Gideon Schena joined the Otselic Valley basketball team with guard skills. Schena recently moved into the OV school district after living in the Boston, Massachusetts area, and from the moment he stepped on the floor, Vikings head coach Dave Loomis knew he had found someone who could play center.

Schena is by far the biggest player on the Vikings’ team, and after a slow start to the season, has come on like gangbusters. In his last two games – both victories – Schena has 57 total points and 35 rebounds. Over his last five contests, he has averaged 20 points and 16 boards, this from a young man who had never played forward or center until the first day of practice in November.

“I think it was frustrating for him at the start, and he realized he had work to do,” Loomis said. “But he’s doing okay with it.”

Schena, in Loomis’s estimation, is still a work in progress through the first six games of the season. The longtime OV mentor expects a lot of improvement from Schena as the 2011-2012 progresses, and that is a scary proposition for all future opponents. Right now, Schena is one of Chenango County’s top scorers and rebounders, and his recent performances have earned him our honor as Smith Ford Supercenter/Evening Sun Athlete of the Week.