By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — It’s been almost a decade since Kim Rettger began coaching basketball with a team of Grade 3 boys.

Rettger, who also coached the senior boys team then, said the younger kids would come along on a weekend tournament and, after the competition was finished, challenge the older boys to a scrimmage.

“They saw a group of guys who were just enjoying the sport for the love of the sport,” he recalled Thursday.

Roll the clock forward a few years, and those young boys — now in Grade 12 — make up the nucleus of Davidson School’s senior boys team.

Heading into a new season, Rettger said he’s got great expectations for the senior Raiders, most of whom have years of playing experience under their belts.

“They had a lot of coaching when they were younger,” he said, adding that the boys learned the fundamentals early on and were able to focus on playing the game once they reached high school.

The senior Raiders kicked off their season Thursday night with a 93-19 win over the Central Butte Bulldogs.

Alex Rettger was the high scorer for Davidson with 15 points, while Trevor Nelson and Parker Smith scored 14 points each.

Coach Rettger said he was pleased with the result but noted that with younger and less experienced players, the Bulldogs did not put up an especially challenging game.

Still, he said, instead of playing a hard, aggressive game, the Raiders were able to use the opportunity to try players in different positions and focus on strategies like moving the ball.

The Raiders were scheduled to travel to their first tournament in Langham over the weekend, at which Rettger anticipated a more competitive level of play.

He is being assisted as coach by Dave Nykiforuk, as well as several former Davidson players, including Ian Kadlec, Kattlyn Williams and Luke Edwards.

For the full story, please see the Dec. 7 edition of The Davidson Leader.