Patrick Revisiting The Drawing Board
AKRON – The formula for success was thought to have been in place. The math, however, became fuzzy after a troubling season.
The switching of titles between Bill Patrick and Chad Patrick was seen as a minor one, given Chad had been hands on in the Tippecanoe Valley boys basketball program. While Bill racked up the wins at a historic level with the Vikings, Chad was grooming himself to take over the program. Last season, Chad finally got that chance while Bill swapped to an assistant. Instituting a new wrinkle of shoot the ball first, ask questions later, the pace was much different from what Valley fans had known with Bill pacing the sideline.
What Valley found out, however, was teams were more than prepared to play the fast-paced style, and beat Valley at its game in sending the Vikes to a 5-18 mark and a first-round out in the NorthWood sectional. Valley’s shooting woes throughout the season equaled doom, hitting just 42 percent from inside the arc and 29 percent behind it. Valley chucked 422 three-pointers last year, but were minus-nine in scoring differential and opened its season winners of two of its first 16 games.
“I probably adjusted the first year, I tried to be pretty open and a have little more fun,” Chad Patrick said. “I thought we could do some things that just didn’t work. Probably I’ve had to drop the hammer a little more so far, and it’s been a great adjustment. They’ve liked it. We’ve had a great start to practice. It’s been a lot of fun so far.”
Where Valley can turn it around quickly is the return of nearly its entire varsity lineup. Only Dakota Parker graduated from the roster, but took with him just 51 total points. Tanner Trippiedi’s 11 points per game buoy a pair of rebounds, assists and steals per game for the junior guard. Trippiedi is the leading scorer, and with seniors Cam Parker (7.7 ppg) and Parkur Dalrymple (6.0 ppg), the Vikings bring back three of its top four scorers. Alex Morrison (6.9 ppg, 6.7 rpg) decided not to return for his senior season.
A stout senior class also has returners Wes Melanson, Dwight Conley and Jalen Shepherd giving Valley plenty of size and physicality, Shepherd standing 6-4 and Melanson listed at a modest 210 pounds.
“I love the three-point shot but we have made adjustments on when we take them, how we take them, which ones we take,” Patrick said. “Last year I thought that was how we were going to have to win games. We didn’t have a lot of other options. We had to shoot the ball from out and we had to hit it in order to win. This year, I think it will be a little different. We have some inside presence.
“We have to get back to defense first, we got away from that last year.”
Patrick also will have the services of juniors Bryce Fisher, Ross O’Connor and the Potter twins Jace and Jalen. O’Connor returns to the Valley school district after spending time in Michigan. Freshmen Braden Shepherd and Rex Kirchenstein also should see time, Patrick noting Kirchenstein has the makeup to make an immediate impact as a 6-0 guard.
Valley will find out how the ship will sail right away when it visits neighboring menace Warsaw Wednesday night.