Eight months ago, everyone said it couldn’t be done. Everyone said it was impossible for a public school with a six-foot center to defeat a private school powerhouse with three guaranteed Division-I collegiate players. Now everybody is saying that it can’t happen again.
"We’ve got something to prove again," senior guard Jonny Palmer said. "Everyone thinks that we are a one-and-done team, since we are a public school."
Seven members of the varsity basketball team played in the state title game in March against Mater Dei when Paly pulled off the miraculous upset. None of those seven will play this year. All that remains from that game is head coach Peter Diepenbrock and four players who sat all game on the bench.
"A lot of things have changed since then," said Diepenbrock, who also became a father during last year’s season. "I’ve discovered that the team has an enormous following."
How will this team try to top last year’s 32-1 season and state title? Start all over again with an entirely revamped roster. Of the Vikings’ 1,800 points last year, fewer than 50 of those came from current players. The Vikings cannot possibly replace the chemistry and experience of last year’s six seniors led by current Harvard guard Jeremy Lin, but that doesn’t mean they’re giving in.
"Five of us practiced against the state champs every day last year, so we know what it takes," Palmer said.
Helping the rebuilding process are two new players from opposite sides of the world. Junior Dominick "Dom" Powell moved here from Las Vegas and is expected to be the starting center. Senior Christian Bakken moved from Norway and is expected to be a starting forward.
"Christian is more of an all-court player who can handle the ball, pass and play the perimeter," Diepenbrock said. "Dominick is mostly an inside player."
For Bakken and Powell, it didn’t take long to understand what they were supposed to live up to.
"I got that message down," Bakken said. "I know this is an entirely different team."
Despite expectations being low outside the community, internal prospects have never been higher.
"I feel a little pressure knowing what this team did last year." Powell said.
One of the captains on the team is Palmer, who watched the Vikings win the title last year from the bench and is the only senior on the team to play all four years at Paly.
"Jonny’s a key guy," Diepenbrock said. "He’s been instrumental in helping the new players adjust."
Despite Palmer having played limited time last year, he knows what his role on the team is this year.
"I wanted a leadership role," Palmer said. "No matter how much I play, I know I can always contribute as a leader."
With a young and deep roster, Diepenbrock expects a faster paced team this year than last year when the six seniors played nearly all the minutes.
"We’re going to play aggressive defense with a full-court press," Diepenbrock said. "We’re also going to use a lot of substitutions."
Diepenbrock also has three quick guards in sophomore Nick Robinson, junior Mike Scott and senior Josh Bennett who can cause havoc in the full court press.
"We’re going to apply constant pressure the whole game," Robinson said. "We work really well together on double-teams and hopefully we can force a lot of turnovers."
Unlike last year, where the seniors had tremendous chemistry and teamwork, the Vikings have a limited time to gain that camaraderie especially with two new players.
"The guys are all outgoing and they socialize outside of basketball," Diepenbrock said. "They also have some meals together."
The Vikings got a chance to gel during their four week conditioning program before the practices began. Even the practices involve rigorous conditioning.
"I lost 10 pounds so far just from the running," junior Will Goodspeed said. "I’m stronger and quicker too."
Diepenbrock knows the squad has talent, but the teamwork will have to come if the Vikings expect to have any shot whatsoever of defending their title. The usual goals of winning league and the Central Coast Section are still there, though a run at a repeat seems unlikely. It all depends on the team’s growth and development.
In Powell, the Vikings have an athletic and physical presence in the middle and in Bakken, Diepenbrock sees enormous potential.
"He could be as good as Jeremy [Lin] with the ball and as good as Cooper [Miller] at defending."
Diepenbrock once again finds himself with a talent-laden squad, but he remains adamant that the one thing above all else that the team will miss is Lin.
"One day I hope people finally realize how good Jeremy was," Diepenbrock said. "You can never replace him."
On a side note, Lin lead Harvard with six rebounds and four steals off the bench, helping the Crimson to a 75-71 win over Maine last Saturday.
The Lin-less Vikings can expect to face more tough competition this year and now every team will be looking to knock off the defending champs.
The new, quick-paced Vikings begin their title defense with two preseason tournaments before they return home on Tuesday, Dec. 12. The Vikings host Woodside at 7:30 p.m in a preseason matchup. For those hoping for another miracle run, the state championship is on March 24, 2007.