Coupeville Sports

Mia Littlejohn shooting a free-throw. (Justine McGranahan photos)

Mia Littlejohn is a baller.

Her Coupeville Middle School teammates play ball, certainly, but Littlejohn has the strut in her step, the wiggle in her dribble and a combination of explosiveness and the get-out-of-my-way looks she often delivers to those foolish enough to guard her.

And any referee dumb enough to make a call she disagrees with.

She plays like she stepped off a school yard in Jersey, and I mean that in the best way possible.

Like older brother Zepher Loesch, a star in his days in the red and black, Littlejohn has an edge most Wolf players simply never develop.

There are moments when it can get her into trouble on the court, when she tries to put the entire team on her back and play 1-on-5, but good lord is it nice to see a kid in a Coupeville jersey believe they CAN go 1-on-5.

You can see that belief, that attitude of “We don’t care if your jersey says King’s!” seep over into her teammates.

7th grade running mate Mckenzie Meyer has a good dose of it, and the 8th grade bruisers (Valen Trujillo, Skyler Lawrence, Lauren Grove, etc.) will lay you out regardless of the school you’re from.

It’s possible to be perfectly nice young men and women off the court, and then step on the hardwood and blast people.

Other schools know it. Other schools preach it. Other schools live it.

It’s nice to see Coupeville reclaiming a bit of its heritage, whether it’s Littlejohn bustin’ ankles on the dribble or Trujillo ripping balls out of people’s hands and not always leaving the other player’s arms still attached to their bodies.

You’re Wolves. That’s the way you’re supposed to play.