Vikings seek sixth state berth in seven years

RECORD » 15-8 KEY PLAYERS » Jaden Hameed, So., G, 14.8 ppg, 3.7 apg, Khalil Mitcham, Sr., F, 10.6 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 2.1 bpg, Jason Priah, Sr., F, 9.9 ppg, 7.8 rpg WHY VASJ CAN MAKE A RUN TO STATE » Coach Babe Kwasniak likes to say the Vikings are made for March. When the spring arrives, the seven-time state champions annually merit consideration as a state contender.

VASJ’s regular-season schedule should certainly have the team prepared. Alongside two games apiece against Benedictine, Cleveland Central Catholic and Akron Hoban in NCL Blue play, VASJ matched up with St. Vincent-St. Mary, St. Edward, St. Ignatius, Mentor, Euclid, Cleveland Heights, Pickerington North and one of Arkansas’ top teams, West Memphis, at the Neosho Holiday Tournament in Missouri. The Vikings are deep and experienced with an eightman rotation that includes six seniors. Jaden Hameed, Khalil Mitcham, Jason Priah, Jordan Calhoun, Graham Koppelman and Latrace Jackson all played significant roles on last year’s team that lost to St. Vincent-St. Mary, the eventual Division II state champion, in a Canton regional final.

Sophomore Jonah Waag has developed to provide a boost to the backcourt while senior Julius Cummings adds defensive energy off the bench. The Vikings have a little bit of everything from perimeter scoring to frontcourt production. Khalil Mitcham and Latrace Jackson combined to average almost five blocks per game this year. WHAT COULD HOLD VASJ BACK

» Last year, the Vikings didn’t have their customary quantity of varsity experience. But, VASJ had Jerry Higgins who was able to single-handedly will his team to victory in games. Higgins now plays Division I college basketball at The Citadel. The Vikings’ quest for a state run in 2019 would be aided by a player or two stepping up as consistent go-to guys. X-FACTOR » Along those lines, sophomore Jaden Hameed has proven himself to be arguably VASJ’s most dynamic player. He’s capable of putting up 25 points

or more in a game, but also had a handful of single-digit scoring performances during the regular season. The pressure doesn’t rest solely on the shoulders of a second-year varsity player, especially with a talented cast around him. Perhaps the most impressive trait of this year’s VASJ team is that the Vikings don’t need to wholly rely on one person. Hameed is simply the player most able to take over games in a similar fashion to what Higgins did a year ago. BIGGEST ROADBLOCK » If VASJ makes its way back

to Columbus, it will have traversed an arduous path. The Vikings face Perry, a team that’s won 14 of its last 15 games, in a district semifinal March 6. A potential rematch with Lake Catholic and D-II District Player of the Year Luka Eller awaits in the district final, if the Cougars advance past a scrappy, senior-laden Geneva squad. If Benedictine wins the Stow District, VASJ would meet the Bengals in a Canton Regional semifinal after the teams split their regular-season meetings.

TIM PHILLIS — FOR THE NEWS-HERALD VASJ’s players are pictured during the national anthem before a game against Mentor on Feb. 18.