Coupeville Sports

The face Brittany Black (right) shows her friends.

And the face she used to show foes on the basketball court.

You do not want to call out the assistant coaches this season.

With David and Amy King taking the reigns full-time for the Coupeville High School girls’ basketball program, they have brought in three volunteer coaches with them. Coaches with sterling resumes as players. Coaches with plenty of state tourney experience who know a thing or two about big-game heroics.

Coaches who can still take the ball to the hole and beat your smack-talkin’ rear, if need be.

Former Wolf stars (that should probably read superstars…) Brittany Black and Ashley Ellsworth-Bagby and former Woodland baller Ashley Kellison are not going to be the type of assistants who merely roll the ball on the court and then take a seat. How better to help shape a new generation of players than by having still relevant former players pass on the skills that took them to a higher level?

“I am stoked on this opportunity and can’t wait to help bring back the detailed, disciplined, “old-school Wolves” style of Coupeville girls’ basketball,” Black said.

Black and big sister Lexie were a potent force for Coupeville, leading the Wolves to the top of the Cascade Conference, before both went on to play college ball at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Now, after living in Santa Cruz, CA, the 2006 CHS grad is back on The Rock and raring to go.

While attending softball games with her dad Tom last spring, she bantered with the Kings. Eventually one thing led to another.

“We would talk about how great it would be to have BOTH of them back in the gym, and when I got word David had been hired, I was stoked!,” Black said. “I showed up to a couple open gyms he hosted during the summer, and he asked if I wanted to help out! I didn’t hesitate at the opportunity to be back in the gym, working with one of my favorite coaches, and giving back to the sport I love so much.

“When I found out Amy was hired too, it was the icing on the cake!,” she added. “Since then it’s been great talking ball with them and the Ashley’s, listening to their vision for this season and getting excited for practice to start!”

Once try-outs begin this Monday, she’ll be keeping stats on the players abilities and attitudes during practice. After that, she expects to get in a little 1-on-1 work with players. With each of the three volunteer coaches having played a different position during their days on the hard court, they each have something different to offer.

“I’ll probably be helping the girls around the 3-4, power forward spot, working on skills necessary for that position, within the Kings‘ system,” Black said.

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Jaime (Rasmussen) Burrows, passing on her star quality to her son.

Willie Smith saves this reaction for any fool who doesn’t recognize the greatness of his 1999-2000 Wolf girls’ hoops squad.

Legends are made in a moment.

Twelve years, eight months and two days ago, Jaime (Rasmussen) Burrows made hers, and forever etched her name and her team into Coupeville High School history.

A defensive spark-plug for the Wolf girls’ basketball team, Burrows left most of the scoring to the triple-threat buzzsaw of Ashley Ellsworth-Bagby, Brianne King and Tina (Lyness) Joiner. But that day — March 2, 2000 — it was the unsung senior who took the ball, pump-faked the world and spun down the baseline for the biggest basket of her career.

Moments later, when she iced a 20-5 fourth quarter comeback with two perfect free throws, CHS had a stunning 46-42 win over Freeman, the first-ever victory at the state tournament in Wolf girls’ basketball history.

Rumors that Coupeville coach Willie Smith shrieked like a little girl getting a new pony are just that, rumors. But the memory still warms the heart of the veteran coach, who toils as a baseball guru these days.

“This was a group of girls patterned after my own heart: tough, disciplined, team oriented, and with a fair amount of goofiness,” Smith said. “This illustrates why I loved coaching that team — we had Lyness, Bagby and King, three of the biggest names in girls basketball and it was Jaime Rasmussen who got us going and it was those three girls that kept feeding her the ball.

“If ever there could be a team that defined what team play was like, this would be the one,” he added. “And this was true of so many other games.

“Rachelle Solomon who was coming off of ACL injury and was tough, quick, and fearless, Tracy Taylor, our big man who wasn’t, but could care less about how big the other players were and was relentless defensively and as a rebounder, Yasmeen Knox, super athletic, wasn’t tall but played big, Penny Griggs, Laura and Emily Young — all three were so crucial to the team because of how hard they worked in practice and could come into games and give us crucial time.”

And the woman of the moment? She remains forever low-key about her own innate studliness, subtly waving away my offer to claim glory for herself.

“Oh Dave, we were a great team and always played as a team!,” Burrows said. “We played hard and solid as a team the whole game but really proved our perseverance at the end.”

Not that she doesn’t look back on her moment in the spotlight fondly. Now a wife and mother of two living on the frozen tundra in Wisconsin, where’s she studying to be a network engineer, Burrows can still see the plays crystal clear in her memory.

“I remember how nervous, yet calm, I was, standing at the free-throw line,” Burrows said. “Free throws were always something that I struggled with, mostly because of the pressure, but, miraculously that day, I had it going on!

“My pump fake baseline layup was also quite memorable,” she added. “I think about it now and it is almost surreal … definitely some of my best memories.”

The 1999-2000 squad caught some by surprise. Coming on the heels of an immensely-talented, state-qualifying Wolf squad of two years earlier, led by Ann Pettit, Zenovia Barron, Hilary Kortuem and Maureen Wetmore, that year’s team wasn’t as highly regarded.

Chief among the detractors were Archbishop Thomas Murphy, which came in through the front door swaggering and undefeated, then retreated out the back door, licking its wounds after the Wolves beat them twice in the final week of the season.

“Murphy had just moved into our league that year and their coach was fairly arrogant about how good his team would be and how he wouldn’t be challenged until the playoffs,” Smith said. “We started off with some injuries and illnesses, so early in the season, he, along with everyone else was probably thinking he was right.

“But we got everyone back right before league started and things started clicking,” he added. “We ended up blowing Murphy out at home by twenty some points, when Bagby had an unreal first half.”

Then came the biggie.

“The game that put us into the tournament was also against Murphy and was loser out. It went down to the last 10 seconds of the game and we had the ball,” Smith said.

“I pulled Tina aside and sat with her for about two or three minutes on the bench in the fourth quarter. I had her watch, then turned to her and said, ‘You know what they’re saying about you? They are saying you aren’t good enough to worry about guarding and don’t think you can beat them’,” he added. “Well, she went out and scored 10 or 12 points that quarter, including the game winner with no time on the clock over their two six foot players.”

“One of my favorite moments in all of high school basketball,” Joiner said. “To eliminate ATM from heading to state was extremely satisfying.”

A feeling that Burrows completely agrees with.

I think my favorite memory was when we beat ATM to go to state; they were such a thorn in my side that season because of their arrogance,” Burrows said. “It was amazing the crowd support and when the bleachers swarmed the court at the end it was AWESOME!

“It is a fond memory and one that I will treasure forever,” she added. “It holds a special place in my heart because of my teammates and our spectacular coaches who put so much into helping us succeed as a team and as individuals.”

Now scattered, living their adult lives, but still connected by friendship and the memories of their miracle season, the ’99-’00 hoop squad is one that remains a personal favorite of its coach.

“They didn’t care who scored, didn’t care who got the headlines, were fearless, relentless, and hated to lose. That’s why I loved that team!,” Smith said. “I could go on forever about this team; I could talk about all the pranks we played on each other, the summer tourneys — it was just a great, fun team.

“I don’t think, and I may be a bit biased, but I just have not seen a team like that around here since,” he added. “There have been some good teams, but I can’t believe that there is one that was as tough and as united as that team.”

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Tina (Lyness) Joiner on her wedding day to Jason Joiner.

“I do not like to be bored!”

That short but concise statement just about sums up the 30 years of Tina (Lyness) Joiner’s life so far. From transcendent high school basketball star to college graduate and successful businesswoman to expectant mother (with husband Jason Joiner, a fellow CHS Class of 2000 alum), she’s always had three or four projects going at the same time.

One of the leaders of the 1999-2000 Coupeville High School girls’ basketball team — the first Wolf girls’ squad to win a game at the state tournament — she was deadly with the ball in her hand.

Her ever-present smile may have deceived opposing team’s into believing she was too nice to beat them, but she would stab you through the heart at clutch time (and keep on smiling.)

In fact, it was her short eight-footer at the buzzer that stunned the basketball world, lifting Coupeville past fifth-ranked Archbishop Thomas Murphy 43-42 at tri-districts that season, sending the Wolves to state and ATM off to cry for several days.

The shot capped an incredible fourth quarter run for Joiner, who poured in 11 of her 19 points in the final eight minutes. ATM had come into the regular season finale at 19-0, only to have the underdog Wolves bounce them both that night and then at tri-districts.

More than twelve years later, the memory still warms Joiner’s heart.

“To eliminate ATM from heading to state was extremely satisfying,” Joiner said. “Overall, the whole season was an awesome memory.

“I had so much fun with all the girls and love the game of basketball,” she added. “I sometimes wish I could go back to those days.”

The good times continued through the next week for Joiner and her teammates, as Coupeville pulled off an even more stunning comeback at the state tourney, outscoring Freeman 20-5 in the fourth quarter to win 46-42.

With the triple-threat of Joiner, Ashley Ellsworth-Bagby and Brianne King watching, it was defensive spark-plug Jaime (Rasmussen) Burrows who spun down the baseline and sank the go-ahead shot. When Burrows swished two clutch free throws to ice the win seconds later, March 2, 2000 was forever cemented as the biggest day in Wolf girls’ basketball history.

“The Freeman victory at the state tourney is one I will never forget,” Joiner said. “The excitement surrounding the 4th quarter comeback was indescribable then and still is now.

“Coach (Willie) Smith lit a fire in our hearts and minds at the beginning of the quarter and there was no turning back,” she added. “Losing was not an option, at least not for me.

We weren’t always the most polished group of girls to take the court but we were scrappy and our defense won many games for us that season.”

She didn’t know it at the time, but the state joy ride would be her final go-around as a hoops star. She attracted considerable interest from the community college level, but opted to attend the University of Washington and put away her basketball shoes.

It’s a decision she regrets a bit.

“At the time, I thought it was a good decision, but deep down I really wish I would have continued playing basketball, even if it was only for another couple of years,” Joiner said.

A go-getter, she found new outlets to replace basketball, having managed a fitness facility, ran a Mary Kay business and attended nursing school. She and her husband remained in Coupeville, which allows her to stay in contact with many of her former teammates.

“The beauty of growing up in a small town is that you seem to always know bits and pieces of what is going on with everyone, either through their parents or running into them when they are on the Island,” Joiner said.

And, as her own child (due in early December) begins to grow up and possible follow their mother as a superstar athlete, she will always have her memories to pass along as inspiration.

“Winning the Freeman game back then was definitely the highlight of not only the season, but of my entire life playing sports,” Joiner said. “We put a lot of hard work into our practices and games but sometimes it comes down to who simply wants it more and that was us.

“From time to time I look back and reminisce about the experience playing at the Tacoma Dome and it still has an impact on my life,” she added. “I fully believe that anything is possible and if you expect great things, great things will happen.”

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