Coupeville Sports

Bill Baas

A throwback to Baas as a high school sophomore. (Photo courtesy Jack Sell)

He was part of the brotherhood.

Bill Baas, who passed away Aug. 10 at Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia, remains part of the rich tapestry that is Coupeville High School boys basketball.

The Wolf hoops program, launched in 1917, has 105 seasons in the record books, and I’ve managed to identify 406 young men who put the ball through the net in a varsity game.

Baas, who was 72 and lived in Rochester, appears in the scoring totals for three of those seasons.

He dropped in nine points during the 1965-1966 season, then built on that, banking in 63 points in 66-67, and another 81 in 67-68.

Points were at a premium during that stretch, with Barry Brown leading the Wolves in scoring all three of those seasons — the only CHS boy to top the charts three times — and the current all-time scoring champ, Jeff Stone, debuting in 67-68.

For his varsity career Baas finished with 153 points, which puts him #164 all-time among CHS boys, nestled right between Geoff Wacker (154) and Ulrik Wells (152).

A celebration of life will be held in Rochester Aug. 27.

And when basketball games return this winter, Baas, like Brown, Utz Conard, and other now-departed Coupeville hoops stars, will continue to live large in the collective memories of Wolf Nation.

Part of the brotherhood, forever.