When I received the news before the high school basketball season began that Lac qui Parle Valley had hired former LQPV graduate Dylan Erickson as the new girls basketball coach I got pretty excited!

I thought that was a great hire and couldn’t wait to work with Dylan on the Coaches Show and broadcasting the girls games. Dylan’s hire reminded me of when my son Brandon was hired as the Yellow Medicine East boys basketball coach right out of college. These young coaches love basketball and are basketball smart. The hiring of Dylan did make me feel older because I remember well broadcasting Dylan’s high school football, basketball and baseball games. Some are very memorable.

Dylan Erickson and Brandon Raymo YME Coach 2009

When LQPV was in the West Central Conference they had a great rivalry with the Montevideo Thunder Hawks in football. Since both schools are located close to the Lac qui Parle Game refuge they created a traveling trophy called The Goose Call. Someone built a huge goose call. It created a bigger rivalry. Dylan was a part of the Eagles football team that won the Goose Call trophy in the last game played between LQPV and Montevideo in Montevideo. It was so much fun and a big win for the Eagles. I took a picture of the boys after the game holding the Goose Call.

Dylan playing at Target Center for the LQPV Eagles.

Probably the best memory with Dylan playing high school sports was when the Eagles won the section in baseball to go to the state baseball tournament. The state tournament was in Chaska and the state championship game was at the Target Center. Dick Newman and I did the games on the radio and it’s one of my most memorable broadcasts when the Eagles beat Ely in dramatic fashion. Dylan was a great shortstop. Coach Bart Hill always talked highly of Dylan as an athlete and person.

Dylan went on to play college basketball at University of Minnesota Morris. I went and watched a few of his games. He has had a number of knee surgerys over the years and always worked hard to get back to playing. So, we have a history with each other and this basketball season is going very well for Dylan and the LQPV girls basketball team. I enjoy visiting with him in the postgame shows. Dylan always ends his postgame show and the Coaches Show on Saturday mornings with “Go Eagles!!”.

I have sat next to Dylan at LQPV boys games this year and we talk basketball. His mind set is how can we get better. I noticed one night, Bart Hill was drawing basketball plays up on a scratch paper and he and Dylan were chatting away about basketball strategy. Dylan has been more than fun to work with, he always gets me the stats after the game, comes up for a postgame and enjoys coming to the studio Saturday mornings for the Coaches Show. The girls are having a great year and the future looks bright for LQPV girls basketball.