INNISFAIL – High school hoopsters are ready to hit the court.
The senior girls' and senior boys' basketball teams at Innisfail High School have begun regular season practices.
The season runs every year from November to March.
“This is the second year in a row we’ve had a girls' basketball team,” said John Harris, head coach. “We’re happy with the turnout; it continues to increase.”
Both the senior boys' and senior girls' basketball teams have students from grades 10 to 12. This year’s girls' team consists of 11 players compared to last year’s team of eight, noted Harris.
“We’ve got some players who have worked together (in the past), which is great,” he said. “The biggest thing for us this year is just working on more on our team game rather than an individual game. Last year was a lot getting people comfortable with individual skills, and we’re going to continue with that, but do a lot more teamwork and learning how to play together,” he added.
Harris and assistant coach Kreg Klymyk are both returning to the team in their respective roles.
They want to work on their team skills and efforts on the court this season, including more mandatory practices, said Harris, noting last season’s steep learning curve.
Both senior basketball teams are part of the 2A league in Central Alberta.
“We should have some good competition again this year,” said Klymyk, “There’s always good competition throughout the league, so now it’s just up to us to get to that point and compete with those teams.”
The senior boys' team is also looking to take its game to the next level this season.
"Last year we had good starters but not a very strong bench," said Kaye Kronenbusch, head coach. "This year we're going to have a very strong bench plus good starters as well, so I'm hoping we're going to do very well this year."
Numbers have also increased for the boys' team this season.
"There’s lots of skill and lots of experience. We ended up having a full (roster) of 12 players with some red shirts (extra practice players),” he added, noting he expects a competitive season.
"We only have about four Grade 12 players this year and the rest are grade 10 and 11, so for the next couple of years I can see that we're going to have a pretty strong team as we continue to build the team and get more consistent," he said.
Kronenbusch will have two new assistant coaches helping him this season in returning students Justin Woodruff and Jaycee Ellis.
"Two things we're going to focus on this year is teamwork, playing as a team and the basics," said Kronenbusch. "Making sure it's not street ball out here, but we're playing competitive basketball."
He is looking forward to a successful season for his team.
"I would say this is probably our season to take us to the next level," said Kronenbusch. "We're really looking forward to developing these kids and becoming a strong team next year as well."
