The 2024-2025 basketball season at CDH was an amazing one for both the girls and boys.
Both teams ended up soaring through the season; the boys ended with a 29-2-0 record and the girl’s record was 21-11-0. The boys were ranked 1 in the suburban east conference for 4A, and the girls’ team was ranked 3rd in the suburban east conference 3A. Post season, both teams were able to fight their way to the state competition and succeed with pride. The girls ended up beating 2nd seed Monticello in the first round, which let them move further on into the semifinals to take on 3rd seed Marshall. Sadly, they fell to Marshall 57-48 but they ended their glorious season 4th place in state.
The boys blew through the playoffs, first competing against Rochester John Marshall and getting the victory that pushed them to the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, they faced 4th seed Maple Grove. They had a shaky start but rolled to victory in the second half, bringing them to the championship game. On March 22, they faced 2nd seed Wayzata. They fought hard, but lost to a tough Trojans squad; the game ending in a 80-55 Wayzata victory. The boys finished 2nd place in state.
We took some time for this spring edition to interview the coaches and players of these incredible teams.
Tara Gunderson the varsity girls coach, is incredibly proud of her team this year. She highlights how the team was so diverse—different grade levels, younger players, and girls that are new to varsity. She was very proud of how patient and hardworking her team was on the court and applauds the team chemistry, as everyone was able to get along despite any personal differences. Gunderson, a D1 baller herself, has been coaching at CDH these past two years. She brought high goals to the program and has plans to create a championship team year after year.
“When I got here two years ago, we talked a lot about trying to turn the program into a championship team. We want to be a state contender, year in year out if we can. But, it’s a process. And, so, a big piece I think that we stepped into this year was our culture, kids playing well together, having fun, and just wanting to be a part of something special,” exclaims Gunderson.
Team bonding was very easy for her team, she said. She would meet one-on-one with players to adapt their skills or just have a chat, but also have group meetings and activities to talk about injuries or bad losses to make sure that the team still had their dynamic even after going through a rough patch. A player with energy and a positive attitude is something Gunderson really looks for in her players. She wants her team to always show up as a team, everyone encouraging each other, working hard, having fun, and pushing themselves to become enthusiastic players with passion.
“Players that play with energy, strong effort. That’s something a coach shouldn’t get out of a player, if they want to be there it’s gonna show in how they play.”
Her most unforgettable moment had to be the team winning the first game in the state tournament. She loved seeing the girls playing with everything they had, then beating a highly ranked team. It really boosted the girls morale and showed them what they were capable of. Gunderson hopes she sees this same energy next year and that they make it into the state tournament again, as it has been her goal from the start of her coaching career—a year-to-year state contender.
Similarly, Jerry Kline also had a great season. He was excited seeing the team show up in November and seeing progress in everyone throughout the rest of the season. He’s been coaching our extraordinary boys basketball team for 21 years as head coach and coached 2 years as assistant coach. He himself was a D2 athlete and an all year round athlete during his time at CDH, giving him greater insight into their experiences. This season was a fun one, he states, being able to see the boys come together as a team. It wasn’t just about the stats for him, it was about being able to create a bond, a family.
“Yeah, we were 29-2, but it’s more than just a record. You create a bond, you create this family atmosphere. And the guys really bonded together, making a fun and great season. And, a lot of memories were created,” says Kline.
It was easy creating a bonded team. Kline would meet players weekly to go over expectations and goals. He always wanted his players to be motivated and be able to push themselves to show their best self. He always wants them to believe and stay positive no matter what challenges are thrown at them. Unselfish, accountable, and intuitive players were what he was looking for, and what he received from his team. He had many favorite moments, but one that sticks out to him was senior night. On senior night, Ben Coyle was in the starting line-up, and he stepped in right away, scoring incredible opening points for the team. Kline loved seeing his team grow individually, but also as a whole. Next year, Kline has high expectations, but is very understanding of what can come next year. He wants a team that works hard, is unselfish, and has fun. He hopes for key development and wants a growing team that makes big moves.
Both teams had spectacular seasons on the court, but also had very good academic performances in the classroom. Gunderson and Kline always want their players to put school before basketball and this focus paid off. Both teams were able to maintain high GPA’s, as the boys team was awarded with the Section 4 Academic Championship.
As Kline says, “We love this game of basketball, but we know that one day it’s going to end, but this (points to head) is always going to continue, and so they know that and they worked really hard academically.”
The coaches weren’t the only ones with comments on the season. Seniors Tommy Ahneman ‘25 and Monteff Dixon ‘25, two of the top boys players this season, knew their team performance stood out this year. Tommy has only been playing with CDH for this year, after transferring from North Dakota. Dixon, on the other hand, has been on the team since his sophomore debut. Obviously, one thing they wish they could’ve changed is losing in that final game against Wayzata, where they both knew they could have played better and, possibly, brought home the win. However, both players were proud of how they played this year, and also enjoyed the times together as a team off the court.
“Some favorite moments or memories would be (like) when we went out to eat as a team after practice or something,” Dixon mentioned.
Dixon and Ahneman think it was an exceptional season, and feel blessed that they were able to play together. Many people aren’t able to play on a varsity team, or they are cut, and some don’t have the resources to play at a competitive private school. Even with this great season, they both had challenges. Ahneman suffered a knee injury during mid-season—causing him to miss several games. Dixon was under pressure playing a different position. Last year, he was their starting center, but when Ahneman became their new center it pushed Dixon to adapt to different game-style. Goals wise, they both wanted to make it into state, especially being their last year in high school. Ahneman also wanted to become a D1 athlete, so he could truly improve his game, but it looks like he has already checked that one off his list with his commitment to play at Notre Dame next year.
“My goal was to go D1, and I completed that one. Now it’s to go pro,” added Ahneman with pride.
For the girls, seniors Emma Dornan ‘25 and Tank Edwards ‘25 had a few things to say about the girls’ experiences for this year. Dornan has been on the Raiders girls basketball team since her freshman year, and Edwards has been on the team since 8th grade. Both team leaders thought the overall team performance this year was great, especially after having a rough start. Despite this obstacle the whole team was able to pull it together during December/January in time to make the girls’ team what they are really known for. Edwards and Dornan considered this season one of their better ones throughout their 4 years playing with CDH because they were able to truly shine, especially once they entered the postseason.
“I think at the end of this season, definitely towards our last couple games, senior nights, like that, we came out of our shell. I mean, I know, obviously games are not just about scoring, but we definitely, (like) led the team, in a way on the court, not just with leadership off the court” Dornan stated.
They do wish they were able to play like that the whole season, but they said they hit almost every single one of their goals they talked about as a team postseason, which is phenomenal.
Both were over-the-moon proud of being able to play in the state tournament, especially as seniors. And while they described their most memorable moments being, obviously, going to state, they acknowledged that the team bonding times were really special.
“Our favorite moments were probably just being together in practice and stuff. I feel like we all have different personalities and we’re not all like, die hard basketball, basketball, basketball, I don’t think any of us are (like) if we don’t basketball our life ends. We know that we have to do other things, and you are learning life lessons outside of it. So, I feel like we just all love each other, anything outside of school. We just were always hyped,” Edwards replied.
