By Jeremy McDonald

jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com

SALEM, Ore.—There’s so much history associated with the North Salem Basketball program dating back to at least 1918.

Numerous titles through 1950 as the old “Salem High School” and many other accolades that carried into the new millennium.

But the last few years haven’t been kind to the 14^th street Northeast school.

With how strong they finished the 2015 season though, North Salem might’ve found their fountain of youth behind the help of the Motion Offense.

“Last year we didn’t start really strong, but throughout the season we got better,” said Viking Head Coach Jordan Graneto.  “We kept after it at practice and by the end of the season we beat some teams that at the beginning of the season we weren’t able to beat.

“We competed with the top teams in the league that we weren’t able to do at the start of the season.”

Fast Forward to November 17, the second day of fall practice.

With the high speed and high intensity practice ran by Graneto, the expectations are to getting better every day.

“Every year I’ve been here it’s always been an emphasis on defense as well as offense for a focus.” Said Alex Vasquez.  “Our goals has always been “Get better everyday”.”

Entering his second season at the helm as Head Coach at North Salem, the Vikings will be once again running the motion offense.

The Motion relies on the athlete’s on the floor to read and use their skill instead of the more traditional, “this is what you do, this is what you’re supposed to do” Graneto described the style of play.

And to Ethan Yarnell, the three years of playing with it is getting easier to run it.

“We’ve ran it now for three years and every year we’re getting a little bit easier and this year it’s going to be a lot better than it was last year,” he said.  “We have the chemistry, we know what to expect now.  So it’ll be easier.”

Team chemistry.

Both Yarnell and Vazquez both said that their team, their teammates have that.  Team Chemistry.

Outside of the Main Gym, the locker room and the campus; no one expects that the North Salem team will be a winning team.  But what can make this underdog team a winner and to shock the Greater Valley Conference?

That very Team Chemistry that Yarnell and Vasquez said and their coach agrees that can help this team win games in 2015 into 2016 and shock the GVC.

“ Like (Vaquez and Yarnell) talked about, it’s a lot about team chemistry,” Graneto said.  “It’s been a two or three-year process with me so hopefully this year it all sort of unfolds and how it all comes together.

“But we’re going to come out and play really hard and we’re going to try to compete with whoever we’re going to step out against on the same court.”

With eight, nine players who can contribute significantly on a regular basis this year, the Vikings will be ready for the task and the challenge that is in front of them this season.

North Salem’s Voyage is slated to sail December 2 at home, against South Albany.

PHOTO GALLERY (PICTURES BY JEREMY MCDONALD)

Jeremy McDonald is a professional sports journalist in the Salem/Portland area and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalist in Oregon with B.S. degrees from Southern Oregon University in Journalism (2011) and Health/PE (2013).  Got a story idea? Email him at jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com or on Twitter at @J_McDonald81!

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