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Posts Tagged ‘Hunter Smith’

“We’ll learn from it!!”

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged , , , , on December 8, 2017| Leave a Comment »

   Hunter Downes drew praise for his play on the boards and in the paint Friday against a physical Sequim team. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Big, strong and aggressive.

It’s a potent mix, as the Coupeville High School boys basketball squad found out the hard way Friday night.

Roughed up down low, scorched from out high and troubled by inconsistent reffing, the Wolves weren’t able to get over the hump against 2A Sequim, eventually falling 59-35 to the visitors in the purple shoes.

The loss drops Coupeville to 1-2 heading into another non-conference game Saturday, this one on the road at South Whidbey.

Sequim rolled into town with a height advantage on the small but scrappy Wolves, and they rode their big man, Payton Glasser, who pounded away for a game-high 30 points.

While you could reasonably argue he’s not really the six-foot-five the program claims, that hardly mattered as he scored inside, outside and at the free throw line with abandon.

Coupeville did its best to slow down its rivals, but Sequim was crisp and efficient with its passing, and took advantage of every little opportunity it could claim.

“We played fairly tough on defense,” CHS coach Brad Sherman said. “We were fighting pretty hard, but it’s not easy when you’re playing a team that’s so big and strong down low.”

He praised senior Hunter Downes, a five-foot-11 rock who fought like a wild man on the boards, and was quick to embrace the quick turn-around his squad will have as it heads to Langley.

“We’ll learn from it,” Sherman said. “Good thing is there’s not a lot of time to hang our heads.”

The Wolves stayed close well into the second quarter, pulling within 16-13 when sophomore Jered Brown drilled a three-ball from the left side for his first points of the season.

But, while that seemed like a major turning point, the floor fell out from beneath Coupeville two seconds later.

Glasser knocked down a bucket off a quick cut inside, and Sequim was off and running on a game-busting 12-0 run from which CHS was never able to fully recover.

The Wolves closed the half on a 5-0 mini-run of their own, with Dane Lucero capping things by putting a rebound back up and in at the buzzer, but the offense went cold after the break.

Coupeville could only manage 13 second-half points, and the best play came not off of a bucket, but on a hustle play on defense in the waning moments.

With the game already decided, Joey Lippo, who is performing with twin sister Skyy in “The Nutcracker” the next two weekends, went full ballet.

Flying airborne while spinning, his body a millimeter away from the end line, he somehow punched a loose ball off of a Sequim player’s chest at the very last second, causing it to deflect out of bounds.

Regaining possession at a most unexpected moment, Coupeville responded with its final bucket, a pull-up jumper from Hunter Smith on the ensuing play.

In the grand scheme of things, Lippo’s play didn’t change anything all that much, but it was a nice salve for a Wolf fan base which spent much of the game hollering at the refs.

Sequim earned 18 free throw attempts (hitting 10), while Ethan Spark was the lone CHS player to step to the charity stripe on this night, netting three of his four attempts.

The refs, for their part, were serenaded with choruses of “three seconds, four seconds, five seconds,” as they seemed to allow the visitors to frequently camp in the key.

Of course, if Coupeville could have gotten the ball to pop out of the basket a few less times, that hardly would have mattered.

“We had our share of open looks, but the shots were just not falling tonight,” Sherman said.

Smith paced Coupeville with 15 points, passing three more former greats as he climbs from #41 to #38 on the Wolf boys basketball career scoring list.

With 524 points, he vaults Cody Peters (518), Gary Faris (518) and JJ Marti (520), pulling within a bucket of Brad Miller (526).

Spark added 11, while Brown (3), Lippo (2), Downes (2) and Lucero (2) also scored.

Cameron Toomey-Stout was a devil on defense (and yet not a hair on his head was out of place) while Gavin Knoblich came off the bench to crash the boards.

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Bring the noise! Bring the joy!!

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged , , , , , , on December 1, 2017| Leave a Comment »

   Ethan Spark scored a game-high 21 Friday, netting five three-point bombs in a Wolf win. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

“They want it pretty bad.”

As he basked in the glow of his first win as a varsity basketball coach Friday, Brad Sherman wanted to make one thing clear — in his eyes, all the credit goes to his players.

Having inherited a senior-heavy roster, the former Coupeville High School hoops star has unleashed the current Wolves on defense, and it’s paying immediate dividends.

Harassing visiting Mount Vernon Christian every inch of the floor, CHS turned a close game into a rout in the second half, then coasted home with a 49-37 win.

The non-conference victory evens Coupeville’s record at 1-1.

The Wolves got strong offensive work from Ethan Spark and Hunter Smith, who combined to score 41 of their team’s 49 points, but it was defense which turned the tide in this one.

The kind of defense where it looked like five rabid dogs attacking as one, poking passes, rejecting shots, forcing turnovers and mental errors and being a royal pain in the tush to anyone unlucky enough to be wearing a Hurricanes uniform.

“I really liked our intensity on defense,” Sherman said. “We were flying all over the place, applying ball pressure and closing down the passing lanes, just making it very hard for the other team to run any kind of offense.”

Coupeville’s starting five – Smith, Spark, Cameron Toomey-Stout, Joey Lippo and Hunter Downes – are all seniors, and have yet to see a Wolf boys hoops squad post a winning record during their tenure.

Friday night, those recent struggles seemed far away, though, as the Wolves fed off a boisterous crowd, and vice versa.

There were times, with the joint rocking, where the excitement level hit the kind of highs it did back when Sherman and his classmates were soaring to success in the early 2000’s.

Whether it was Lippo rising up to reject a shot, Downes swinging his elbows while rebounding, begging any fool to get too close, or Spark making off with steals, the Wolves were in shut-down mode.

And that was most evident when Smith and Toomey-Stout, All-Conference defensive backs on the football fields, continually broke up passes in mid-sprint.

Even when they didn’t get an outright steal, balls were repeatedly jarred free and MVC, which had a distinct height advantage, got more and more gun shy and frustrated.

Adding to their intensity on defense, the Wolves chose the right moment to showcase their offensive attack, closing each of the first three quarters with a substantial run.

The first came after Coupeville fell behind 6-1 midway through the first quarter.

Mixing four free throws — two each from Smith and Spark — and a pair of buckets, Coupeville closed the period on an 8-2 tear, grabbing its first lead with less than a tick on the clock.

The go-ahead bucket came courtesy Lippo, who ripped a rebound free from a Hurricane, spun and rose up to swish a sweet fall-away jumper that tickled the twine with 0:00.3 to play.

The two teams traded baskets to kick off the second quarter, with MVC taking its final lead of the night at 16-14.

After that, the final three minutes of the half were a thing of beauty (if you were a CHS fan, at least).

Smith hung in the air for an impossible amount of time before hitting a jumper on his way down, before Spark … um … lit the spark with the first of what would be five three-point bombs.

Just to make sure MVC knew the jig was up, Smith rattled home his own three-ball, and, as it splatted through the net, he became only the 42nd male Wolf player (in 101 years) to reach 500 career points.

But, wait, there’s more!

Dribbling out the final seconds of the half, Smith sucked in all five defenders, who were dead certain he was driving to the hoop.

Instead, he whistled a pass right onto the fingertips of junior Dane Lucero, who banged home the quarter-capping layup for his first-ever varsity points.

If MVC went into the locker room still holding out hope, with the margin just 24-18, that vanished, hard, in the third.

Spark, who earned praise from his coach for his off-season dedication to working on his shooting, went ballistic, raining down three consecutive treys, each shot getting deeper and deeper into the darkest corner of the court.

As each ball hit, flipping the net skyward with a happy little sigh, the crowd, which has been somewhat dormant at times in recent years, went progressively more berserk.

The loudest scream might have come for two boom-boom plays to cap the third.

Downes and Smith, who combined for many a touchdown as quarterback and receiver, connected again, with Downes yanking a ball free, then lofting it three-quarters of the court.

His target caught it in perfect stride, flipped it up for a layup … then promptly stole the in-bounds pass and scored again.

With everything clicking, Coupeville stretched the lead out to as many as 18 points twice, the final one coming at 47-29 when sophomore Jacobi Pacquette-Pilgrim netted a free throw for his first varsity point.

While an 8-2 MVC run to close the game tightened the score just a bit, the Hurricanes left the court heads bowed, looking very much like a team which just got bushwhacked.

For Coupeville’s players, and its fans, the early-season win set off a celebration, and, for Sherman, a never-ending string of congratulatory handshakes.

Spark finished with 21 to pace the Wolves, while Smith popped for 20.

With 509 career points, he passed Jason Bagby (499) and David Lortz (502) Friday to move into 41st on the all-time CHS boys hoops scoring list.

Downes chipped in with three, Lippo and Lucero knocked down buckets and Pacquette-Pilgrim’s free throw capped the scoring.

While Coupeville’s seniors led the attack, sophomores Jered Brown and Gavin Knoblich also saw valuable floor time.

The Wolves now get a week to rest up, not returning to action until Friday, Dec. 8, when Sequim comes to town.

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They made it rain in Blaine!!

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged , , , , , on November 29, 2017| Leave a Comment »

   Hunter Smith kicked off his senior season Wednesday by scorching Blaine’s defense for 24 points. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

   Mason Grove also had 24 in the JV game, but all of his points came off of three-point bombs.

It was a long trip, but they scorched some nets while they were there.

Opening a new season Wednesday, with new coaches at the helm, the Coupeville High School boys basketball teams traveled way up to the border to face perennial 2A powerhouse Blaine.

And while both Wolf squads fell, they also both had the hottest shooter on the court, as senior Hunter Smith and sophomore Mason Grove dropped 24 points apiece.

Smith’s came in a variety of ways, as the CHS varsity staged a solid fourth-quarter rally before falling 50-41.

For Grove, it was three-balls all day long, as he rained down eight treys to provide most of the Wolf offense as the JV lost 71-34.

Varsity:

Former Wolf star Brad Sherman made his debut as the new head coach, and his team’s current star was in mid-season form.

Smith tallied five points in the first quarter, then tacked on four, six and nine across the next three periods, as he bedeviled the Borderite defense.

The 24 points raises Smith’s career total to 489.

With that, he passes Sean Dillon and Pat O’Grady on the career scoring list, moving closer to becoming only the 42nd male player in the program’s 101-year history to top 500 points.

One of those guys he’s chasing is Sherman, who graduated in 2003 with 874 points to his credit.

While he didn’t get a win in his first game, Coupeville’s new coach came away pleased with much of what he saw as the Wolves used a 16-7 fourth-quarter run to cut an 18-point deficit in half.

“Boys fought hard. Blaine had a big height advantage, which hurt us a little, but we adjusted well,” Sherman said. “Few guys in foul trouble early on our end, which always presents some challenges.

“With that said – I thought our kids played a heck of a defensive game as a unit,” he added. “Really aggressive and able to get our hands in a lot of passing lanes.”

Smith paced the Wolves with 10 rebounds, while Ethan Spark added five.

Sherman also praised Cameron Toomey-Stout, who “was a beast on defense,” and Joey Lippo, who “had a heck of a defensive game.”

Coupeville had its shot, or shots, at taking down the Borderites, but the rim was unforgiving at times.

“On offense, I thought we moved the ball well and did a pretty good job waiting for good shots,” Sherman said. “Really, what it came down to tonight was a ton of open looks that we didn’t connect on.

“On a lot of nights, a few more of those fall and we are right there at the end.”

Spark tossed in eight points to back Smith, while Lippo (6), Hunter Downes (2) and Toomey-Stout (1) rounded out the offensive attack.

“Obviously you always want that W, but I’m proud of how the boys played and fought tonight against a good basketball team, on the road,” Sherman said. “Now, we learn a few things from it, and get back to our goal of just improving every day.”

JV:

The game was close for a quarter, as Koa Davison swished a three-ball at the buzzer to knot things at 16-16 at the end of the first quarter.

Grove netted three of his long shots in the first, then tacked on two more in the second and three in the third, but Blaine proved to be too much in the end.

“We battled hard but could not keep up with Blaine’s numbers,” said CHS coach Chris Smith. “Ultimately foul trouble and running out of steam as Blaine ran line changes at us allowed them to slowly but consistently creep away.”

Davison and Ulrik Wells both dropped in four points apiece to back Grove, while Jake Pease added a bucket and was “a monster on the boards!”

“I love that we never quit battling and we walked off the floor with our heads held high,” Smith said.

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Led by new coach, Wolves shoot for success!!

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged , , , , , on November 27, 2017| Leave a Comment »

   Brad Sherman has returned to coach basketball in the CHS gym where he once dominated as a player. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Sophomore Jered Brown makes the jump to varsity.

Ariah Bepler is one of seven seniors on a veteran Wolf squad.

Brad’s back.

As the Coupeville High School boys basketball team gears up for a new season, that’s the first, but not last, story-line.

When Brad Sherman exited the CHS gym as a player at the end of the 2002-2003 season, he left behind a stellar body of work.

More than a decade later, he still stands as one of the most proficient scorers to ever wear the uniform. After 100 years of Wolf boys hoops, Sherman’s 874 points has been topped by only seven other players.

And that’s the last thing we’ll say about that, if he has his way.

Like most Hall of Fame-caliber athletes, Sherman isn’t prone to blowing his own horn.

Now that he’s taken the lead position on the bench, the first of Randy King’s players to become a head coach, his focus is solely on helping his current players rise to the level he once enjoyed.

While Coupeville’s record wasn’t Earth-shattering last season (3-17 overall, 3-6 in league), the Wolves were very competitive and were rarely blown out.

With most of last year’s team returning, and a solid core of seven seniors to lead the way, Sherman sees a team on the cusp of a big jump.

“Early in the year we talked about an “all-in” mentality and an honest commitment to our team goals and expectations,” Sherman said. “Past that, I think it goes without saying that our goal is compete all season for that top spot in our league, and then move past the regular season.

“I believe we have a group of young men capable of surprising some people this year.”

With defending league champ Port Townsend having taken a bit of a hit, losing its top two players, the race for the Olympic League crown should be competitive.

“I believe we’re capable of competing for that top spot, but we can’t overlook any team,” Sherman said. “We have to approach each and every league game like it’s for the title, regardless of which team we play. That’s the mindset we have to have.”

While Sherman is a first-year head coach, he’ll have an experienced pro by his side in CHS baseball coach Chris Smith, who joins the basketball program as JV coach.

“Chris has been a terrific addition as a coach, and is great to work with,” Sherman said. “He really knows the game, and is a great teacher of the game.

“The program and our athletes are really lucky to have him out here. He’s just a very talented coach and the kids obviously have a great deal of respect for him.”

Smith’s progeny, senior guard Hunter Smith, is Coupeville’s top returning player.

An All-Conference pick as a junior, he enters his final season on the hard-wood looking to make a run at joining Sherman among the top scorers in school history.

Hunter Smith sits #45 all-time with 465 points (he torched the nets for 332 as a junior) and could conceivably make a run at the Top 10 with a strong finale.

“He’s an impact player in so many aspects of the game,” Sherman said. “Hunter has worked hard to develop into the player he is. Strong leader.”

And Smith is not the only veteran on the squad, as seven of the 10 players to score last year return.

While the Wolves lost their #2 and #4 scorers, Gabe Wynn and Brian Shank, to graduation, gunner Ethan Spark, who was #3 on the scoring charts with 136 points as a junior, is back.

“Ethan worked hard in the off-season. In the gym all the time working on his game and it shows,” Sherman said. “Had a good summer and will be really solid at the guard spot for us.”

Smith and Spark are joined by seniors Hunter Downes (“scrappy and fights hard for possession, which will be big for us”), Joey Lippo (“his athleticism is really fun to watch”), Cameron Toomey-Stout (“all hustle all the time”), Ariah Bepler (“has the ability to alter a ton of shots”) and Kyle Rockwell (“he’s grown a lot as a player; playing much more physical down low.”)

Rounding out the team are junior Dane Lucero and sophomores Jered Brown, Jacobi Pacquette-Pilgrim and Gavin Knoblich.

Brown scored five points in his one appearance at the varsity level as a freshman, and is among the team’s quickest players.

“He provides us with another strong ball handler, shooting threat and he sees the floor well,” Sherman said. “I’m excited to see what Jered can do this year.”

Of the four non-seniors, Lucero is the great unknown.

A standout football and baseball player, he was a wrestler before moving to Coupeville. With no mat program at CHS, he’s shifted to a new sport this winter.

“Dane made the jump and is doing a nice job for us,” Sherman said. “His football experience makes him a strong physical presence. Really excited to have him out – he works hard.”

As he settles in, the new head ball coach is appreciative of what his veterans bring to a team, and program, in transition.

“To have a core group of leadership like we have is a tremendous asset,” Sherman said. “It’s great to see when we break out into drills a lot of the older guys helping with and investing time in the younger guys.  It makes a big difference.

“Past that, quickness and experience at the guard spot will be a strength. Several true outside threats that can really spread a defense out,” he added. “Using our athleticism to keep aggressive on defense is something we need to continue to display throughout the season – we’ve looked strong in this regard so far this year.”

Sherman is putting an emphasis on his post players “being strong and aggressive in the paint and on the offensive boards,” while looking for all of his players to ride the fine line between knowing when to attack and when to let the play come to them.

“We want to be aggressive when good shots are there, but not settling for tough shots too early in possessions – that is something we continue to emphasize right now,” he said. “The other day I shared the John Wooden quote with the guys – “be quick, but don’t hurry.”

“Sometimes we tend to hurry a little and it can lead to poor execution and turnovers,” Sherman added. “We just need to be careful in that regard.”

As he counts down the moments until his first official games — the Wolves head to Blaine Wednesday, then host Mount Vernon Christian Friday — Sherman approaches his new gig much like he did his days as a player.

Calm, cool and collected, with an eye on success today and tomorrow.

“The reality is, good teams work to get better each and every week,” he said. “We will always be evaluating and re-evaluating areas where we need some focus and improvement, and I really believe we have a group of athletes who welcome that opportunity to get better.

“We’ve had a good first couple weeks of practice,” Sherman added. “Obviously new coaches means new system, but it hasn’t seemed to faze them.

“Great group to coach and eager to play, working hard. A group of athletes who welcome that opportunity to get better.”

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No quit in these Wolves!!

Posted in Basketball, tagged , , , , , , on November 13, 2017| Leave a Comment »

   Allison Wenzel juggles academics, music and athletics, and is the one CHS senior girl still on target to play a sport in all 12 seasons. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

   Keeping limber helps Hunter Downes as he joins Wenzel in the chase of perfection.

Season after season, the Wolves have been able to rely on Hunter Smith.

   Setting a strong example for lil’ sis Maya, Cameron Toomey-Stout has tackled every challenge which has come his way. (Beth Stout photo)

The Class of 2018 is committed.

As of the first day of basketball season Monday, four Coupeville High School seniors remain on target to complete the ultimate athletic mission – play a sport in all 12 seasons of their prep careers.

If Allison Wenzel, Hunter Downes, Cameron Toomey-Stout and Hunter Smith are able to stick the landing, the Class of 2018 would beat the Class of 2016 and 2017, combined.

Last year, Tiffany Briscoe and Lauren Grove were the only Wolves to complete the journey, while, two years ago, Jared Helmstadter was a lone hero.

Now, of course, pulling off the 12-for-12 run at CHS is a mix of skill, commitment, a love of basketball and a bit of luck.

If it wasn’t for an off-season leg injury which erased her entire junior volleyball campaign, Kyla Briscoe would also be on this list.

Downes, for one, has hurt himself numerous times, but, unlike Briscoe, he has always done it DURING the season, keeping his streak alive.

And you can’t underestimate the role basketball plays in any Wolf hitting the 12-for-12 run, as that’s the only sport the school offers in the winter.

Just off the top of my head, I can name at least two current CHS seniors who miss the list only because of a decision to skip a basketball season. One did it as a sophomore, while the other is electing not to play as a senior.

For now, though, the focus is firmly on the four-pack chasing perfection.

At a small school like CHS, you need athletes to play more than one sport. It’s a matter of bodies.

Wenzel, Camtastic and the Hunters have been at the forefront, giving their time and sweat season after season while also juggling academics and extracurricular activities.

They are upholding tradition, while setting the bar for young athletes coming up behind them.

Call them iron men or iron women, they have earned our praise.

 

The breakdown for each athlete, through winter 2017:

Hunter Downes – Football (4 seasons); basketball (4 seasons); track (2 seasons); soccer (1 season)

Hunter Smith – Football (4 seasons); basketball (4 seasons); baseball (3 seasons)

Cameron Toomey-Stout – Football (4 seasons); basketball (4 seasons); baseball (2 seasons); track (1 season)

Allison Wenzel – Volleyball (4 seasons); basketball (4 seasons); track (3 seasons)

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