Girls basketball notes: Huntley’s Steve Raethz selected to IBCA Hall of Fame

Huntley had never enjoyed a winning season when Steve Raethz took over the program before the 1999-2000 season.

In Raethz’s first year as head coach, Huntley struggled to a 2-23 record.

But since then, pretty much all the Red Raiders have done is win.

Raethz won his 400th game last winter and entered the season with a 422-281 record in 24 years at Huntley, including seven Fox Valley Conference championships, 11 regional titles, three sectional titles and a Class 4A fourth-place state finish in 2013.

On Dec. 6, Raethz was announced as one of the newest members of the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame for the Class of 2024. Other area coaches in the Class of 2024 included Milt Awe (Hampshire girls) and Corky Card (Prairie Ridge and McHenry boys).

Raethz never envisioned coaching for so long in one place. He said he felt lucky to get the varsity position in his first year at Huntley, where he continues to teach English. Raethz played at Hoffman Estates and was a three-year starter and two-year captain at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin.

Huntley had its first winning season in 2002 (19-11) and took Hampshire to overtime in a Class A regional final. Hampshire went on to the state tournament. The next season, the Raiders won 20 games for the first time and claimed their first regional championship.

“When we first started out, there were a lot of growing pains,” Raethz said. “There had not been a winning season in our program’s history, but those days are never lost on me. I’m very appreciative of those groups of kids that we had very early on.

“Despite not winning early on, those team’s hard work and dedication to turning the program around helped lay the foundation for our future success.”

When we first started out, there were a lot of growing pains. There had not been a winning season in our program’s history, but those days are never lost on me.”

—  Steve Raethz, Huntley girls basketball coach

Raethz learned around Thanksgiving that he was one of the coaches selected for the Hall of Fame. He is quick to deflect credit to all his past and current coaches and players, which includes seven 1,000-point scorers and McHenry County’s all-time scoring leader (girls or boys) in Ali Andrews.

Clay Henricksen is in his seventh season as a varsity assistant and Sam Andrews, who played for Raethz and had 1,465 points during her career, is in her fifth. Michelle Russell and Nick Andrea have been long-time JV coaches.

“I’m honored to be selected into the IBCA Hall of Fame, but obviously earning the honor is not just a personal achievement,” Raethz said. “It speaks to the collective effort of so many individuals who have contributed to our program’s success over the years. I think the backbone of that has been an incredible group of players that I’ve had the opportunity to coach and build relationships with over the years.

“Additionally, I’m so fortunate to work alongside so many dedicated coaches that shared in and worked hard to foster the collective vision of our program.”

Northern Illinois Holiday Classic returns: The Northern Illinois Holiday Classic, hosted by McHenry and Richmond-Burton, starts Saturday with first-round games. This year, for the first time, the tournament will be a bracket-style event with the semifinal winners advancing to the final at 6:30 p.m. Thursday (at McHenry’s main campus).

Area teams participating are Crystal Lake Central, Marengo, McHenry, Woodstock North, Crystal Lake South, Richmond-Burton, Prairie Ridge, Marian Central and Johnsburg.

No champion was crowned last season with the weather canceling the last day. Prairie Ridge and Grayslake North would have met in the final. The Wolves technically are still the defending champions, winning the tournament for the first time in 2021.

Huntley’s FVC dominance continues: Entering Friday, Huntley remained the only undefeated team in the Fox Valley Conference following a 69-12 win against Crystal Lake South earlier in the week. The Raiders (7-2, 5-0) have now won 33 consecutive conference games, with their last loss coming to Prairie Ridge on Jan. 21, 2022.

Huntley went undefeated in the FVC last season, going 18-0 and winning its second consecutive conference title.

Over the past two seasons, only Hampshire and Cary-Grove have played the Raiders close. Huntley has won 20 of its past 23 FVC games by at least 13 points. Hampshire lost to Huntley 43-42 earlier this year.

Stinger brings it: McHenry has had a tough start to the season on offense, but not for a lack of effort. Junior guard Avery Stinger has stood out as one of the team’s top players and hardest workers this year, coach John Lunkenheimer said.

Stinger led the Warriors with 13 points in an FVC loss to Dundee-Crown on Tuesday, but was in foul trouble early. Her sister Peyton, who graduated last year and is on the track and field team at Illinois Wesleyan, was a similar all-out player.

“For a (5-foot-3) guard, she’s probably the best rebounder on the team,” Lunkenheimer said. “She brings a competitive juice that not everyone else has. She’s active on defense, she can handle the basketball, and she’s probably our best shooter.

“So overall, she’s probably our best player across the board. But that toughness, you can’t teach that. She just has it.”