Hoops season has begun at DVSS. The Senior Dynos boys and girls basketball team will be in action this Wednesday, December 3 when they travel to Trochu.

    Basketball season is here once again for local high school teams, with games beginning the first week of December.
    This year sees six teams that will play for Drumheller Valley Secondary School as part of the Golden Hills Division League.
    Athletic coordinator and senior boys team coach Jeff Messom said the school has fielded six teams for the past several years.
    The teams breakdown to a senior boys and a senior girls team, a boys and a girls grade 8/9 team, and a boys and a girls grade 7/8 team.
    “We’re hosting provincials this year,” Messom said of his 18 player senior boys’ team.
    “So to have a good showing in provincials is our goal this year.”
    He said the team will be working on the fundamentals of the style of play the team uses.
    Messom has changed the  style of play for senior boys team over previous years. He began using the Grinnell system that originated with the college of the same name in the U.S. He spoke with the coaches in the U.S. to find out how they ran it and how that system could be adapted for use here.
    “It’s an increased participation level,” Messom explains. “It’s a fast style of play, a lot of shooting. It was a lot of fun and brought about relative success.”
    He said being a shorter team, the Grinnell style of play compensates for that with a good shooting strategy.
    The coach explains last year  was the first year he adopted the new system, and once the season starts he’ll gauge whether they can continue to use it or adapt a different playing style.
    DVSS is scheduled to host the 2A Boys Provincial Finals in March 2015.