While Rocky View high school basketball teams prepare for their upcoming season, another boys senior team has been in the gym this week.

The St. Martin de Porres Kodiaks started practices on Monday. Head Coach Curtis Senkow said he's been smiling all through tryouts and practice this week watching the new team's energy.

"We've taken grade ten, eleven and twelves, so it's exciting to see that we could be having the same kids for three years, them growing up with the system that we're going to implement."

The Kodiaks only have three returning senior players. While Senkow thinks that could set the Kodiaks' system up for success in the future, it does present some short term challenges. Senkow said there are some players that have never played high school ball before, so this season will be a confidence builder as they get used to playing in other high schools with fans breathing down their neck.

Senkow thinks a definite strength of his team is their raw skill.

"There's fundamentals that you obviously want to teach or that you hope they have and it seems like we have a core group of guys that already have the fundamentals and they can kind of be creative on the court as they will and that's pretty encouraging in that sense."

Defensive fundamentals will also be a focus for the upcoming year. Martin said the team will also need to work on their mental and physical readiness. He explained the high school season is a long one, with a three week break during January for exams where the team can't play or practice, so the team will need to work to stay sharp in order to last the season.

Even though the team is young and a little inexperienced, that doesn't mean Senkow is setting his expectations low.

"There's eight teams in our league I believe, and six of them make it, so obviously the first thing is just to not be those last two and to get us into the playoffs and then you never know where we'll be at when playoffs start."

The Kodiaks start their season on the road in Calgary against the Lord Beaverbrook Lords on December 5. The Kodiaks first home game is January 9 against St. Gabriel.

 

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