Pessimism is a product of disappointment, and there were a lot of disappointed people hanging around the basketball court at Southwest State University in Marshall last March when Russell-Tyler-Ruthton defeated Ellsworth in the Section 3A basketball championship game.Instead of celebrating the end of a spectacular three-year run that featured the Ellsworth boys compiling a 72-16 record, winning two South Section 3A Tournament titles, one section championship and one second-place finish at the state tournament, some EHS faithful were already bracing for what they thought would be a trying 2004-05 campaign.Considering that all the personnel ties were cut from Ellsworth’s most successful basketball stretch in school history when the game with R-T-R ended, it was understandable why many EHS fans were forecasting a letdown for this winter. The problem is, someone forgot to tell the young players who grace Ellsworth’s current roster that they were supposed to be pushovers this winter.While some went on record to say they would be able to count Ellsworth’s win total on one hand this winter, the new-look Cats have emerged as a surprise team on the area basketball scene. With a 12-12 record through Saturday and two winnable games remaining on the regular season schedule, the Panthers have a chance to give their fans a fourth-straight winning season."If you would have told me that we would be 12-12 at this point last November, I would have said that would be a nice goal to shoot for," said EHS coach Ken Kvaale."I can say I’ve been pleasantly surprised with the way things have worked out. We are 12-12, and we easily could be at 14-10 or 15-9 right now."Kvaale is a coach who likes to build a team around a nucleus of three players, and senior Darrin Weikamp, sophomore Aaron Van Der Stoep and freshman Cody Schilling have formed the nucleus of the 2004-05 team. All three players are averaging double figures in scoring, and they can hit the three-point shot as well as score from the inside.Junior Ben Herman has played well as a starting post, and classmate Bryan Kramer has surpassed expectations as a starting guard.Unlike recent EHS teams, the talent pool doesn’t dry up after the starting five. Kvaale said he’s comfortable playing eight to nine players each game, and the likes of senior Kenny Bittner, junior Nick Deutsch, sophomores Jon Klaassen, Wade Jansma and Ryan Kix, and freshman Weston DeBerg have thrived in reserve roles this season.Two factors have helped the Panthers play good basketball this season.With the exception of Weikamp, who transferred to EHS from Castlewood, S.D., this year, the current players were exposed to three years of winning basketball by prior Ellsworth teams. Success breeds success, and watching great players like Dylan Kvaale and Curt Schilling perform in maroon and gold colors in recent years can only help younger athletes in the lower ranks of the program.The work ethic Dylan Kvaale and Curt Schilling displayed during their high school years is paying dividends, too. Coach Kvaale said the members of this year’s team worked hard on their games last spring, summer and fall. That type of dedication usually is rewarded."One coach told me that it looks like we have a bunch of gym rats on our hands, and we do. At the beginning of the year I told the kids if they work hard, good things will come their way. I think they believed that before I even said it. We’re a little young, and we have some loose ends to tie up, but I won’t question the dedication of these kids," Kvaale said.The Panthers have found it hard to compete with the area’s elite teams (H-BC, Canby and R-T-R) this year, and it would be unfair to expect an extended tournament run from such a young team next month.Ellsworth, however, already has surpassed the expectations of many this winter. Because of that, the near future looks bright for more EHS teams to come."I really feel like we can play with just about anybody in our sub-section right now," Kvaale said. "We’re on the right track. We should be able to do a lot of damage next year and the year after that."
