Gavin O’Keefe | Coupeville Sports

Posts Tagged ‘Gavin O’Keefe’

O’Keefe boys can still hoop

Posted in Basketball, tagged 3 on 3, Basketball, CHS Wolves, Gavin O'Keefe, Kramer O'Keefe, SWHS Falcons on July 23, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Gavin O’Keefe is a little older now than he was in this photo, but his basketball skills remain on-point. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

No subs, no worries.

Playing with the minimum three players, “Trust the Process,” a team headed up by former Coupeville High School basketball stars Kramer and Gavin O’Keefe, finished second at a 3-on-3 hoops tourney Saturday on the South end of the Island.

The hot-shooting brothers teamed up with Kyle Collins to come within a late three-ball of winning the title, before falling to the Monstars, a squad led by former South Whidbey High School supernova Parker Collins.

“Trust the Process” dropped a close opening game, then ripped off three straight wins to emerge from the loser’s bracket and get their shot at the Monstars, who finished 4-0 in tourney play.

The five-team, double-elimination event, which is in its ninth year, was hosted by LM Premier and the South Whidbey Parks and Recreation District.

Played outside on the Rotary Court, which was built thanks to money raised by previous 3-on-3 tourneys, the hoops extravaganza raised funds for a scholarship program which covers youth basketball registration fees for families in need.

Along with the games, the event included a three-point shooting contest, won by current SWHS player Nick Young.

During their time at CHS, the O’Keefe brothers, who are part of arguably the most-successful basketball-playing family in school history, both had stellar careers.

Kramer rattled the rim for 636 points, which puts him #27 all-time on the Wolf boys career scoring chart, which has been adding names for 102 seasons.

He’s second among family members, with uncle Randy Keefe sitting at #3 all-time with 1088 points.

A horrifying string of injuries prevented Gavin from flying up the scoring chart as far as he would have, but, when he was healthy, he was a spark plug for the Wolves, playing his heart out and drilling jumpers from all angles.

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The grin never fades!!

Posted in Boys Basketball, Happy birthday, tagged Basketball, CHS Wolves, Gavin O'Keefe, Happy birthday, Hoosiers on January 8, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Gavin O’Keefe always had a good relationship with the camera. (John Fisken photos)

Senior Night with dad Tim.

Gavin O’Keefe enjoyed himself.

While male high school athletes as a group seem to think they’ll only be taken seriously if they scowl in pictures, Gavin is grinning in almost every photo from his days as a Wolf.

He spent too little time on the court, twice suffering broken legs that curtailed his basketball career at Coupeville High School.

But he never stopped working, never stopped rehabbing, always fought to get back out on the hardwood.

And when he was there, the ball rat-a-tatting off the floor and his fingertips, he was happy.

Gavin embraced every moment he was allowed to have, from his days as a wide-eyed freshman to the final moments of his senior season last year.

The guy looks like an old school basketball player, like he could have stepped right out of Hoosiers, and he played the game with a joy that was infectious.

Part of a hoops-rich family that also gave CHS older brother Kramer and sister Kendra, Gavin celebrates his 19th birthday today.

And while he’s no longer suiting up for the Wolves, he’s still playing hoops, making an appearance at the recent Tom Roehl Roundball Classic.

As he hits another milestone, we want to take a moment to wish him the best.

Happy birthday to a guy who, win or lose, always had the time of his life out there on the court.

It was a thrill to watch you play, Mr. O’Keefe. Never lose that joy.

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Hoops with a heart!!

Posted in Basketball, Fundraisers, tagged Basketball, CHS Wolves, Gavin O'Keefe, Jason McManigle, Julia Myers, Nick Streubel, Tom Roehl Roundball Classic on December 28, 2014| Leave a Comment »

“You ain’t in high school no more, son!!” Gavin O’ Keefe gets a warm welcome in the paint. (John Fisken photos)

Tom Roehl’s family pulls off another successful tourney.

“Where’s your umbrella? I make it rain!!” Jason McFadyen at work.

Former Wolf big men Trent Diamanti (left) and Nick Streubel mix it up.

Wolf super fans Julia Myers (left) and Taylor Herreman spend some quality sister time together.

“Oh sweet lord!! No brakes! This is either gonna be awesome or I’m gonna end up smashed up on the back wall…”

“When did they put the rims so high…”

Virgil Roehl slices past Jason Bagby for a quick two.

“I said NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!”

“Man’s a beast…”

The sound you hear echoing across Whidbey Island this morning is the sound of men who have suddenly remembered they aren’t teenagers any more.

Oh, they played like they still were Saturday.

But Sunday morning, some will pay the toll.

For those involved, however, it was worth it, as a roll call from Coupeville High School’s basketball glory days reassembled for a day.

The event was the annual Tom Roehl Roundball Classic, a fundraiser started in honor of the former longtime Wolf coach.

Held every Christmas break, it raises scholarship money for local students, while giving former Wolves (and some hardy outsiders) a chance to reclaim their hardwood success.

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Wolf seniors reflect on success, hard work!!

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged Anthony Bergeron, Anthony Smith, Basketball, CHS Wolves, Gavin O'Keefe on February 22, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Anthony Bergeron (John Fisken photos)

Gavin O’Keefe

It was a season of improvement.

The Coupeville High School boys’ basketball squad jumped from one win a year ago (and zero the season before) to three victories in 2013-2014.

The Wolves knocked off Mount Vernon Christian, Orcas Island and 2A league foe Lakewood, while coming close in a string of other games.

Now, as CHS, the smallest 1A school in the state, prepares to leave the 1A/2A Cascade Conference and join a four-team 1A-only division in the Olympic League next year, the seniors who led them through their final battles against ATM and King’s are looking back.

Coupeville had four twelfth graders this year (Nick Streubel, Gavin O’Keefe, Morgan Payne and Anthony Bergeron) and two of them have put their thoughts down.

The other two may follow (depending on their schedules).

Sweet-shooting guard O’Keefe missed part of the season (on top of 99% of his junior year) while fighting back from two broken legs, but, once back, was a whirlwind on the floor.

High-flying Bergeron, who has only played organized ball for two seasons, took huge strides as a senior, becoming a dangerous scorer capable of dunking in the open floor.

O’Keefe:

Even though my season didn’t go as as well as I hoped it would, I really enjoyed it and am very thankful that I got to come back for the second half of the season.

My favorite moment came when we beat Lakewood for our first conference win in three years.

One thing I will remember, is Coach (Anthony) Smith pushing me hard every day in practice; that’s something that I really appreciate and it definitely made me a lot better.

Bergeron:

Of my two basketball seasons this has been my favorite.

This year we really competed in just about every game.

The highlight of the year to me would have to be when we won our first conference game against Lakewood — that game I scored my career high of 23 points.

I will never forget my teammates and coaches.

Big thanks to Coach Smith. From day one he has always coached me hard to make me a better player.

I am really going to miss playing for Coupeville.

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Wolf seniors fight to the end!!

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged Anthony Bergeron, Basketball, CHS Wolves, Gavin O'Keefe, Morgan Payne, Nick Streubel, Senior Night on February 4, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Wolf seniors (l to r) Morgan Payne, Gavin O’Keefe, Nick Streubel and Anthony Bergeron with CHS coach Anthony Smith. (John Fisken photo)

Nick Streubel went out like the gridiron beast he is.

Three years of sacrificing his lineman’s body on the basketball hardwood came to 99.8% of an end Tuesday night, as The Big Hurt and three fellow Coupeville High School seniors played at home for the last time.

And while their almost-swan song (they have a final road game at Granite Falls Thursday) didn’t end with a win, it ended with a bang.

Or, more aptly, a sonic boom as Streubel launched himself onto the floor in pursuit of a loose ball, knocking three Archbishop Thomas Murphy players out of his way and off their feet as he relentlessly pursued the fumble.

And then, as it has ever been so for three years, the refs called a foul on the biggest kid on the floor for being, well, the biggest kid on the floor.

When Streubel made his final walk back to the bench near the end of a 78-50 loss, the Wolf fans rose and gave him a sustained standing ovation, tribute to a young man who kept on coming back, game after game, loss after loss, for three years.

A guy who has a college football scholarship waiting to sign Wednesday, but would not, could not, leave his friends behind.

Shortly after Streubel fouled out, Wolf coach Anthony Smith pulled his other three seniors so they could exit as a group.

Morgan Payne, one of the hardest working players you will ever see, and the overwhelming choice of Brian Norris and the Bad-ass Party as the next President.

Anthony Bergeron, who in only two years of organized ball went from a polite, soft-spoken diamond in the rough to a high-flying, shot-blocking, point-scoring whirlwind … while still being polite and soft-spoken.

Gavin O’Keefe, who looked like he stepped out of the movie “Hoosiers” and, unfortunately, lost way too much time over the last season-and-a-half to two broken legs.

When he was on the court, he was electric. I wish we could have seen him more.

Playing one of the better teams in the Cascade Conference, the Wolf seniors and their younger teammates never collapsed Tuesday. There was no one big quarter, just a steady drip-drip-drip of ATM baskets that eventually became too much to overcome.

Coupeville stayed within 10 for much of the first half, but every time the Wolves made a mini-run, the visiting Wildcats would answer with two or three buckets in a row off of quick, slashing drives to the hoop.

ATM’s full-court press ruffled Coupeville, as well, forcing 24 turnovers and turning most of them into baskets.

Wolf sophomore Wiley Hesselgrave scored 10 of his team-high 16 in the second half, while Bergeron threw down 11, including a long three-point bomb.

Joel Walstad hit a pair of treys on his way to eight, while Streubel pounded home six and Aaron Trumbull, Matt Shank and O’Keefe each hit for three.

JV loses: In the night’s opening game, Coupeville got 12 from CJ Smith and 11 from Jared Helmstadter, but lost 78-36 in a game that got way out of hand at the end.

Dante Mitchell and Gabe Wynn each popped for four, DeAndre Mitchell banked home three and Oscar Liquidano drained a turn-around jumper off the glass for two.

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