 3A again this year based on the strength of the program.
“We hope to be playing our best basketball as we get to post-season time,” Panka noted.
The Vikings opened the season on Monday night with an impressive 86-56 win over Yellow Medicine East.