Lake Stevens boys basketball focusing on performance

The Lake Stevens boys basketball team is a veteran group, with six returning seniors, and with Ryder Kavanagh leading the way, the Vikings hope to be in contention come playoff time. But Vikings coach Mark Hein doesn’t want his team to be singularly focused on wins and losses.

“We talk about how we want to play more than we talk about results,” Hein said. “To be successful this year, we know we have to play a certain way. We have to be gritty and get after it defensively and apply pressure and share the ball better on offense and get quality looks for the right guys. We talk a lot about those kinds of things, more so than we need to beat so-and-so.”

Kavanagh, a senior guard, averaged 21.5 points per game last season. His role won’t change much this season, but Hein said the continued development of players such as Jesse King, Mitch Peterson, DeShawn McFerrin and Derik Myers should ease Kavanagh’s load and help the Vikings (0-1 overall) win games.

“Those guys can contribute on both sides of the ball,” Hein said. “The big determining factor about how good we can be on the offensive end is Ryder’s ability to get the other guys involved, which he’s capable of doing. They’ve experienced growth since last year, but just need to stay confident in themselves. They have the opportunity and the ability.”