The 7th graders during the regular season. From left, Mckenzie Meyer, Payton Aparicio, Katrina McGranahan, Mia Littlejohn, Sage Renninger, Kyla Briscoe, Lauren Rose. (Justine McGranahan photo)
Building blocks.
That’s what Scott Hay was laying this weekend, as he took a fairly inexperienced group of Coupeville 7th grade basketball players (plus one 6th grader, an 8th grader and a player from South Whidbey) to the Tulip Tourney in Mount Vernon.
While the Wolves absorbed four losses, they were facing teams which had been playing together far longer. But the rebuilding of a support program for future CHS hoops success starts here, in the heat of battle.
“This year’s 7th grade bracket was probably the toughest I’ve ever seen in the eight years I’ve been taking teams over,” Hay said. “We had 12 teams in our bracket, and all of them other than Coupeville and Orcas were serious select or AAU teams that have probably been playing together for at least three to four years.
“Our goal going into it was to just get some more court time and experience for the girls in some competitive basketball,” he added. “Boy, did we get some experience; unfortunately we just didn’t have the dribbling/ball handling as a team to be able to compete against these teams.”
While the scores look rough (58-8 to Meridian, 54-16 to Wenatchee, 48-14 to the Regulators and 46-26 to Orcas Island), Hay saw what he needed to see — improvement and a commitment to future excellence.
“First and foremost these girls just don’t know the meaning of the word quit!,” Hay said. “They battled against bigger, more experienced teams and never once got down.
“Coaches and parents can run drills and teach fundamentals all day long but you can’t coach heart and these girls, every one of them had it!,” he added. “As we moved through the tourney you could see them starting to play harder and playing at a higher level.”
His thoughts on his roster:
Mia Littlejohn: “Mia played her heart out as usual and even came over to the Oak Harbor 8th grade squad to play some minutes. She is a very creative player who never stops looking for ways to score and set up her teammates.”
Kalia Littlejohn: “Plays with all the heart and passion you would expect from her. As a 6th grader playing in a high level tourney she accounted herself quite well, even scoring a couple of baskets.”
Payton Aparicio: “Totally showed the heart I was talking about. Came out of the game on Sunday with Orcas after taking a shot to the gut from their six-foot center. We were down to two subs because of soccer commitments; she was only out a few minutes and was ready to come back in.”
Lauren Rose: “Maybe it was knowing that we were short handed on Sunday, she just came to play. Knocking in shots from her wing position, Lauren had the high point game of the tourney for us with 14 points against Orcas.”
Sage Renninger: “Sage is one of the steadiest athletes you will find. Very versatile and can guard multiple positions. She played some excellent defense on some big, talented players.”
Katrina McGranahan: “I heard someone describe her as a natural rebounder; she just finds a way to pull that ball down in considerable traffic.”
Kyla Briscoe: “Another girl that showed tremendous heart. After breaking her index finger during our practice before the tourney she still played. She was almost brought to tears when the refs in the first game didn’t want her to play with it taped up. Lucky for them they did; I’m not sure what she would have done.”
Tiffany Briscoe: “We got her as a bonus. I knew we were going to be short-handed on Sunday and asked if Tiffany would be interested and she jumped at the chance. Strong post defender who definitely considers the paint her territory, enter at your own risk.”
Mckenzie Meyer: “Little spit-fire who plays with a chip on her shoulder. It’s like she feels offended that the other team has the ball and takes steps to remove that ball from them. Fouled out one game and I wouldn’t change how she plays for a minute.”
Mckayla Hezel: “Our South Whidbey player that shouldered the bulk of the ball handling duties with Mia. Creative player who loves touch passes to open teammates; the only downside is having to play against her for the next five years.”
What Hay and other coaches hope to see is a continued commitment to building the feeder program. The CHS gym is open Sundays 6-8 PM, with volunteers to help players of all ages work on their games, and Hay would like to have a SWISH team in place next season.
The squad would draw players from 4th to 7th grade, start practice a few weeks after school begins in the fall and play 10-12 games from November to December.
“Experience and playing more competitive ball at a younger age is key to developing a feeder program that can lift the level of play,” Hay said.
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