SMOKY VALLEY VIKING BASKETBALL

OLSON, RYAN, and HEITSCHMIDT WILL LEAD VIKING HOOPSTERS

By Staff

            LINDSBORG – The Smoky Valley boys basketball team stumbled in 2023/24 and finished with just four wins before losing to Class 3A runner-up Hesston in sub-state.

            Viking head coach Doug Schneider  begins his fourteenth season leading the boys’ basketball program and enters this season with an overall record of 111-169.

            For the 2023/24 season the Vikings finished 4-17 overall and in eighth place for Central Kansas League play at 2-7. They closed out the season losing to Hesston in the first round of Class 3A sub-state play.

            Smoky Valley graduated five seniors of which three were starters. Both Ki Blanchat and Taylor Campbell, the Vikings top two scorers a year ago along with 78% of the team scoring were part of the graduating class.

            What coach Schneider does have to work with will be three returnees with starting experience, that being point guard Braylon Olson, forward Kristian Ryan, and center Ty Heitschmidt. All three are entering just their junior seasons.

            Olson averaged 5.0 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.7 steals per game a year ago and will be counted on by the coaching staff to handle the ball as well as be a scorer and distributor within the offensive scheme.

            At center, six-foot-four, Ty Heitschmidt scored 7.8 points per game while grabbing 5.5 rebounds per game in 2023/24.

            Kristian Ryan is the Vikings six-foot-five forward who gave them 4.6 points and 3.3 rebounds as a sophomore.

            When talking about the two big men, coach Schneider noted, “Ty (Heitschmidt) will be called upon early to shore up the middle of both the Viking offense and defense while Kristian (Ryan) will have to give up solid play both inside and out.”

            While the Vikings  have the three core players to build around, the coaches will be looking for several players vying for playing time and will be needing to develop some inexperienced players early on to find success.

            Coach Schneider discussed the weakness of the team coming into the season when he commented, “Our ability to score points will be called into question early as we have to replace a pair of double-digit scorers. We will also be challenged to have to defend some of the best players in the state within our league and non-league schedule. We will need to be disciplined and provide a solid effort night in and night out to find success.”

            As for the strengths of the team, Schneider added, “This year’s team still has a lot of question marks, but I think our strength may be the length of some players and how we can use that length. Otherwise, we will just be a hard-working lunch pail type of team who will try to outwork everyone we play.”

            When concluding his pre-season reflections, coach Schneider explained, “Our main goals for the 2024/25 season will be to stay competitive in every game, finish in the top-four of the Sterling Invitational Tournament, and finish in the top five of the league standings. Among the top teams in our league will be defending league champion Hesston, Haven, and Pratt while Hesston joins Wichita Collegiate, Hugoton and Southeast of Saline as the teams to beat in Class 3A.”

            The Vikings will open the 2024/25 schedule with three straight home games as Central Plains comes to town on Friday, December 6, before Concordia visits on Friday, December 13 and Hesston on Tuesday, December 17. Smoky Valley closes out the pre-Christmas schedule on Friday, December 20 on the road at Halstead.

(The Staff covering McPherson County Activities can be reached by email at macks.people.places@gmail.com)