On a mission

The Nodaway Valley girls’ basketball team is primed and ready to hit the hardwood this year with one goal in mind – to be the best team in the Pride of Iowa.

The high goal and expectations will come with a lot of familiar faces and experienced players donning the purple and white. For the most part, the Wolverines are the exact same as they were the year prior, minus starting guard Annie Herr due to graduation.

Now, a bevy of juniors and underclassmen from last season are a year older and wiser, they’re set to make a run at a Pride of Iowa Conference title after posting a 12-11 record in the 2018-19 season.

“We do have pretty much everyone coming back, minus Annie. We will lose some leadership and some ball handling ability there,” said Nodaway Valley head coach Brian Eisbach. “But expectations this year, our goal as a team is to win the conference. We understand to do that, we’ll need to beat teams we didn’t last year like Mount Ayr, Central Decatur, Martensdale-St. Marys. If we’re going to reach our goal, we need to beat those three teams.”

To beat the top three teams in the conference from a year prior is entirely possible, with CD losing the powerhouse tandem of Alli Masters and Emma Atwood, Mount Ayr losing veteran guard Keirston Klommhaus and Martensdale losing the team’s leading rebounder in Sophie Gibson. The opportunity for the Wolverines to leapfrog into first is there, and the excitement is high as the girls gear up for opening night Dec. 2.

“Expectations are high,” said Eisbach. “The girls are excited, and we had a really good summer. We went to Okoboji, played in a shootout and beat Okoboji by 19. Kids had a lot of fun and I think the excitement level is high and I think we’ll draw off of volleyball’s and cross country’s success. A lot of our kids did those, so expectations are high.”

However, with the high expectations are the understanding of how tough conference opponents are.

“I feel like we do have a really tough conference,” said Eisbach. “... But, it is open and I think everyone sees that there’s an opportunity for us to take advantage. We’re going to have to show up every night and play our best game and the kids know that. We’re looking forward to getting started.”

Returning core

Maddax DeVault will return to the program after leading in scoring last season. Her 263 points averaged out to 11.4 points per game while chipping in 96 rebounds and 48 steals. After an excellent freshman debut, she’s expected to play an important role in a Nodaway Valley offense that spreads the ball around well.

Next to DeVault will be Lexi Shike and Corinne Bond, the leading rebounders from the year prior. AS sophomores the two placed seventh and eighth, respectively, in the conference in rebounds. NV was the only team to feature two players in the top-10 in boards.

One player the Wolverines will look to this season is Alyssa Davis. Eisbach mentioned he presence as a leader will greatly help the Wolverines this season both on and off the court.

“She is a very, very intelligent basketball player,” said Eisbach. “Her footwork is phenomenal, that’s really hard to teach and it’s a plus. She can shoot outside and is strong underneath (the basket). We need to get her to the free throw line more.”

Davis posted 7.8 points per game and pulled in 81 rebounds last season.

Other seniors NV will lean on and turn to are Naomi Daugherty, McKynna Newbury and Reagan Weinheimer, all of whom had floor time and will see their minutes go up.

“Post players by trade (Daugherty and Newbury). Very strong, we’re going to need to rebound the basketball (with them), obviously,” said Eisbach. “Reagan, can get out and go and is a really good defender. Typically we put her on their best player. She’s up for the challenge and it’s something I appreciate.”

Weinheimer posted 5.3 points per game and had 43 assists and 54 steals. Daugherty and Newbury played in reserved roles, combining for 32 rebounds, 11 assists and 33 points.

“Collectively, they’re a really fun group of kids. The underclassmen look up to them and we’re big on body language, and ‘we not me’, and I think our seniors have really embraced and led with that,” said Eisbach.

For freshmen and new members of the club, Eisbach feels confident in what he has seen from the group entering the season, but also feels it will be difficult in deciding who to suit at the varsity level.

“I think it’s going to be tough figuring out who we’re going to suit. Last year we suited 15 because we had 15 in the program, this year we’re probably going to suit 12,” said Eisbach. “... The freshmen coming in are very athletic, very good attitudes. Lot of strengths there, but as the season goes on I think we’re going to have to figure out how to utilize them and get them into JV if not varsity games. ... I think this year we’ll have a lot more balance in JV and varsity games.”

UP NEXT – NV will open the season on the road, taking on Clarinda Dec. 2.