Hunter Smith, swooping to the hoop, is one of three players in CHS basketball history with his first name, joining Hunter Hammer and Hunter Downes. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)
There is only one Jacobi in 103 seasons, however, and it’s Jacobi Pilgrim.
There have been seven Jason’s in a CHS varsity uniform, but the one with Bagby as his last name still stands tall.
The history of the Coupeville High School boys basketball program is my great white whale.
It stretches out across 103 seasons, and, while a chunk of the records seem all but lost to the whims of time, I think we’ve done a pretty good job of documenting things.
As of this morning, I’ve recorded 74,587 points, tossed in to the bucket by 391 different varsity players.
Our inability to completely figure out career scoring totals for ’50s supernovas Jack Elzinga and Tom Sahli remains a thorn in my side.
And, while I have two seasons from the 1920’s locked down cold (Roy Armstrong was The Man), the ’30s will probably always be a mystery, unfortunately.
But, we go with what we have, while always hoping someone, someday, will unearth a treasure trove of scorebooks from the olden, golden days.
Today, following in the footsteps of Saturday’s story about CHS girls basketball scoring by first name, we’re doing the same quarantine-related stat-shuffling.
What do we find?
When you’re talking about 103 years, and changing popularity of names, it’s a wild mishmash.
We’ve got a Banky, a Gaylord, an Ulrik, a LaVerne, a Koa, and a couple of guys named … Guy.
Plus, a Caesar, an Utz, a Zepher, a Raleigh, an Ariah, and a Boom.
Also, as expected, a whole lot of John’s, Brian’s, Jason’s, and Scott’s.
Topping them all, however, is Mike, with no less than 11 guys with that name scoring for the Wolf hoops team over the years.
Bagby, Criscuola, Syreen, Millenbach, Mallo, Ankney, Ellsworth, Brown, Duke, Lester, and Eaton, working our way down the chart.
Or is it 12, if we count the one guy who went by Michael during his b-ball days, Michael Vaughan?
While the Coupeville girls program has five letters (F, O, Q, U, and X) which have never appeared at the start of a first name, part of that may be due to their much-briefer history.
With 103 seasons to just 46, the Wolf boys rep every letter except Y.
Y not, one asks?
Is no one brave enough to name their son after the hero in the 1982 sci-fi “classic” Yor, Hunter from the Future?
While we wait for that day, Xavier Murdy, Oscar Liquidano, and Quinten Farmer are the first, and so far, only ones, to stand tall for their opening initials.
As is Ian Smith, as in somewhat of a surprise to me, I is also one of the four letters with just one Wolf boy to call its own.
Maybe all the moms and dads just slid by I and landed on J, because, with 59 players, it routs the field.
R (42), D (38), and B (37) made decent runs, but it’s still a blowout.
Cause, it’s basketball, and when you need someone to drain a J, you turn to a J.
Simple as that.
How the letters rank, with total boys followed by total points:
A – 12/2771
B – 37/9045
C – 29/5867
D – 38/5583
E – 12/1356
F – 4/1142
G – 19/4658
H – 8/2848
I – 1/324
J – 59/11,236
K – 12/1738
L – 6/196
M – 32/6479
N – 9/1454
O – 1/1
P – 7/3169
Q – 1/75
R – 42/6560
S – 21/2930
T – 29/3850
U – 2/478
V – 2/877
W – 4/1476
X – 1/99
Y – zip
Z – 3/375
By first names:
Aaron (2) – 601
Alan (1) – 198
Alex (1) – 272
Allen (1) – 305
Andrew (3) – 295
Anthony (1) – 176
Ariah (1) – 5
Arik (1) – 867
Asa (1) – 52
Banky (1) – 44
Barry (1) – 769
Ben (5) – 914
Bill (5) – 1957
Blaine (1) – 393
Blake (1) – 299
Bob (2) – 321
Bobby (1) – 7
Boom (1) – 275
Brad (5) – 1978
Brandon (1) – 245
Brandy (1) – 58
Brian (8) – 1318
Bruce (1) – 9
Bryan (1) – 99
Bud (1) – 19
Byron (1) – 340
Caesar (1) – 369
Caleb (2) – 499
Cameron (1) – 80
Carson (1) – 86
Casey (2) – 654
Cedric (1) – 17
Chad (3) – 549
Charlie (3) – 371
Chris (6) – 1248
Christian (2) – 211
Chuck (2) – 42
CJ (1) – 54
Cody (1) – 518
Corey (1) – 811
Craig (1) – 132
Curt (1) – 226
Dale (2) – 357
Dalton (2) – 95
Dan (3) – 850
Dane (1) – 20
Daniel (3) – 42
Danny (1) – 36
Dante (1) – 34
Dave (4) – 91
David (3) – 885
Dean (2) – 88
DeAndre (1) – 56
Del (1) – 440
Dennis (1) – 57
Denny (3) – 1409
Desmond (1) – 11
Dick (1) – 352
DJ (1) – 13
Don (3) – 549
Doug (1) – 45
Drew (1) – 56
Duane (1) – 76
Dustin (1) – 21
Ed (2) – 225
Eddie (1) – 45
Ellis (1) – 56
Eric (3) – 392
Erick (1) – 40
Erik (2) – 69
Ethan (1) – 352
Evan (1) – 177
Foster (1) – 668
Frank (2) – 465
Fred (1) – 9
Gabe (2) – 908
Gary (3) – 984
Gavin (3) – 952
Gaylord (1) – 41
Geoff (2) – 381
George (2) – 148
Glen (1) – 12
Glenn (1) – 350
Greg (2) – 852
Guy (2) – 30
Harold (1) – 323
Harvey (1) – 265
Hawthorne (1) – 410
Henry (1) – 14
Hugh (1) – 145
Hunter (3) – 1691
Ian (1) – 324
Jack (1) – 646
Jacobi (1) – 111
James (3) – 511
Jared (1) – 24
Jason (7) – 1410
Jay (1) – 21
JD (2) – 378
Jean (1) – 17
Jeff (6) – 2300
Jered (1) – 156
Jeremy (2) – 64
Jerry (3) – 630
Jesse (1) – 119
Jim (6) – 1195
Jimmy (1) – 9
JJ (2) – 596
Joe (7) – 1153
Joel (1) – 217
Joey (1) – 121
John (7) – 1301
Jon (1) – 11
Jordan (2) – 230
Josh (1) – 16
Keith (2) – 319
Ken (1) – 11
Kevin (2) – 345
Kit (1) – 275
Koa (1) – 94
Kole (1) – 12
Kraig (1) – 8
Kramer (1) – 636
Kyle (2) – 38
Larry (1) – 26
LaVerne (1) – 12
Len (1) – 61
Les (1) – 69
Lewis (1) – 25
Luke (1) – 3
Marc (2) – 600
Marion (1) – 2
Mark (2) – 190
Martin (1) – 58
Marvin (2) – 68
Mason (1) – 414
Matt (7) – 605
Meryl (1) – 1
Michael (1) – 337
Mike (9) – 3639
Mitch (2) – 310
Monty (1) – 155
Morgan (2) – 100
Nate (1) – 5
Nevin (1) – 40
Nic (1) – 5
Nick (3) – 803
Noah (1) – 301
Noel (1) – 298
Norm (1) – 2
Oscar (1) – 1
Pat (5) – 2250
Paul (1) – 2
Pete (1) – 917
Quentin (1) – 75
Raleigh (1) – 1
Ralph (2) – 33
Randy (4) – 1869
Ray (2) – 397
Rich (3) – 856
Richard (4) – 514
Rick (4) – 321
Risen (1) – 291
Rob (2) – 26
Robbie (1) – 2
Robert (4) – 49
Robin (1) – 342
Roger (1) – 168
Ron (3) – 247
Ross (1) – 77
Roy (3) – 822
Rusty (1) – 3
Ryan (4) – 542
Sam (1) – 58
Sandy (1) – 118
Scott (7) – 504
Sean (3) – 960
Shawn (1) – 197
Sid (1) – 3
Stanley (1) – 48
Stephen (1) – 2
Steve (4) – 1024
Steven (1) – 16
Taylor (1) – 114
Ted (1) – 91
Teo (1) – 2
Terry (1) – 277
Tim (4) – 424
Timm (1) – 345
Toby (1) – 28
Todd (2) – 41
Tom (4) – 822
Tony (3) – 504
Tracy (1) – 3
Travis (1) – 10
Trent (1) – 23
Trevor (2) – 216
Troy (2) – 305
Tucker (1) – 6
Ty (1) – 369
Tyler (1) – 270
Ulrik (1) – 152
Utz (1) – 326
Vance (1) – 203
Virgil (1) – 674
Wade (1) – 659
Wayne (2) – 185
Wiley (1) – 632
Xavier (1) – 99
Zack (1) – 66
Zeb (1) – 35
Zepher (1) – 274
