‘It feels so good to be healthy’: Rocklin’s Reinecke shines in victory over Davis
Handre Reinecke has endured a lot in his short time on earth.
The 6-foot-7 Rocklin High School senior has been through the death of his father, a cross-country move and two nagging knee injuries that limited his sophomore and junior seasons.
Reinecke is now fully healthy at the right time. He did a little bit of everything Wednesday night in a 87-75 victory over Davis in the opening round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoffs in Placer County. Reinecke and Donovan Lopez led the Thunder with 20 points each.
Reinecke scored under the rim and at the free-throw line, blocked shots and outmuscled Davis players on the glass. Reinecke also threw full-court passes that set teammates up for easy layups in transition.
And he did it all with a smile.
“It feels so good to be healthy,” Reinecke said. “I have put in a lot of work to get to this point. It was difficult coming back but I wouldn’t be the same person without going through the injuries. I can’t put a limit on myself when I’m fully healthy.”
Before he was doing putback dunks, he was a young boy in South Africa who didn’t know much about sports. After the death of his father Roelf in 2007, his mom Sonja and sisters Nadia and Jana moved to America.
“My mom went and found a safer place for us in America because she wanted us to have more opportunities and because it was unsafe in South Africa,” Reinecke said. “I have played with most of these guys since I moved here when I was 8. During the first few years, I struggled with basketball because I had never seen any sports played before. Once I got into fifth grade, that’s when basketball really got fun for me and I started to play competitively.”
Rocklin coach Steve Taylor has been a big believer in Reinecke and has served as a father-like figure.
“All my coaches are like father figures to me,” Reinecke said. “(Coach Taylor) has been there through all my injuries and everything I’ve needed.”
Taylor was impressed with how he played against Davis.
“This type of game is what he has been giving us all year,” Taylor said. “He’s been our workhorse and he has a chance to play beyond high school. He’s such a wonderful kid to be around every day.
“This team is such a close group,” Taylor added. “They hang out off the court and really stick together no matter what. This team is as fun a group I’ve been around in a very long time. They love to play and compete.”
Rocklin will host Modesto Christian on Friday in the quarterfinal round and will need another big night from Reinecke to advance.
“I am one of the few boys that get to pass on this last name, so that’s big for me,” Reinecke said. “It feels good to be able to see my name out there sometimes and know I’m making my dad proud. I always play hard for my family.”