The Sierra Lutheran High School boys' basketball team might not have to live out of a suitcase this season.
The completion of the Falcons' new gym would be another first for the local high school, now in its ninth-year.
"We're used to travelling light," said coach Alan Reed, who is entering his fourth season at the helm of the program. "We've had to be very patient, especially in this very difficult economy."
While the school's permanent campus at Romans Road in North Douglas County opened at the start of the school year, the new gym will not be ready until after the new year.
"It's been a long haul for the school, but everything is finally coming together," Reed said. "We're just grateful that the kids have their own campus now.
"We've practiced and played all over Carson and Gardnerville the past four years. We're used to that."
Reed said he is hopeful for the 2010-11 Falcons.
"Our schedule will be harder than ever but playing better teams always helps," he said.
The Falcons open their season Thursday at the eight-team Quincy Tip-Off Classic.
"First we want to be good representatives of our school," Reed said. "After that, we'd like to see if we could match up with at least some of teams there."
Sierra Lutheran will be looking to improve on last year's 11-12 record.
Gone are Levi Grabow and Andrew Deterding, who averaged 13.4 and 8.3 points per game respectively.
"They were both great kids who leave some pretty big shoes to fill," Reed said. "But we have six returners and three kids who were primarily with the JV team last year that still logged a little varsity time too."
The roster includes two seniors, Ben Martin and Tim Tollefson.
Martin, who has lettered in his three previous seasons, was second on the team in assists last year with 57 while averaging 4.0 points per game.
Tollefson is expected to be one of the team's top rebounders at 6 feet, 5 inches, after averaging 3.2 points and 2.1 rebounds per game last year.
There are five juniors on the team, including Brad Goins, Scott Johnson, Conner Love, John McRae and Kody Miller. Johnson should be one of the team's top defensive players.
"Scott, John and Kody lettered last year," Reed said. They've all worked hard on their game."
Rounding out the team are sophomores Carson Iverson and Alex Borgman. Iverson scored 5.9 points per game and was the team's top shooter, percentage wise, from behind the arc and at the free-throw line while lettering as a freshman.
Borgman comes off a JV squad that posted the first winning season in school history.
"Alex should definitely help us," Reed said. "He was able to see some limited time in 14 varsity games and he had some pretty decent numbers, including 26 rebounds and an 84 percent clip at the free throw line.
"We have really good kids and I think we have a decent foundation to build on. All we can do is play defense, try to manage our turnovers and then score. We'll just have to wait and see."
The Falcons currently play their home games at the St. Gall Catholic Church in Gardnerville.
