North’s basketball program hasn’t been the best in past few years, especially last year only winning a total of 4 games and they also haven’t reached the state tournament since 2015. Many people think the state of the program can and will change for the better especially with new head coach Thomas Liechti in charge.

“This isn’t a rebuilding year and we are going to win and win now,” Liechti said at tryouts before the season officially started.

Liechti stayed true to his word because the Vikings already surpassed last year’s win total and are currently 6-6 with still a lot of basketball left to play.

Since the start of the season the Viking’s preparation and practice has been different from past years in many ways. The Vikings have focused on defense more and are trying to develop an identity as a program.

“From the start of the season, everything has been all about defense and as time went on, we gradually added more offense,” said senior guard Malachi O’Neal.

The Vikings are also trying to build a culture of playing harder and tougher than their opponents. That’s why practices are now filled with conditioning and uptempo drills.

While the Vikings consistently want to see improvement, they are also proud of their accomplishments so far this season.

“It feels good to already win more games than last year, but we can be better and the next step for our program probably is to try knock off some ranked teams to get a better spot for districts because the ultimate goal is to be playing in March,” O’Neal added.

The Vikings still have to a lot to prove but there is still time to do so. Districts will be in mid-February and the Vikings are confident in their abilities to qualify for the state tournament.