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Parkview junior varsity coach doesn’t mind hitting 50 mark

ORFORDVILLE — Kim Larsen just hit the big 5-0.

No, not the birthday kind.

The 1987 Orfordville Parkview High School graduate is only 39.

Larsen hit 50 on the basketball court. As in 50 straight wins.

That’s right. As coach of the Parkview junior varsity girls basketball team, Larsen has guided the Vikings to 50 consecutive wins heading into tonight’s Rock Valley Conference game at Jefferson.

With the varsity team 9-1 and in first place in the Rock Valley South, and the junior varsity in the midst of a 50-game win streak, the Parkview girls basketball program is flourishing.

“It’s a lot of fun right now,” Larsen said of her involvement with the program. “The support is wonderful as far as the community, the youth program and all the kids involved.”

Parkview girls head coach Tina Aasen said the success of the junior varsity program and the winning streak are starting to pay big dividends.

“It has done quite a bit for our program,” Aasen said of the winning streak. “It has brought our (overall) numbers up to where we now have 11 freshmen, 10 junior varsity and 11 varsity players. That was certainly not the case a few years ago.

“The neat thing is that all the younger kids come to watch both the junior varsity and varsity games now. That really perks up their confidence when they see the success that those two teams are having.”

Larsen is no stranger to basketball success at Parkview. The former Kim Lehr played on Rock Valley championship teams in 1985 and 1987, and she has had only one losing season in five years as the junior varsity coach.

A lifetime Parkview person, Larsen is the attendance/athletic secretary at the high school and has a daughter, Jenna, leading the varsity in scoring.

As a feeder program for the varsity, junior varsity games are played before the varsity game and have strict player-eligibility rules. Rock Valley bylines state that no seniors may play in a junior varsity game, and players are allowed only four quarters of competition per day. If a player participates in three quarters of the junior varsity game—whether it’s for 10 seconds or eight minutes of a quarter—that player would have one quarter of eligibility left for the varsity game.

Larsen has three freshmen on her junior varsity team, and only one player, sophomore Cassie Danielson, who sees any action in the varsity game.

The winning streak is impressive, but Larsen knows it will end at some point.

“It’s inevitable,” Larsen said of the streak coming to an end. “I know that, and the girls know that, but we’re going to enjoy it for as long as we can because it’s been such a positive experience.

“We don’t talk about it much, but the kids know. We try to keep it on the down low, and instead try to focus on getting better each game as a team.”

There have been a number of close calls during the streak, including a four-point win over Black Hawk last week.

Working hand in hand with Aasen and the varsity program, Larsen preaches an up-tempo offense and a tough man-to-man defense. She stresses fundamentals and being well-conditioned, but Larsen’s No. 1 requirement on the court is to give 110 percent for 32 minutes.

“It has to come from within,” Larsen said. “If you play hard for 32 minutes and are a team player, you’ll fit in well with this program.”

Those are the types of players that build winning streaks. Just ask Kim Larsen.