Everything is going well for two varsity coaches who are new to Davie. Kenneth Ham, the boys soccer coach, and Dave Ruemenapp, the girls basketball coach, moved in from New Mexico and Texas, respectively.
Much to their delight, the turnout for summer workouts has been strong.
“We’ve been practicing for a good five weeks,” Ham said as he prepares for the first official practice on Aug. 1. “The turnout has been great, and we’ve had really talented players come out. I’ve had at least 28 or 29 kids, and I have quite a bit more that just haven’t come out yet.”
When asked about the talent level, Ham beamed. “I’ve been real impressed with what we have in Davie County,” he said. “They’re ready to go. The kids work really hard, they’re very respectful and they’re very talented. I’ve got a core group (on varsity) that have been reliable and they’re talented.”
Davie also has a new jayvee coach. Jimmy Dobbins has replaced Phillip Wogatzke.
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Ruemenapp said 10-20 girls have shown up for open gym, and the number has consistently been between 12-15. The successor to Denny Key said he couldn’t ask for more than that.
“I’ve been really, really pleased,” he said. “I think the girls have been turning out about as often as they possibly can. A bunch of them are involved in playing AAU. They’ve missed because of that, but they’re still playing. The ones that have been there have been working really hard. So many of the younger girls coming in from middle school have shown up. So I think it’s been a really positive summer.”  
Ruemenapp has many years of coaching experience on the boys side, but this will be his first year with girls. Couple that with being new to the area, and he has no idea what to expect next winter.
“It’s hard for me to say because I haven’t seen (any of the opposing teams) yet,” he said. “But I’m pleased with what I think we have. It looks really good to me, but we’ll just have to see how it plays out.”
The coaches who were on Key’s staff – varsity assistant Marnic Lewis and jayvee coach Jenn O’Brien – are assisting Ruemenapp.
“Marnic has been helping me out tremendously during the summer,” he said …