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Posts Tagged ‘Boys Basketball’

“I want to be the best player I can be”

Posted in Boys Basketball, Boys Soccer, tagged , , , , , on August 3, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Nick Guay is set to make the leap from middle school sports to high school stardom. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Guay leads the charge on the soccer pitch.

Nick Guay is in it for the long haul.

As he prepares for his freshman year at Coupeville High School, the multi-sport athlete is committed to putting in the time and effort needed to continue his growth as an athlete and student.

“There is nothing you can’t stop working on,” Guay said. “(I want) to continue to be the best player I can be.”

During his middle school days, he suited up for Wolf football, soccer, and basketball teams, and he plans to keep playing the latter two sports during his time at CHS.

Guay tabs basketball as his favorite sport, is fond of the movie Harry and the Hendersons, and shows impeccable musical taste for someone of his age, opting for classic rock from AC/DC and Led Zeppelin.

When he’s not practicing or playing in a game, he excels in his favorite classes — math and PE — and tries to spend as much time outside as possible.

“I love the outdoors and building things,” Guay said.

As he’s come up through the ranks, he’s made a name for himself as a hard worker and a hustler, an athlete willing to do whatever his team needs.

Guay hails his various coaches, and parents Dylan and Dina, for their guidance, and he enters high school with strong, team-orientated goals.

“(I want to) build a strong and positive team,” he said. “(I want to have) hard work, a positive attitude, and chemistry with other players.”

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They had a green light to shoot

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged , , , , on May 6, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Bill Riley has the 12th and 14th best individual scoring seasons in CHS boys basketball history. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Three players, seven of the best seasons. L to r are Randy Keefe (#7, #8, #50), Bill Jarrell (#5, #21), and Jeff Rhubottom (#2, #33). (Renae Mulholland photo)

There is no question the ’70s were a golden period for Coupeville High School boys basketball.

It started with the 1969-1970 Wolves, who were the first Whidbey Island hoops team to win a district title, the first CHS squad to go to state, and still the highest-scoring group in program history, 50 years later.

But that was just the beginning.

Whether we look at team accomplishments or individual achievement, the Me Decade players stand head and shoulders above everyone else.

That’s reflected when we look back at the 50 best single-season scoring totals put up by any Wolf hoops player.

Despite playing with no three-point line, while wearing short-shorts, ’70s players account for 19 of those slots.

No other decade even reaches double-digits, with the ’90s and 2000’s accounting for eight apiece.

The ’50s give us five, the ’60s four, and tied for last it’s the ’80s and 2010’s, which land just three top-50 performances.

Randy Keefe, who is #3 in career scoring, is the only Wolf to have three top-50 seasons, landing at #7, #8, and #50.

The only thing keeping him from making it 4-for-4? Freshmen weren’t allowed to play varsity basketball in the early ’70s.

There are 12 other Wolves who managed to crack the top 50 twice in their career, including Jeff Stone and Jeff Rhubottom, who own the best two individual performances.

Others occupying two slots include Bill Jarrell, Mike Bagby, Bill Riley, Hunter Smith, Gavin Keohane, Denny Clark, Jack Elzinga, Rich Morris, Chris Good, and Mike Criscoula.

Overall, 36 players have combined to account for the top 50 individual seasons.

As always when we discuss the 103-year history of the CHS boys basketball program, however, there is one small caveat.

We’re still missing a full season of scoring stats for Elzinga and two for Tom Sahli, who has the 39th best campaign in our semi-complete overview.

With that being said, the 50 best single-season scoring totals:

 

Jeff Stone – (644) – (1969-1970)
Jeff Rhubottom – (459) – (1977-1978)
Pete Petrov (442) – (1995-1996)
Arik Garthwaite – (423) – (1997-1998)
Bill Jarrell – (415) – (1975-1976)
Mike Bagby – (414) – (2004-2005)
Randy Keefe – (398) – (1974-1975)
Randy Keefe – (397) – (1975-1976)
Brad Sherman – (396) – (2002-2003)
Wade Ellsworth – (392) – (1978-1979)
Del O’Shell – (391) – (1981-1982)
Bill Riley – (388) – (1972-1973)
Joe Whitney – (388) – (1979-1980)
Bill Riley – (386) – (1971-1972)
Pat Clark – (384) – (1956-1957)
Hunter Smith – (382) – (2017-2018)
Cody Peters – (380) – (2008-2009)
Gavin Keohane – (374) – (1997-1998)
Denny Clark – (365) – (1963-1964)
Mike Bagby – (364) – (2005-2006)
Bill Jarrell – (357) – (1974-1975)
Gabe McMurray – (355) – (1994-1995)
Foster Farris – (348) – (1976-1977)
Timm Orsborn – (345) – (1987-1988)
Roy Marti – (342) – (1978-1979)
Virgil Roehl – (341) – (1992-1993)
Pat Bennett – (340) – (1999-2000)
Jack Elzinga – (337) – (1954-1955)
Steve Whitney – (337) – (1978-1979)
Corey Cross – (333) – (1970-1971)
Hunter Smith – (332) – (2016-2017)
Rich Morris – (328) – (1995-1996)
Jeff Rhubottom – (325) – (1976-1977)
Denny Clark – (319) – (1962-1963)
Randy Duggan – (319) – (1971-1972)
Chris Good – (319) – (2001-2002)
Jeff Stone – (317) – (1968-1969)
Dan Nieder – (313) – (1987-1988)
Tom Sahli – (310) – (1952-1953)
Jack Elzinga – (309) – (1955-1956)
Rich Morris – (309) – (1996-1997)
Mike Criscuola – (306) – (1958-1959)
Allen Black – (305) – (2003-2004)
Mike Criscuola – (305) – (1959-1960)
Chris Good – (305) – (2000-2001)
Marc Bissett – (302) – (1975-1976)
Hunter Hammer – (302) – (2009-2010)
Gavin Keohane – (300) – (1998-1999)
Pat O’Grady – (296) – (1969-1970)
Randy Keefe – (293) – (1973-1974)

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Put some respect on their name

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged , , , , on March 29, 2020| Leave a Comment »

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

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“That school bus represents hope”

Posted in Basketball, community, tagged , , , , on March 27, 2020| 1 Comment »

Waiting for the lunch bus. (Photos courtesy Brad Sherman)

Ready to chow down.

Brad Sherman is Coupeville through and through.

A teacher and head boys basketball coach at CHS, he and his brothers are the third generation of their family to graduate on the prairie.

Now Brad and wife Abbey have four young boys who are beginning their own school journeys in the town where their dad and grandma Deb are both teachers.

As everyone adjusts to the school shut-down brought on by the nation’s battle with the coronavirus pandemic, Coupeville’s Connected Food Program has made sure local students are still being fed.

One teacher and father’s thoughts, as Brad Sherman shares his perspective with us:

Brady looks out the window each morning when it’s approaching the time for lunches to arrive – he knows once he sees the bus turn on Sherman Road that he’s got about two minutes before they get around the loop to our house.

And when he sees the bus, and his bus driver (shout out to Mr. Jump), and whichever staff member is volunteering on the route to hand him lunches each day, he grins from ear to ear.

The other day, Mr. Kemmer was that staff member.

When the boys asked for turkey sandwiches, he responded: “Gobble, gobble.”

They called my mom to tell her how funny he was.

Our kids don’t understand the magnitude of what’s going on around them. They just know something is very different.

They miss their friends.

They wonder why they aren’t starting tee-ball.

And for them, this is about more than lunches.

It’s about a little bit of normal. That school bus represents hope.

It represents the hard work of so many at a school district that sincerely loves its kids.

Proud to call Coupeville home.

Proud to call this my school district.

And proud to work with a whole lot of amazing people.

Go Wolves!

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Happy half century, trailblazers

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged , , , , , on February 26, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Jeff Stone torched the nets for 644 points in the 1969-1970 season, the best single-season performance in Whidbey Island history. (Photos courtesy Stone)

Tim Quenzer slices ‘n dices the defense.

Pat O’Grady lofts a sweet jumper.

Bob Barker (left), the coach of the 69-70 squad, reunites with Stone during the 101st anniversary of CHS hoops in 2018. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

History waits for no man.

A week from today marks the 50th anniversary of arguably the biggest moment in the 100+ year run of Coupeville High School sports.

On March 4, 1970, the Wolf boys basketball team, coached by Bob Barker, stepped on to the floor to face Ritzville in the state basketball tourney.

It was the first time a CHS team had made it to the big dance in any sport, and that game, and another the next day against Kittitas, signaled the arrival of Coupeville on the main stage.

The 1969-1970 Wolf boys hoops team is still the standard-bearer for the program, five decades later.

Even with the addition of the three-point shot and other wrinkles tossed in to the game to fire up offenses, no one has touched the numbers rung up by that squad.

Jeff Stone rattled the rims for 644 points across 24 games, including a school-record 48 in a district title win against Darrington, while the Wolves as a team dropped in 1,836 points, breaking 100 four times.

All of those numbers, and the 114 scored in a win against Watson-Groen, still stand as the best in CHS history 50 years later.

While Coupeville fell in close games in both state bouts, it finished 20-4 and remains a revered team, not only for its scoring prowess, but for its landmark achievements.

When the Wolves beat Darrington 84-62, they became the first Whidbey Island basketball team to win a district title, beating out Oak Harbor and South Whidbey/Langley in the chase for immortality.

Stone’s 48-point explosion, which came on 17-28 shooting from the floor and 14-16 from the free-throw line, has never been seriously challenged.

And his numbers could have been bigger, as Barker pulled his 6-foot-4 tower of power with a full 90 seconds left to play.

Stone’s scoring, and his team’s season of success, were big in the moment.

Fifty years later, they’re even bigger.

 

The 1969-1970 CHS boys basketball team:

Bob Barker (Head Coach)
Craig Pedlar (Assistant Coach)

Pat Brown
Corey Cross
Marvin Darst
Tim Leese
Ralph Lindsay
Glenn Losey
Mike Mallo
Pat O’Grady
Tim Quenzer
Jeff Stone
Randy Stone
Jim Syreen

Bob Mueller (Manager)
Geoff Stone (Manager)

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