Just like old times for Jordan

Greg Dietel may be the new girls' coach, but he is no stranger to Jordan basketball.

Dietel coached the boys from 2001 to '09. He resigned to be able to watch his daughter, Leah Dietel -- a former Jordan standout in her own right -- play for the Jackrabbits at South Dakota State.

"I wanted to make sure I could get out to as many of those games as I could, and the last two years I've enjoyed that," Greg Dietel said. "But my intentions were that I would get back into coaching here at Jordan at some level."

And two years later, Dietel saw an opening and grabbed hold.

"I truly enjoy being a head coach and I kind of realized that this might be my last opportunity to be a head coach here in Jordan," Dietel said. "I love it here, so I jumped at it."

He was hired in July, and it seems to be paying dividends already. Some would consider last year's .500 record a down year for Jordan, a program that has shown dominance in Class 2A for years.

"I thought we could be pretty good, but I didn't know how good we could be," Dietel said.

The Jaguars were 12-1 overall and 8-0 in Minnesota River Conference play heading into Tuesday's game with Watertown-Mayer. Through the first half of the schedule, Jordan toppled local powers Watertown-Mayer, Mayer Lutheran and Norwood Young America to solidify its spot as the conference leader while carrying the Class 2A No. 8 ranking.

But instead of taking any bows, Dietel will be the first to admit he inherited a favorable situation.

"I've been dealt a good hand," Dietel said. "Most of the time when coaches get new jobs, they usually come into situations where they have to rebuild. I came into a situation where things were in place, the girls have been taught well over the years."

But his addition has been very well received, according to senior Kelsey Chambers. He is big on discipline and knows which buttons to push to get the best out of each player.

"He knows from each player what they can take," said Chambers, who is averaging 11 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four steals per game in her fourth year of varsity action. "For me, I like to be yelled at. If I'm not playing well or if it seems like I'm not working as hard as I can, he gets after me. He's good at giving the good with the bad. He expects the best out of everybody."

Sophomore guard Maddy Dean leads the Jaguars in scoring with 19.5 points and seven rebounds per game. Senior Sam Hentges might be a smaller post player than most, but she is still one of the most effective and crafty Jordan players inside, averaging 7.3 points. Juniors Hannah Klegstad, Elle Case, Makayla Lambrecht, Alex Hancock and Hallie Anderson round out a regular rotation that prides itself on defense, another product of Dietel's influence.

"Our defense is incredible," Chambers said. "I don't think you'll find a team that works as hard as we do on defense."

The Jaguars' goal is to play 31 games this season, a mark only accomplished on the final day of the state tournament. But Dietel is taking it one step at a time.

"Our motto really truly is: We just do what we do and the scoreboard takes care of itself," Dietel said.