Posted in Basketball, tagged Basketball, Caleb Meyer, Hawthorne Wolfe, NBC Camps, skills camp on July 19, 2024| Leave a Comment »
It’s always basketball season. (Brad Sherman photos)
One generation, passing on basketball knowledge to the next.
The Coupeville High School gym was alive with the sound of squeaking shoes as former Wolf hoops stars Caleb Meyer and Hawthorne Wolfe helped lead a recent skills camp.
The event was run by NBC Camps and attracted a pack of future hardwood heroes.
Posted in Boys Basketball, Boys Soccer, Hall o' Fame, Track, tagged Basketball, CHS Wolves, Hall of Fame, Nick Guay, Soccer, track and field on July 8, 2024| Leave a Comment »
Nick Guay, having fun every step of the way. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
So, one night, Nick Guay swung by the duplex and dropped off chocolate chip cookies sent my way from his mom.
Was that, in itself, enough to earn him induction into the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame?
Well, it didn’t hurt…
Still, cookies or no cookies (and always choose cookies), Guay more than earned HoF status with his year-round play across the last four years.
The lanky one suited up for Coupeville High School in soccer, basketball, and track and field, and made sizable contributions in all three.
On the pitch, Guay rattled home 14 goals, the sixth-most in program history.
And he did so even with his freshman season reduced to just a handful of games thanks to the pandemic.
Guay scored in all four of his campaigns, jumping from one score as a frosh to five as a sophomore, punching in two as a junior, then closing with a six-goal burst in his final go-round.
Carried off the pitch by his teammates after a playoff thriller. (Morgan White photo)
But he was more than a goal scorer, as he was also a goal denier, often playing in the net for Coupeville, with maybe his biggest day coming in the playoffs as a junior.
Squaring off with Lopez Island and Providence Classical Christian in a three-team tiebreaker on the turf at Oak Harbor Stadium, the Wolves won both games to earn the lone bi-district playoff slot up for grabs.
Guay blanked the Lobos 1-0, then came up big on both sides of the ball during a penalty kick shootout to break a scoreless regulation tie with PCC.
Stepping out of the net, he joined Preston Epp and Aidan Wilson in popping balls into the corner of the net to stake CHS to a 3-2 lead.
Down to its final shooter, PCC needed a miracle, and its prayers went unanswered under cloudy skies as Guay caused his rival to shank the ball to the left on the final shot of the day.
Taking his silky-smooth style of play to the hardwood, he saw varsity action in three seasons, racking up 213 points with a mix of three-balls and swooping layups.
That puts him 136th all-time for a program which has played since 1917, right between fellow all-timers Ryan Keefe and Jordan Ford.
But again, Guay’s contributions were about far more than just scoring.
He was a crafty rebounder — using his long reach to snag key boards — a smart defender, and a guy who always brought a big burst of energy with him to the floor.
Along the way, Guay was part of two squads which won league and bi-district titles while advancing to state.
Making it to the big dance was something he also accomplished in track, where he closed out his CHS career by earning 5th place at the state meet in the high jump.
Stretching for that elusive extra inch. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
That senior season saw Guay also compete at state in the 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 relays.
Overall, he racked up 27 wins across three seasons of track and field, competing in sprints, relays, the high jump, the long jump, and, for one moment, the shot put.
A talented athlete who could do it all, and look smooth at every moment, Guay was also one of Coupeville’s top 10 seniors in terms of GPA and received his fair share of honors for his off-field accomplishments.
From the stands, it always looked like he greatly enjoyed his time wearing a Wolf uniform, bringing a sense of style and an upbeat attitude, whether he was in the middle of the action, or cheering on his teammates.
So, yes, even if he hadn’t delivered chocolate chip cookies to Coupeville Sports world headquarters, we’d most likely still be doing this.
Nick Guay will be remembered by Wolf fans, young and old, and hailed for what he accomplished and how he accomplished it long after his graduation.
Today, we swing open the doors to the Hall o’ Fame, adding him to our roster.
After this you’ll find him up at the top of the blog, under the Legends tab, making the joint a whole lot cooler for his presence.
A fan favorite. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
Posted in Basketball, tagged Basketball, CHS Wolves, freshman, Graham Ike, Khanor Jump, track and field on July 1, 2024| Leave a Comment »
Khanor Jump lets it rip in the discus throw. (Ana Mc Fetridge photo)
The youngest is making a name for himself.
Coupeville High School freshman Khanor Jump follows in the footsteps of sisters Taygin and Aleksia, both successful athletes, but he’s carving out his own path.
He was a key member of basketball and track teams at the middle school level, while practicing with the high school football team.
Having made the move from 8th grade to 9th grade, Jump is now eligible to fully suit up for the Wolf gridiron program and will do so.
After that, he plans to return to the hardwood and the track oval and has already attended basketball camp at Gonzaga University with fellow CHS hoops players.
“I learned a lot from the Gonzaga camp we went to,” Jump said. “And meeting some of the basketball players, like Graham Ike and other athletes.”
The young Wolf, who picks basketball as his favorite sport — “It’s just fun to me” — also has positive role models closer to home, and was a big fan of Nick Guay, who helped lead CHS back to state as a senior last season.
Like the silky two-way terror who played a key role for Brad Sherman’s hoops squad, Jump hits the floor determined to make an immediate impact.
“I don’t care who’s guarding me, I will play as I always play,” he said. “I am not intimidated.”
Jump comes flying in hot on defense. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
Jump would like to work on “getting stronger in all my positions and events,” with a goal of “being on the varsity team at most in 10th grade.”
Already pretty springy, and getting taller by the day, he’d also like to “hopefully dunk in high school.”
A fan of “classic ’80s/’90s rock and roll,” Marvel movies, and playing video games to unwind, Jump doesn’t have any favorite classes, but aims for good grades.
He hails from an athletic family — Taygin is a college track star in New York, while mom Christina is an accomplished runner — and approaches every sports challenge with a can-do attitude.
Jump praises his parents for “putting me in sports,” and enjoys watching games and movies like The Last Dance, which documented Michael Jordan’s exploits while leading the Chicago Bulls to multiple NBA titles.
In his own life, the Wolf frosh enjoys all the benefits of being a year-round athlete.
“I like being part of a team,” Jump said. “I like working out and becoming stronger and being challenged.”
Posted in Basketball, tagged Avery Parker, Basketball, Coupeville Youth Basketball Association, Greg White, skills camp on June 29, 2024| Leave a Comment »
Avery Parker drills a jumper over Greg White. (Photos courtesy Brad Sherman)
If you open the gym, they will come.
The Coupeville Youth Basketball Association held a two-day skills camp for kids in grades K-5, attracting nearly 60 players.
The event was broken down into two groups, with K-2 playing together and 3-5 taking the court after them.
High school and middle school coaches led the camp, while current CHS players assisted, creating a positive experience for players both young and (relatively) old.
Posted in Baseball, Boys Basketball, Boys Soccer, Cross Country, Hall o' Fame, tagged baseball, Basketball, boys soccer, CHS Wolves, Cole White, cross country, Hall of Fame on June 21, 2024| Leave a Comment »
Cole White drills a jumper. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
He bled for Wolf Nation.
Frequently.
Cole White, the pale prairie prince, has been one of Coupeville’s best athletes and students over the history of this blog, and one who never shied away from sacrificing his body for the good of his team.
This past winter, as he helped lead the Wolf boys’ basketball team back to the state tourney, he got smacked in the face, had his fingers stepped on, got kneed in the groin, and frequently had to meet behind the bench with the athletic trainer to deal with the aftereffects of being roughed up.
And yet, almost every time, White was back in the game, and back in the thick of the action, moments later.
Fingers taped up, bandages applied, stuff jammed up his nose, he was back at it, draining jumpers in his rivals faces, ripping a ball loose during a battle on the floor, or whipping a pass between defenders to set up a teammate for an easy bucket.
Like his dad, Greg, before him, Cole led by example, a solid leader and award-winner in three sports a year.
Dependable could be his middle name, as the lanky whirlwind was like a second coach on the floor, the pitch, or the diamond — calm, cool, and collected.
He played soccer, basketball, and baseball at CHS, and even ran cross country in the early going and was Mr. Smooth no matter the season.
Off to dominate on the soccer pitch. (Jackie Saia photo)
On the soccer pitch, Morgan’s favorite son and Riley’s big brother knocked in 10 goals — one of just 12 Wolf boys to reach double digits in their career.
He might have gone higher, but his freshman season had just six games, thanks to the pandemic.
White shrugged that off, trending upwards as he bashed in six of those 10 goals as a senior, when he earned First-Team All-League honors as a midfielder.
Better yet, he helped lead the Wolves to their best record in years, during a season in which Coupeville held its own in a league anchored by state soccer powerhouses like Friday Harbor and Orcas Island.
Winning is kind of his thing. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
Once he moved to the hardwood for basketball, White was a key member of a senior-heavy team which won a bi-district title and advanced to state for the second time in the last three seasons.
A Second-Team All-League pick, he snagged the Defensive Player of the Year award from his coaches, while also pumping in 205 points.
Cole finished his high school hoops career with 405 points, and he and Greg (604) are the first father-son duo to combine for 1,000+ points in the 107-year history of CHS basketball.
But he wasn’t done there, as he anchored a Wolf baseball team which made its second consecutive trip to state.
Excellence fueled by sunflower seeds. (Jackie Saia photo)
Playing shortstop and swinging a lethal bat, the Second-Team All-League pick racked up 19 runs, 15 walks, 15 stolen bases, 13 hits, and eight RBI during his senior campaign.
Oh, and he was honored by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association with the Cliff Gillies Award, which recognizes student/athletes who excel in scholarship, citizenship, and participation in activities.
Plus, he was valedictorian, so smart as well as athletic.
For all those reasons — the quality stats, the commitment, the work ethic, the intelligence — plus the fact he’s an internet star thanks to mom’s streaming service, and he has always just seemed like a really good guy, Cole is an easy pick to join the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame.
As he heads off to Gonzaga in the fall, the world is his, and I have little doubt he will accomplish much in the years to come.
But before he goes, let’s take a moment to honor Cole for what he has already done, and the classy manner in which he has done it.
After this, he’ll join dad up at the top of the blog, under the Legends tab.
He’s earned it, every step of the way.
The first steps on his way to being a Hall o’ Famer. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
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