Coupeville Sports

Drew Chan, following in the successful foot steps of older sister Laura.

Chan stops and pops in a game last season. (Shelli Trumbull photo)

Drew Chan goes all day, every day.

A two-sport stud (baseball and basketball), the Coupeville High School senior is the face of Wolf hoops, even if that face is often slamming into the floor going after loose balls. If the rest of his team rises to his grittiness and competitiveness, which is CHS coach Anthony Smith’s plan, watch out Cascade Conference.

“I’ll take 10 Drew Chan’s any day,” Smith said. “He might not be the most polished basketball player, but he will outwork everyone else without fail. I love to see that.”

For Chan, a shooting guard who started playing in the local rec league while in elementary school, hustling and sacrificing his body for team glory is just part of his DNA. His dad is a huge basketball fan and Drew has always enjoyed watching games with his old man.

“I love the fast pace of the game and the team aspect that you must rely on each other to be successful,” Chan said. “My strengths are that I will do anything it takes to help my team to a win, whether that’s diving for a ball or cheering from the bench.

“I never quit and will always try to outwork the other team with my physical play,” he added. “No matter who you are, I won’t back down.”

Not that he’s a total ruffian.

“Both my parents have been huge in making me the man I am today,” Chan said. “From the beginning they stressed how important manners and good behavior were. They have always told me to do my best and are always there for me when I need them.

But once on the court, the pleasant attitude is replaced with the face of a warrior. Sparked by his leadership and never-say-die spirit, the Wolves will look to rebound from a winless season last year, with more experience and a deeper team bond to drive them.

“Over last year our team made some major improvements in all aspects of the game and the experience that everyone got is important for us having a good season this year,” Chan said. “Our team chemistry has also greatly improved and it will show on the court now that we have a season together and trust each other.

Along with playing ball, he splits time between the classroom and working as a produce clerk at Payless Foods in Freeland. He is also the co-president of Honor Society and president of the Leo Lion club.

Chan plans to major in kinesiology at Washington State University and wants to keep his love affair with sports going, at the very least by playing rec league sports at the college level.

And once he hits college, he will be able to draw on what he has learned at CHS, both on the court and the diamond and in the classroom.

“One of my favorite classes is college prep contemporary issues because I love history and what it teaches us,” Chan said. “Mrs. Ballard is one of my favorite teachers because she has taken one of my weaker subjects and made it a strong one and she is always pushing you to do better.”

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Gavin O’Keefe draws a bead on the basket in a game last season. (Shelli Trumbull photo)

The O’Keefe family business is basketball, and business is good. Very good.

Coupeville High School junior Gavin O’Keefe is a hard-nosed hustler with a sweet shot, and a key member of a Wolf program on the rise. A team captain last year, he will be looked to for leadership and scoring both this season.

“He was a captain as a sophomore and he’ll be a captain until he’s a senior,” said Coupeville coach Anthony Smith. “He plays the game the way you want your kids to play. Very dedicated, no babysitting required.”

Which is hardly a surprise, since both his older brother (Kramer) and sister (Kendra) were Wolf stars, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to O’Keefe success on the hard court.

“Basketball has always been a part of my life; my dad played, my uncles played and my brother and sister all played for Coupeville,” O’Keefe said. “I started playing in first grade when my dad coached a parks and recreational team and I loved playing basketball so I stuck with it.”

A shooting guard who can also double as a point guard, O’Keefe is a gym rat. Put a basketball in his hands and he’s at peace with the world.

“I enjoy pretty much everything about basketball,” O’Keefe said. “I just love being out on the court and competing.

“I’ve always been a good shooter and passer, and being around basketball my whole life I know the sport pretty well,” he added. “This off-season I’ve worked really hard on improving my off-hand dribbling as well as gaining about eight pounds of muscle.”

He has his eyes set firmly on making a run at All-Conference honors this season (“I’ve put a lot of work in the off-season to be the player I know I can be”), but knows that team success will mean more than his just putting up some impressive individual stats.

“Just improving individually and gaining chemistry as a team (is my goal),” O’Keefe said. “Confidence is huge. When you come into a game thinking you’re going to lose it won’t get you anywhere; we got a lot of experience last year against some really good teams, so I think coming into this year we have a lot more confidence.

A skateboarder and skimboarder who enjoys history class (“There are a lot of interesting things that have happened in history, so it’s pretty cool”) and the “Pink Panther” and “Transformer” movies, O’Keefe need only look in the stands at any Wolf game to know he has a strong supporting cast.

Basketball is an O’Keefe family tradition, and they come out to cheer for the sweet-shooting guard who may one day be the best hoops player the family has produced.

“My parents have always been a big part of my life,” O’Keefe said. “They try to be at every event that I’m participating in. My dad was at every game last year home and away, so that says a lot about the support he has for me.”

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