The Atlantic girls basketball team will begin a new season tonight with a new Head Coach. Dan Vargason takes over the reigns this season from Kelly Juhl. Vargason has been an Assistant Coach for the program for the last 5 years. Varagason takes over a team that finished 3-17 last season but does return 4 of the top 5 scorers.

Coach Vargason felt it was a good opportunity for him to step in and try to move the program forward.

Vargason is also the head cross country coach for Atlantic and said his first order of business with the basketball team was to try to instill a team first mindset like he has with the cross country program.

Another push for the team was to try to get some greater numbers in the program and they were able to convince a number of athletes to join up. Coach Vargason said he has been selling that everyone can come in and contribute in some way to the team.

Baylee Newell is the top returning scorer after leading the team with 9.4 points per game last year. McKenzie Waters (8.9ppg), Haley Rasmussen (7.0ppg), and Alyssa Ginther (5.3ppg) are some of the other top returners for the Trojans.

Their first game is tonight at home against Carroll and will follow that up immediately with a road trip to Dension-Schleswig on Tuesday night. We’ll have coverage of that Tuesday game on KJAN.