During a recent interview with Strib Varsity, Roseville boys basketball coach Tom Critchley Jr. had to apologize.

He had to delay an interview because he’d promised some Roseville fourth graders that he’d be there to see their tournament game.

Those fourth graders, and other kids from the community, have been coming out strong to see a turnaround season for the Roseville varsity.

The Raiders finished 10-17 last season and were 6-21 four years ago. This season, the Raiders won nine of 11 games and are 11-6 after their 51-39 victory over Minneapolis Southwest on Feb. 4.

“We have really good kids,” Critchley said, noting that he has 11 seniors. “They’re believing in what we’re teaching them, and we’ve found a style that’s allowing us to be a little more successful than people thought going into the season.”

This is Critchley’s first year coaching the Raiders but certainly not the first for his family.

His father, Tom Critchley Sr., led the Raiders to the 1997 state tournament, and his younger brother, Ted Critchley, was at the helm the last time the team reached the state tournament, in 2015.

“I get to walk by both of their pictures [in the trophy case] every day,” Tom Jr. said.

Tom Jr., played for his father in Hawley when the family lived there. Soon, he set off on his own coaching journey, with long stops in Marshall, the Fargo-Moorhead area and Big Lake.

He has adapted to a different style with these Raiders, and three players in particular have stood out: Carter Bloomquist, Carter Brenden and Micah Wiskus.

“We’re playing a lot of zones,” Tom Jr. said. “We’re kind of grinding the clock, and we have a couple of guys who know their roles, and we’re winning a lot of low-score games. Previously in my career, I’ve preferred to outscore people.”