The Minneota reserves and assistant coaches await the start of a recent home game. Left to right: Morgan Moorse, Faith Myhre, Emma Bottelberghe, assistant Dale Kockelman, assistant Al Panka, Dakoda Hennen, Grace Hennen, Kenadi Arndt and Kennedi Jurrens.

Reserves play vital role, too

Minneota girls push starters, provide quality minutes off bench

No one really likes sitting on the bench. But only five can play at a time in basketball. And being on a perennially strong team like Minneota makes it even harder for reserves to see extended minutes on the court.
The Vikings have five solid starters in seniors Natalee Rolbiecki, McKenna Yost, Jeren Rost and McKenzie Tolk, plus junior Ireland Stassen.
But to be successful, a team needs quality reserves pushing the starters in practice to make them better players, and by offering encouragement during a game.
"Our reserves know they could be starting or getting a lot more minutes with some other teams," said Minneota coach Chad Johnston. "But they also know they are a valuable part of this team."
One of those players is senior post Kennedi Jurrens, who along with sophomore guard Grace Hennen and sophomore forward Kenadi Arndt, are the first ones off the bench.
"I'm able to accept my role because I play with such a fun group of girls," said Jurrens, who is averaging just under four points per game this season, including a season-high of eight. "The playing time is different every night, and I'm always grateful for the opportunity to go out there and play, especially with the other seniors. We have been together since the start, so I am trying to make the most out of every game, and I enjoy the time I have left with them."
Grace Hennen has scored 84 points this season, just under four points per game, with a high of 10 points. She is an outside threat that has made 12 three-pointers this season.
"I accept my role by being thankful and happy for the opportunity to get to play for Minneota and be a part of a great team," said Hennen. "I feel that my role on the team is to work hard in practice, hustle in games, and play well defensively."
Arndt is the leading scorer among reserves with 92 points, a 4.5 ppg average, with a high of 11 points."They all are capable of coming in and doing some good things for us," said Johnston.
Because Johnston often employs a press, it takes more of his players. So being able to bring in solid reserves is paramount to keeping the press effective.
"It really helps a lot to be able to give those starters a few minutes to catch their breath by bringing in quality players off the bench," said Johnston. "They all know their roles. I'm sure they all want to play more, but they all do a great job for us."
The next two off the bench that have also played in a majority of the games this season are sophomore guards Dakoda Hennen and Faith Myhre, both who have scored over 30 points this season.
"They have also done some good things for us," Johnston noted. "We have had to make some decisions with them lately because we don't want to waste them by sitting."
Since players can only see action in three halves a night between varsity and junior varsity, the Vikings have occasionally been letting those Dakoda Hennen and Myhre play two halves on JV and still having them available for one half on varsity to give them more time playing, which will benefit them and the team in seasons to come.
These standout reserves not only make the starters better by pushing them in practice, but the reserves benefit, too.
"My role at practice is to make my teammates and myself better," Jurrens noted. "I do pride myself in playing against the starters. I work hard in practice to help them and myself become better."
"I definitely appreciate the opportunity of playing against the starters in practice," Grace Hennen said. "I do realize the harder the bench practices against the starters, the more everyone benefits and how much it helps the team."
Starting on the bench does give a player an advantage before stepping on the court in the fact that they can scout the opposition and learn some of their tendencies and look for any weaknesses to their game.
"Before I go in, I watch the player that I am going to have to guard," said Jurrens. "I usually look to see if they make any specific moves. I also watch for the help-side defense, to see if I can make a move to the basket or not."
"When the game starts, I definitely try to watch and learn from the starters," Hennen said. "I look for the good things our starters are doing, ways I could contribute, and what the other team is doing offensively and defensively."
Most people fail to realize that bench players influence the outcome of a game, too. There is such a thing as a great bench player.
Two other reserves, senior post Morgan Moorse and sophomore forward Emma Bottelberghe would also likely be seeing more action on many other teams. Despite seeing limited varsity minutes, they have each had moments this season where they shined. Moorse has netted 27 points this season, and Bottelberghe has a pair of field goals, including a three-pointer.
"On any given night, we get 12 to 15 points out of the bench," Johnston said. "And some nights it's 20-plus. We have gone against some teams with a short bench and that makes it hard for those teams, especially later in the game."
Being a great bench player comes down to being a great teammate by being able to put team success before personal glory. These Minneota reserves all seem to realize that.
"I feel that my role on the team is just as big as everyone else's," said Jurrens. "I know what is expected of me on and off the court."

Minneota head coach Chad Johnston talks strategy with Faith Myhre at Monday night's game against Lakeview. Mascot photo by Brian Jeremiason

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