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Archive for the ‘Basketball’ Category

Colwell a star on the rise!!

Posted in Basketball, Volleyball, tagged , , , , on July 17, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Ella Colwell, a volleyball, basketball and track star, enters Coupeville High School as a freshman this fall. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Colwell sinks a free throw during a summer hoops camp. (Photo courtesy Megan Wise)

Sports often build friendship.

That’s true for Ella Colwell, a three-sport star heading to Coupeville High School as a freshman this fall.

During her middle school days, she played volleyball and basketball, while rounding out the year with track and field.

Staying active and involved on a daily basis has paid off for Colwell.

“Being a part of something (is great),” she said. “It helps you find people that you maybe didn’t think you’d be friends with.”

While Colwell enjoys all of her sports, hard-court life is the life for her.

“My favorite sport is basketball, because I like how you can be aggressive in it and also I love how much of a team sport it is,” she said. “You really can’t have a successful team if you don’t work together.”

Colwell and her hoops teams, both in middle school and SWISH, have been winners, bringing home titles as they build a tight-knit bond.

A tall, strong athlete who could likely develop into a fearsome inside enforcer in the paint, she’s ready for the challenge.

“My strengths as an athlete would be someone who you can look for as help,” Colwell said.

“Like, in basketball, I’m a post/defender, so when a teammate needs help getting around their defender, I might go up and screen them, or yell “defender on your left” or “watch for screens.”

A strong math student (“it’s my favorite, because I love the satisfaction of when you’ve been trying to solve this hard question, and you finally get it right”), Colwell enjoys watching action/thriller flicks in her spare time.

“Movies that get your heart pumping,” she said. “And have you on the edge of your seat, waiting to see what happens next!”

But when it’s time to head to practice or games, Colwell is as committed as they come.

“My goals for my high school sports career would definitely be to make it on the varsity for basketball,” she said. “And to become a better overall volleyball player.”

Regardless of the sport or activity, she knows her biggest fan, mom Megan, will always be there for her.

“My mom has been a big impact because she was the one who first told me to play basketball,” Colwell said. “Actually, at first, I didn’t even want to play, but I’m glad I did, because it is my favorite sport.”

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Catch the Stone Cold World Tour!!

Posted in Basketball, Wolves in college, tagged , , , , , on July 9, 2018| 1 Comment »

Coupeville grad Makana Stone is off to Brazil as part of an all-star basketball team. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Basketball has carried Makana Stone from Cow Town to Brazil.

The Coupeville High School grad, who has spent the past two seasons ripping up the floor at Whitman College, has been tabbed to join the USA D-III Women’s Basketball Team.

As a member of the 10-player squad, Stone is jetting off to Brazil and will be overseas July 16-25, playing four games while there.

The trip, set up by USA Sports Tours and Events, has American women and men’s teams playing games against Jundiai, Santa Andre, Queimados and Fluminese.

The Santa Andre women’s squad is a pro team.

When they’re not playing and practicing, the USA hoops teams will have a chance to experience everything Brazil has to offer.

The players will visit schools and sports clubs, and will have a chance to see the Christ the Redeemer Statue and Sugar Loaf Mountain, two of the most recognizable landmarks in the world.

Stone, who is entering her junior year at Whitman, is the lone player on the tour to hail from Washington state.

The women’s team includes athletes from nine states and a variety of colleges, and will be led by coaches from Luther College in Iowa.

Stone is coming off a sophomore season in which she torched the nets for 12.3 points a game, snatched 7.2 boards a night and was named a First-Team All-Conference pick by the Northwest Conference.

Whitman has advanced to the NCAA tourney in both of her seasons, piling up a 48-10 record in her time in Walla Walla.

While growing up in Coupeville, playing soccer and basketball and running track, Stone put together one of the best individual prep sports careers the town has seen.

A two-time CHS Female Athlete of the Year (who should have been at least a three-timer and I will never stop arguing she was robbed as a freshman), she finished as the #3 scorer in Wolf girls basketball history.

Stone also has the most state meet medals of any Wolf female track competitor, and kicked off her high school career by winning her first 28 races – the best streak in the history of CHS.

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Little sister, big talent!!

Posted in Basketball, Cheer, Track, tagged , , , , on July 9, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Ja’Kenya Hoskins powers to the hoop for a bucket. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Hoskins and Izzy Wells lead a strong group of female athletes who arrive at CHS as freshmen this fall.

The third sister is on her way, and she plans to be just as spectacular as her older siblings.

Ja’Kenya Hoskins, who will be a freshman at Coupeville High School in the fall, joins Ja’Tarya as a Wolf, while both follow in the footsteps left by legendary big sis Jai’Lysa.

It’s a family of superstars, comprised of exuberant, talented, strong young women who excel in the classroom and in the arena.

And whatever you do, don’t sleep on Ja’Kenya, who could quite easily be the most explosive athlete in the trio.

The youngest sister is a beast on the boards, ripping rebounds away from tentative rival players, then sprinting down-court to pick up easy buckets.

Put Ja’Kenya on the track, and she has jets in her feet, zinging around the oval in a style very similar to both older sisters.

Once she hits CHS, the youngest Hoskins plans to add cheer to her long list of accomplishments, just like Jai’Lysa and Ja’Tarya.

While she enjoys all of her pursuits (rare is the time when the outgoing young star isn’t flashing a smile as she bops through life), Hoskins gives an edge to hoops.

She and a tight group of teammates have played together for several years now, winning titles and reviving memories of Wolf juggernauts of the past.

“I would say basketball is my favorite sport, because of how it’s not just about you,” Hoskins said. “It’s about the teamwork and being there for your teammates.

“What I like most about being an athlete is being a part of a team and learning you can’t blame everything on your team,” she added. “You have to accept responsibility for your actions.”

On the hardwood Hoskins is an intense defender, and one quick to dive for loose balls or end up in a wrestling match for a rebound.

While she wants to maintain her intensity, she realizes she needs to pick her moments to go full-tilt.

“I would say some of my strengths as an athlete are I’m determined to the very end and I will put my full 100 percent in everything,” Hoskins said. “Areas I’d like to work on are keeping my cool, mainly in basketball.”

When she’s not playing or practicing, she likes to hang out with friends, both online and in person.

That carries over to people from other schools as well, as a common sight at middle school games was Hoskins delivering enthusiastic hugs to many of the rival players when they arrived in the CMS gym.

She knew all of them, they knew her, and every game was like a happy reunion for both sides.

Hoskins, who wants to “go to state at least once in track and basketball,” deeply appreciates her large support crew.

“People who have helped me make me the person I am are my Swish teammates like Isabelle (Wells), Kylie (Van Velkinburgh), Anya (Leavell), and Kiara (Contreras).

“My family always supports me in all my sports and always pushes me to do more.”

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Heart of a lion!!

Posted in Basketball, Track, tagged , , , , on July 8, 2018| 2 Comments »

Kiara Contreras, a scrappy ball-hawk for the Wolves, makes her high school debut this fall. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Contreras flies in a relay this spring.

Kiara Contreras is a scrapper.

The fast-rising young athlete, who will be a freshman at Coupeville High School this fall, always played with a wild abandon during her middle school days.

Whether jousting on the volleyball or basketball court, or zipping around a track oval, Contreras never gave less than her best.

And her best usually involved things like diving between rival players to snare a loose ball on the hardwood, then spinning away and leading a mad charge to the net for a breakaway layup.

She might not be the biggest player on the floor, but Contreras always has one of the biggest hearts on display.

It’s a trait she shares with her cousins, CHS juniors Willow and Raven Vick, who Contreras hails as role models, along with mom Angella.

“I’m very competitive,” Contreras said, though she admits, “I need to work on being confident in myself.”

The young warrior, who enjoys math class, hanging out with family and friends and “practicing to get better,” plans to stick with basketball and track as she enters high school.

While she enjoys both sports, it’s hoops which claims her greatest devotion.

“Basketball is my favorite sport because of the adrenaline and meeting new people,” Contreras said. “(I like) the work you put into it and the competition.”

Regardless of what she’s doing, she will approach every day, every practice, every game, filled with a desire to make sure people remember her name, and her dedication, long after the final whistle.

“My goals are to work hard and hopefully make it to state before I graduate,” Contreras said.

Don’t doubt her.

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Young gun ready to shoot for the big time!!

Posted in Baseball, Basketball, Football, tagged , , , , on July 7, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Cody Roberts (11) muscles in for a bucket during a game last season. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Roberts is a key member of an undefeated Coupeville Babe Ruth squad headed to the state tourney next week.

Cody Roberts has been in the game for a while now.

The youngest of three brothers, he started playing baseball when he was three. Now, like older siblings CJ and Brian, he’s ready to make an impact at the next level.

A three-sport athlete (he suits up for the Wolves in football, basketball, and baseball), Roberts will be a freshman at Coupeville High School in the fall.

Part of a strong group of young Central Whidbey athletes, he has his eyes firmly set on success.

“I plan to stay with all three sports; my goal is to stay fit and hopefully lead a couple teams to some state championships,” Roberts said.

He’s in the running for a title this summer, playing a key role on a Coupeville Babe Ruth baseball team which is rolling along with a 16-0 record.

The Wolves are off to Ephrata next week for the state tournament, another chance for Roberts to take the diamond and play the game he loves most.

“Baseball is my favorite because it’s what I am best at and I have been playing it since I was three,” he said.

Roberts, who enjoys spending time with friends and hails math as his favorite class, works hard to “always have some play money.”

But, around that, he devotes a lot of his time to athletics, and continues to fine-tune his skills set as he matures.

“I like being an athlete because it gives you a goal,” Roberts said. “And also a reason to keep your grades up and it keeps you off the streets.”

When he assesses his own game, he sees areas he likes and areas he wants to strengthen.

“My weakness is going down easily when losing,” Roberts said. “But my strength is helping my team stay up even when we’re tired.”

As he looks backwards at his run through little league, youth sports and middle school, and then turns and gazes at the wide-open possibilities which high school will offer, the young star always goes back to pay tribute to those who believed in him from the start.

“My mom (Heidi), and my dad (Brent), have had very big impacts on my sports life,” Roberts said. “And my grandma, cause she takes me to all my sports and encourages them.

“My mom coached me in baseball for a couple years and my parents put me in sports and kept me in them.”

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