Sun Valley’s Noah Griffin, averaging 9.6 points per game, is one of several juniors in the process of turning Sun Valley around this season. (Pete Bannan – MediaNews Group).
By Matthew DeGeorge
Steve Maloney isn’t exaggerating – and isn’t alone among coaches in this assessment – when he calls the 2021 season “a mess.”
The cancellations, uncertainty and lack of preparation hit every team hard. But at Sun Valley, with its roster studded with sophomores, many getting a first taste of varsity, the disruptions were that much more severe.
A 2-10 season, while not what he and his players hoped for, wasn’t the ultimate aim for anyone. And at Sun Valley in particular, the way youthful setbacks can translate to sustained success is etched indelibly in recent memory.
It’s showing this year, as the Vanguards sit at 12-7 on the back of five straight wins. That puts them seventh in the District 1 Class 5A rankings through Wednesday, closer to the crowd vying for first-round byes than those fighting to scrape into the 12-team playoff field.