When Kent Dertinger was named the Head Coach of the Varsity Boys Basketball team last year, it was a huge step for him, as he had never before led a varsity team before.

In his first season, Dertinger went 16-9 with the Bruins and earned respect from his players who had played under Mike Brookhart, the previous head coach.
Now in his second season, Dertinger has plans for making a deeper run into the playoffs.

“This team works so hard for everything, and I feel it is my duty as their coach to give them the opportunity to win this whole thing,” he said. “We have an opportunity with this team to make a run, and I know this team can make it happen.”

“Coach D,” as his players call him, has been given a team of stars and playmakers, which made it possible for him to bring playoff success to the Bruins. It has been almost 23 years since Cherry Creek has won State; all the way back in 1995.

The Bruins finished their season 15-10 overall and 7-7 in their league making the payoffs.

“This team is very special,” he said. “The combination of defense and offense gives us such an advantage. We have stellar athletes and they would do anything for the team.”

Neighboring teams continue to emerge as perennial powerhouses, making a playoff spot extremely tough to achieve. Rival school Denver East doesn’t believe Creek has what it takes to even go to the playoffs.

“I don’t think Cherry Creek has a chance at anything this year,” said Isobella Boyd, a Junior and cheerleader at East. “They simply don’t have the playmakers and ability to win the tough games against real contenders.”

But what separates the good coaches from the great coaches is their ability to change as the season progresses. Great coaches can connect with their players on another level and can be a reason of failure or success for a team.

“I want to be able to bring more of an energy to this team. I want to give off the attitude of winning, and I want it to rub off on my players as well.”