2021 Northwest Herald Girls Basketball Coach of the Year: Huntley’s Steve Raethz

A year after returning to the postseason spotlight and claiming its first regional title in four years and 10th overall, Huntley’s girls basketball team continued to show growth during the 2021 COVID-19-shortened season.

The Red Raiders finished with only two Fox Valley Conference losses – both to conference champion Burlington Central – and went 10-4 overall, which was tied for the second-most wins among area teams.

Huntley placed second in the FVC regular-season standings and in the end-of-season FVC tournament, losing its two games against Burlington by a combined 13 points. None of the Raiders’ four losses was by more than seven points, and two of their losses came in overtime (against St. Viator and Stevenson).

For leading the Raiders to a standout season, Huntley coach Steve Raethz was voted as the 2021 Northwest Herald Girls Basketball Coach of the Year, as selected by the sports staff with input from area coaches. Cary-Grove’s Tony Moretti and Marengo’s Nick Rode also received strong consideration.

Raethz has won the Girls Basketball Coach of the Year award six times, most recently during a string of three years in 2013, 2014 and 2015. He won his first in 2001 and second in 2007.

Raethz recently spoke with sports writer Alex Kantecki about the biggest challenges of the 2021 season, his impressive sports memorabilia collection, game day superstitions and more.

What was the biggest challenge this season?

Raethz: Not knowing whether or not we were going to get the opportunity to play. For such a long stretch, you’d hear things through the news or things going on with the pandemic that made the outlook seem pretty grim. But it all changed so quickly there at the end of January, and I’m just so happy for our players that they were able to play a season, especially for our seniors.

What got you interested in coaching?

Raethz: I’ve loved playing basketball and competing ever since I was introduced to the game in the fourth grade. When my playing career ended in college, my education and degree afforded me the opportunity to not only teach but also coach basketball as well. I was fortunate to get a varsity coach position when I was hired at Huntley 23 years ago. And it’s been a very meaningful experience to have an impact on players’ lives and to be able to teach the game.

How has your coaching style changed over the years?

Raethz: I think the foundation and what we believe in terms of what’s important in our program and team haven’t changed much. Obviously, defense has been a huge cornerstone since I started coaching at Huntley. That’s been the calling card of our program. As the more years you get under your belt, I think that you learn and you grow ... being more flexible and being open to different things, not thinking your way is the only way.

What is your most prized possession?

Raethz: The most important thing to me are my kids (Ryan, 11, and Addison, 8). My kids mean everything to me. I love being a part of their lives, seeing them grow and being a part of their activities and watching them play sports. In terms of material possessions, I’d say my sports memorabilia collections. I have some really cool pieces and autographs. That’s been a side hobby of mine over the last 20 years.

So what is your best piece of sports memorabilia?

Raethz: I’ve got some Michael Jordan autographs. I’ve got an old piece of the floor from the old Chicago Stadium and a jersey signed by him. I’ve got some Walter Payton signed memorabilia. Walter Payton, actually, I knew personally. He was my assistant basketball coach when I was at Hoffman Estates High School. I had an opportunity to have a relationship with him my junior and season year and kept in contact with him over the years. Obviously, sadly, he passed away in 1999, but I’ve got some cool pieces of his. I have Muhammed Ali signed shorts and gloves, so I kind of have a little bit of everything.

Is there a particular game you will remember this season?

Raethz: The last game of the season when we had the opportunity to play for a conference tournament title was pretty cool. That’s the first FVC Tournament that I’ve ever known since I’ve been at Huntley. It was cool to see our players play for something, and I think they earned that. They deserved that. Unfortunately, we came out on the losing end, but those kids played their hearts out. Burlington Central was a really good team, and it was a really good game.

What are some must-see TV shows?

Raethz: I don’t get a chance to watch as much TV as I’d like just because I’m so busy with my kids so much, but I love mystery and crime documentaries on Netflix. I’m excited to watch the next two weeks of the NCAA Tournament. I’m excited for the Masters in April. I’m kind of hooked on this show “The Curse of Oak Island” on the History Channel.

What’s your biggest pet peeve?

Raethz: Not always putting forth your best effort. I think that’s something you can always control no matter the outcome. You can always look back and say you did your part to make whatever it was as successful as possible.

Do you have any rituals or superstitions on game days?

Raethz: [Assistant coach] Sam Andrews always makes me fill out the scorebook with the same pencil if we’re on a winning streak. If we lose, we’d have to change pencils for the next game. She kind of got me hooked on that. Another one is [assistant coach] Clay Henricksen, we try to coordinate outfits, whether that’s the same polo or quarter-zips for the game.

What will you remember most about the senior class?

Raethz: I think back to where they were four years ago, in particular Kamsi [Nwogu], Raquel [Radermacher] and Ashley [Guazzo], who are four-year varsity players. Going back to those freshman and sophomore years, we went through some growing pains and struggled a bit. It was great to see them grow as players over their four years … last year we won a regional title with that group. Our seven seniors this year, I’m just so happy for them to have the opportunity to play their senior season. You think about the pandemic and everything that’s happened over the last year and the things that have been taken away from these kids … for them to have that opportunity to really buy in and embrace what we were asking from in such a short period of time, I’m very grateful to them for that. I’m just happy and grateful for what they accomplished and the people they are.