Unlike several other teams in the conference, Sheyenne gets to roll forward with much of the same talent as they had last season. A year older, and with many more accomplishments by their classmates since last Winter, they will look to also succeed in the second season. The biggest difference may be the voice from bench with Kenyon Wingenbach taking over as head coach. They will be an intriguing group to follow this year!
Here's what coach Wingenbach had to say
What is it like taking over one of the teams at a school which already has such a rich tradition of generating talent?
I’ve been lucky in my career to have coached on teams with some amazing talent. I see a lot of potential in Sheyenne, which is the reason I was attracted to this opportunity.
Did you take your team to any camps this past Summer to help learn about your roster?
I lived in Bismarck all summer, so it was difficult to do much with the kids. I had to prioritize what I truly felt was the most important. We had camp every Wednesday and Thursday throughout the summer working on skills and simply getting to know each other. We did do one team camp at the end of the summer, but we didn’t really have any of our system in. It was just an opportunity to celebrate the work we did together in the summer by playing a few games. Although we didn’t play much 5v5, I have watched a lot of film from last season, and we have a lot of returning experience who have shown some flashes of high-level play. I’m excited about this group as a whole. It will be a style adjustment for some of them, so we’ll wait and see who adjusts and stands out once the season starts.
Have you been able to figure out offensive & defensive philosophies for the talent that you will have this season?
I’m a believer that every program has a formula, and our job as a staff is to come up with a system that fits this situation. We need to develop a system that can be adapted to fit our personnel from year to year. With a school the size of ours, we are going to use the numbers to our advantage as much as possible. It will take time to figure out, but it will be important for us to figure it out as soon as possible in order to get the program on the same page and consistently competitive all the way down to the middle school level.
Going into your first season as the head coach what do you hope to accomplish?
We will have values that will allow us to hold each other accountable. Roles will need to be developed and embraced in order to bring out the strengths of each individual. We will also have a series of standards of play that we will strive to consistently attain. The number one goal from Day 1 is to form an identity and be consistently striving towards hitting those standards day in and day out. The results will take care of itself if we focus on the team and everyone is bought into what we are attempting to accomplish. It’s going to take everyone, and everyone is going to have to sacrifice for the benefit of the team in order to get this program where we truly want it to be. It’ll take time, but I feel like we have a group of talented kids who are willing to sacrifice what it takes to be successful. Our school has had a lot of success in a relatively short period of time, and the excitement is high. We want to be able to contribute to this excitement and accomplish things that haven’t been accomplished here yet.
Is there anything else you would like people to know about your program or players?
We have a hungry group of individuals who have the tools to be successful. They have shown great attitudes and a willingness to learn, work, and improve. Things can change once the games start and we need to continue that growth throughout the season in order to achieve the things we want to achieve. We’re excited to get the season started and compete. We have a very competitive league this year with many different styles and some outstanding talent. We’re looking forward to challenge.