Vanderhoof inherits veteran squad at AHSTW

Lady Vikes’ new basketball coach favors up-tempo style; Frank Nelsen returns to bench as assistant

 AVOCA -- A thriving AHSTW girls basketball program has experienced change since last season, but there’s still many familiar faces throughout the gym.
 Following the resignation of Steve Sauvain as principal and head girls basketball coach last spring, the school hired from within and named Jill Vanderhoof the Lady Vikes’ new head coach in early June. She will be assisted by longtime AHST and AHSTW coach Frank Nelsen, who guided the Lady Vikes to state tournament appearances in 1993 and 2001.
 Vanderhoof served as an assistant coach the last two years for Sauvain, and the results were something special as AHSTW put together its best two-year run (35-11) in two decades and came within a point of snapping a 19-year state tourney absence.
 Last year’s Lady Vikes finished 20-4 overall and won their first Western Iowa Conference title since 2001 with a 14-2 record. They lost a heartbreaker to Logan-Magnolia, 36-35, in the Class 2A regional finals.
 Four starters return from that squad and expectations are high for another fun season in Avoca.
 “I’m really lucky to step into the position that I’m in with all this experience,” stated Vanderhoof, a 2013 graduate of Villisca High School. “The girls have a lot of passion for (basketball) - not just the seniors but (also some) of those underclassmen and (our) freshmen group has a really big passion for basketball - so stepping into that has made it a lot easier because they’re willing to learn and they want to learn. They are quick to adapt.”
 Vanderhoof was a major contributor to the Villisca girls’ state tournament run in 2013, averaging 12.9 points and 8.7 rebounds as a senior. She hopes to coach the way she played, showcasing a fast-paced, attacking style with a pressure-based defense.

 
 

 

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