Ten Wolves made the trek to Ocean Shores for a four-day summer hoops camp. (Amy King photo)
Survive and thrive.
Coupeville High School girls basketball coach David King did just that last week, joining with wife Amy and #1 fan Sherry Roberts to guide 10 players through 10 games over four action-packed days at a summer hoops camp in Ocean Shores.
The annual trip offers non-stop court action (the Wolves played as early as 9 AM and tipped one game at 10:45 PM), plus a chance to work on behind the scenes bonding and learning.
It’s a trip the round-ball guru sees as invaluable for those who take advantage.
“We play to win, however we believe camp is so much more than that,” King said. “We have team bonding (beach time, in between and late night talks), new players to get up to speed, players playing in new positions, trying out new offensive and defensive sets.
“We also want the players to push themselves out of their comfort zone and expand their games,” he added. “With those being our goals and purpose for camp, we got better as individuals and as a team! A very successful camp.”
Coupeville split its ten games (nine varsity, one JV), bouncing Wahluke, Onalaska, PS Advent, Concrete and Adna’s JV squad.
In many of the wins, it was strong play after the break which tipped the scales in favor of the Wolves.
“We seemed to be a better second-half team,” King said. “We outscored the other team or played even in some of our losses. And in some of our wins we came back from a deficit to win.”
The most impressive rally came against Wahluke, with the Wolves charging from 12 points down in the game’s final four minutes to win a 28-27 thriller.
“Helped by a halftime speech from Coach Amy, the players dug deep and turned up the defensive pressure,” David King said. “We pressed, played great half-court defense and scored on our fast breaks.”
Even in tough losses to top-level teams, the CHS coaches came away happy with their player’s efforts and attitudes.
“Those games were as impressive for us as our one-point win,” King said. “The players never quit.
“We saw multiple players take huge strides in their confidence and increase their skill set.”
Coupeville ran its offense very efficiently, something King preaches.
“One of the proudest moments I had, on multiple occasions, was in our offense,” he said. “We always talk about making that one extra pass, on the fast break or in our half-court offense. Over the four days we saw this almost every game.
“We saw each player play for the other players. In the past that’s not always been the case,” King added. “Each player did step out of their comfort areas and did things that we knew they could, but they weren’t too sure about.”
Six Wolves scored in double figures during the tourney, led by Lindsey Roberts, who knocked down 45, and Kyla Briscoe, who torched the nets for 39.
Roberts led the squad with 67 rebounds, while Mikayla Elfrank paced CHS in steals (20) and blocks (five).
Some thoughts from the coach on each of the Wolves who made the trip:
Tia Wurzrainer:
Had a very successful camp that she can build off of.
We saw her diving in for rebounds, with one being an offensive rebound put-back. She also put the ball on the floor and drove for a layup attempt.
Her defense in our 1-2-2 zone was something to see!
Mikayla Elfrank:
Was unable to play on Monday (recovering from wisdom teeth being pulled). But the energy and effort she brought the other three days picked up our team.
One area Mikayla and I talk about is playing in control. This camp we saw improvement in her game in this area.
Mollie Bailey:
As each day passed became more comfortable handling the ball and improved on her defense.
Playing in a varsity setting against older girls she held down the PG position when we had her there.
She also looked for her shot; this is something I wanted her to work on.
Avalon Renninger:
Played about every position there is.
She was able to pull up and shoot her jumper off the dribble. She gained confidence in her half-court decision making abilities.
Seeing Avalon make a mistake, then quickly recognizing it on her own and making the necessary adjustments was exciting to witness.
Hannah Davidson:
After not playing since her last game in early Dec., brought energy every time she stepped on the court, along with off the court!
She fit right in, picked up our new plays and quickly had our old plays down. She just needs more court time and her game will take off.
Genna Wright:
Brought hustle and grit. Her confidence increased with each game.
During one game she had the ball on the baseline and confidently backed her defender down into the low block and got a shot off. Not many young players would do that.
Kyla Briscoe:
Helped with steady play from the point guard position. She didn’t stop there, she played in the post and on the wing.
Kyla impressed all camp with looking for her shot and actually taking it. She drove with a purpose and knocked down many outside shots.
Nicole Lester:
Coming to camp was beneficial for her. This was her first team camp and she represented Coupeville well.
Almost daily she would ask what she should work on for the upcoming game. We also talked about her playing at times with finesse on the offensive end.
She wants to be the best she can and camp showed that she is willing to ask for help and then apply the feedback in a game.
Scout Smith:
Came in with the most experience as a point guard.
The main thing I asked of her to work on was to be a leader on the court. Be confident and a coach for the others on the court when she’s out there.
I can say, she did that and did it very well. Offensively she drove the lane with a purpose and had multiple runners that dropped.
Lindsey Roberts:
Stepped up as a leader. She like many others played multiple positions, even PG (last year I would have gotten the Lindsey stare).
As always, her defense is second to none.
Her offense took big strides for the positive. At times she slowed herself down before making a basketball play. When open she shot her jumper, and when appropriate she drove.
The drive is something that will improve her game in the long run.
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