Fremd intends to extend winning tradition

Fifteen times the Mid-Suburban League girls basketball championship has belonged to Fremd.

The Vikings won the league's first four crowns from 1974 to 1977.

There were also four in a row from 2001 to 2004 as the tradition continued into the new millennium.

And it's still going strong.

In fact, the Vikings have dramatically won the last two titles, defeating eventual Class 4A state runner-up Rolling Meadows each time.

Shooting for a third straight crown this winter, Fremd has been heralded as one of the elite teams in the state.

The Vikes return a host of key players from last year's 27-4 team.

"It's so exciting," said junior guard Brianna Lewis, who brought plenty of excitement to the title game two years ago when she hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to lift Fremd to a 66-63 victory in overtime.

"I'm so happy to have the opportunity to play in this program. It's such a great group of girls and like a family."

The family is led by Dave Yates, one of only two coaches in program history.

Hall of Famer Carol Plodzien was 558-315 in 34 season with 12 MSL championships (in 12 tries), 16 regionals, 5 sectionals and 2 supersectionals (third-place in 1977).

She set the standard for Fremd girls basketball. The Vikings won their first 50 games in program history.

Now the current Vikings are excited to uphold the tradition.

"We work really hard and have high expectations," said junior forward Bryanna Hopkins, whose father Bryon played center for George Washington University (his 95 blocked shots rank tenth on the Colonials all-time list).

"It's definitely special to play in a program like this with Coach Yates and all my teammates. It's like a family-oriented program and just a lot of fun."

Fans had fun watching Haley Gorecki for the past three seasons.

The Duke recruit has collected 1,420 career points heading into her final season.

"It's crazy how fast it (the seasons) has gone by," said Gorecki, who has led the Vikes to three MSL West crowns. "People always tell you that but you never believe it until you get here."

Will this be the Vikings' best season in Gorecki's four years?

"You always strive for that," she said. "But you never know until you start playing the games."

And the Vikes will be playing some of the toughest games in Gorecki's career.

They are scheduled for a trip to Arizona from Dec. 18 to 22 for a national tournament (Nike Tournament of Champions). They also play in Milwaukee a week from today against Brookfield Central and in Chicago on Dec. 13 against Joliet Catholic in the Chi Town Classic.

On a Saturday and Sunday in January, the Vikings host the Chicagoland Invitational Showcase featuring out-of-state teams.

"We're going to play some very good team, and it's exciting to see how we match up," Hopkins said. "They're great teams who we have never played before."

Hopkins and Lewis are grateful they get to play with Gorecki.

"Obviously, Haley is an amazing player," Hopkins said. "It's great to play with her because she is an amazing leader. She shows great leadership and makes everyone on the floor better."

"I look up to Haley big-time," Lewis said. "When she and I are on the court together, we try to push each other. I'm very proud of her."

The Vikings hope to be the pride of the MSL again.

"Knowing the past just makes you hungry to keep that tradition alive," Lewis said.

The Vikes are aware that teams will be ready to play their best against the five-time defending MSL West champs, who for the past seven years also heard instructions coming from assistant Dave Townsend. He retired after last season.

"We will be missing him," Gorecki said. "He always kept us on our toes and told us to bring energy. So we're going to have to remember to keep that up, like he taught us. Defense is a big part of the game for us. We can't have any weak links in any part of our game because we know teams will be coming after us."

And the Vikes can't wait to play the top competition.

"A lot of high school teams don't get that privilege," Gorecki said. "It's really cool to be able to be part of this.

"Teams will definitely want to come out and get us but we have to play our game and always have that mentality in order to win. We can't take any game off. We've got to be ready to play all four quarters."

"I can't wait to make those trips and play those great teams and those amazing players," Lewis said. "It's going to be a great journey. I'm already excited and we haven't gone anywhere yet."