NPHS hires boys, girls head basketball coaches

New Prague High School has hired head boys and girls basketball coaches for the 2017-18 season, the sixth and seventh new coaches hired by the school for the upcoming school year.

 

Luke Swedberg was named head girls basketball coach. Swedberg, a native of Howard Lake, where he was a three-sport athlete at Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted High School, attended Bethel University. He was a student assistant coach at Bethel and has been an assistant girls coach at Park Center High School the past three seasons. The Pirates advanced to state in each of those years. Park Center won the Class AAA championship in 2015 and was the Class AAAA consolation championship in 2017. He also is an instructor with Wear Out The Net Basketball Academy in Lakeville. 

Sweberg takes over for Ron Gunderson, the long-time coach, who requested a leave of absence for the coming season. 

 

Blake Nicols is the new boys basketball coach. A Lakeville native and three-sport athlete at Lakeville South High School, Nicols played basketball at Bethel University and has been an assistant boys coach at Andover High School the past four seasons. He taught physical education and health in the Anoka-Hennepin school district and has also been hired as a physical education and health instructor at NPHS. He also has been a coach at Wear Out The Net, having coached recent New Prague graduate Zach Hansen in summer AAU basketball. 

Nicols succeeds Bryce Tesdahl, who resigned last week to become coach at East Ridge High School in Woodbury. 

 

Other new coaches hired for the coming year include Frankie McIntyre (dance), Jake Norby (football), Matt Anderson (girls soccer), Gospel Kordah (boys soccer) and Taylor Ries (girls hockey).