three-balls | Coupeville Sports

Posts Tagged ‘three-balls’

All hail the new three-ball king!!

Posted in A freakin' American hero, Boys Basketball, Happy birthday, tagged Basketball, CHS Wolves, Happy birthday, hot dogs, Luke Merriman, three-balls on August 6, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Luke Merriman: Legendary. (John Fisken and Ann Merriman photos)

He is the legend that keeps on giving.

A sharp-shooting, slick-dribbling, nattily-dressed hoops sensation who glides through the world, sly grin on his face.

Luke Merriman, who celebrates a birthday today, is the real deal — a genuine superstar who is genuinely one of the nicest guys you’ll meet.

He’s a killer on the hard-court (as long as he can keep his bones intact) and willing to put up with my shenanigans off-court, which is a sweet combo.

Few high schoolers would step up and not only accept, but seem to mostly enjoy, the hubbub created by me publishing an infamous photo of said player going to town on a hotdog (during the middle of a game).

Even as the photo was republished just about everywhere, becoming our own little Cow Town version of viral, Luke just did his version of McConaughey, sliding by with a slightly amused “Alright, alright, alright.”

Mr. Merriman is a cool customer all around, and this upcoming basketball season should be his moment to shine even brighter than ever.

With a wide open path to varsity hoops glory opening up in front of him, Luke, who will be a junior, should have considerable freedom to rain down three-point bombs alongside his fellow Wolf sharpshooters.

After a mass graduation and recent defections, CHS will have only two varsity players returning and a limited number of last year’s JV players around to move up.

Merriman could be the team’s secret weapon, though, a born shooter who lives to slay from distance and cocks an eyebrow when people start talking about the school record for treys in a single boys basketball season.

It’s 62, courtesy Brad Sherman in 2002-2003, if you’re wondering.

So my advice to Merriman?

Enjoy your birthday, bask in the cake (though check for any wandering paparazzi before putting fork to mouth), then get back to perfecting the rotation on your shot.

This is your season, your time to rise up and write your legend.

Happy birthday, Luke. Now go get ready to shred folks.

Read Full Post »

South Whidbey still cries (5+ years later)!!

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged Basketball, buzzer beater, CHS Wolves, Ian Smith, South Whidbey cries, three-balls on July 11, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Hunter Hammer (left) and Dalton Engle played key roles in the epic win.

It is, arguably, the greatest moment in a long and loud rivalry.

Coupeville and South Whidbey have warred for decades, and being fairly similar in size, are much more natural rivals with each other than with Oak Harbor.

Over the years the Falcons have won their share and the Wolves their share, but one CHS victory stands the tallest.

Jan. 25, 2011 the two schools clashed in a boys’ basketball game in Langley that features the wildest finish ever seen in the long-running rivalry.

South Whidbey was camped atop the Cascade Conference entering the game, riding a 10-game winning streak, only to see Coupeville pull off a rally for the history books.

Ian Smith scored the game’s final eight points, including dropping a trey at the buzzer, to lift the Wolves to a stunning 44-42 win that five-plus years later just grows in epicness.

Now, thanks to my new-found ability to embed video, you can enjoy the moment over and over, courtesy Wolf mom Linda Hammer, who shot and downloaded the clip that still makes South Whidbey weep.

Read Full Post »

There’s a new 3-ball wizard in town!!

Posted in Boys Basketball, Boys Tennis, tagged Basketball, CHS Wolves, Lauren Grove, Mason Grove, three-balls on June 22, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Mason Grove (right) meets the president of his fan club. (Mindy Grove photo)

Grove, shakin’ ‘n bakin’ on the hardwood. (John Fisken photo)

There’s a little Steph Curry in Mason Grove.

During his days on the hardwood playing for Coupeville Middle School, Grove was a long-range sniper, capping his run at CMS with a 25-point explosion in a game at Sequim.

Now, he’ll take his skills to the next level, joining mega-talented older sister Lauren in high school this fall.

When he does, he plans to follow in her footsteps as a three-sport sensation, but with a twist to what sports he plays.

Grove will open with tennis in the fall — his goal will be to “play for the first time and be awesome at it!” — then shoot hoops in the winter.

The plan is to cap his freshman year with either baseball or track in the spring.

If he chooses the latter, he could help Lauren, a state meet veteran, christen the shiny new eight-lane track CHS is currently installing.

Whichever sport he picks in the spring, it’s the hardwood which captivates him the most, however.

“Basketball is my favorite because it is fast-paced and you are constantly moving,” he said. “And I love shooting threes!”

When he’s not dropping treys, Grove can often be found fishing or entertaining friends and family.

“I like to dance and be goofy or do anything at all to make people laugh,” he said.

Grove draws support from his family, both when in uniform and out.

“My mom and dad, they constantly push me to be better and encourage me,” he said. “My sister and little brother are OK, too.”

When he is competing, Grove draws on his natural talent to succeed, but is also aware he needs to put in the work if he wants to keep on improving.

“I think I have good hand/eye coordination and quick reflexes. And I’m good at timing,” he said. “As a freshman I plan on working on strength training and speed.”

Win or lose (and he plans on winning), Grove ultimately enjoys the life of an athlete because it is, in the end, enjoyable.

“You are always doing something and sports are fun!”

Read Full Post »

Birthday buddies: Kailey kills!!

Posted in Girls Basketball, Happy birthday, Softball, tagged Basketball, CHS Wolves, Happy birthday, Kailey Kellner, Softball, three-balls on March 21, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Kailey Kellner: Killer … with a heart of gold. (John Fisken, Sylvia Hurlburt, Amy King photos)

The first day she stepped into the Coupeville High School gym, she looked hesitant, shy, a little lost.

Having just jumped from England to a cow town in the middle of a prairie on a rock in the Pacific Northwest, Kailey Kellner had her whole world shook up midway through her freshman year.

Now, a little more than two years later, it is hard to think of a Wolf sports world that does not include her.

Kellner, who celebrates her 17th birthday today, has blossomed into a stone-cold killer on the basketball court, a three-ball droppin’ assassin who will fly into the paint in pursuit of rebounds and drop a girl on her butt when needed.

Running along side Makana Stone and Mia Littlejohn, she was a captain, a leader, a role model for a very young Wolf hoops team, which just happened to take the program back to state for the first time in a decade this season.

But it’s not just basketball for Kailey.

She’s become a strong softball player, who can pull off a slick unassisted double play, whack a key hit in crunch time and pick up her teammates with her bench chatter.

As the volleyball manager, she kept things humming smoothly, a word for one player, a hug for another, a playful slap on the back of the head for yet another.

Kellner was welcomed with open arms by her new coaches and teammates (playing for Amy King, who creates a true family atmosphere, was the perfect introduction to her new town and school) and the transformation has been phenomenal.

Her smile lighting up the entire gym, Kailey has become part of the very fabric of Wolf Nation. A very important, very treasured part.

Goofing off for the cameras with her friends or droppin’ daggers on the athletic stage, she has proven to be a truly amazing young woman, and watching her grow, not only in athletic skill, but as a person, has been fun.

She’s far from done, and I’m pretty certain the best is yet to come.

Families come and families go, and every once in awhile, we luck out and win the lottery.

Kailey walked into that gym a complete unknown.

The day she walks out, she will do so as one of the best we have been blessed to witness.

Her skills are becoming legendary.

Kailey’s soaring spirit, the loveliness of her soul, though? That tops whatever she might do with a basketball or a softball bat in her hands.

Happy birthday, Miss Kellner. Thank you for giving us the chance to come along for part of your journey.

Read Full Post »

Three-balls a-droppin’!!

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged Basketball, Brad Sherman, CHS Wolves, Pete Petrov, snipers, Three Point Bombs, three-balls, treys on January 31, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Kramer O’Keefe (right) rained down 71 three-balls during his days as a Wolf sniper. (John Fisken photo)

Between 1991-2011, there was no better trey launcher in Coupeville than Brad Sherman (right), seen here with dad Don. (Sherry Roberts photo)

It is the ultimate weapon in high school basketball.

Capable of sending a crowd through the roof or deflating them just as quickly, the three-point shot is the dagger.

A dunk can set off a gym, yes, but there are so few, at least in this neck of the woods, that you can go an entire season without seeing more than a handful, at best.

Even then, most of them are just straight on, two-hands-on-the-ball jams, promptly followed by coaches lecturing the player to “just lay the dang ball up already and stop giving me angina, son!”

But the trey, the three-ball, is here to stay. It’s a part of the fabric of the game, and a crowd-pleaser at that.

As I’ve been going through the score-books from Randy King’s 20-year run as varsity coach at Coupeville High School (1991-2011), I’ve been writing about a variety of things.

Sunday, I decided, on a whim, to see who made the most treys during those two decades. To set the record straight.

Well, almost, as I have 17 of the 20 books, with 2001-2002, 2003-2004 and 2009-2010 AWOL. But it’s a pretty good start.

So, what did I learn?

The most astonishing piece of info was this: Gavin Keohane, who scored nearly 700 points during his run at CHS, the same man I watched win the three-point shooting contest at this year’s alumni game by a WIDE margin, never hit a trey during a high school varsity game.

Ever.

Which means he hit exactly one less than six-foot-seven Hunter Hammer, who capped his 759-point prep career by draining a three-ball in the fourth quarter of his final game.

So, now you have a great piece of trivia. You’re welcome.

Anyway.

Keeping in mind that we’re missing three seasons (which greatly impacts the numbers of accomplished gunners like Brad Sherman, Mike Bagby, Brian Fakkema and Tyler King), here’s 85% of what dropped through the nets during Randy King’s reign.

Let the boasting begin.

Single game high:

Brian Fakkema (6) vs. Mount Vernon Christian on 12-6-02
Brad Sherman (6) vs. Archbishop Thomas Murphy on 2-7-03

Single season high:

Brad Sherman (62) in 02-03
Rich Morris (50) in 96-97
Pete Petrov (50) in 95-96
Brian Fakkema (46) in 02-03
Ty Blouin (39) in 99-00
Brad Sherman (39) in 00-01
Mike Bagby (38) in 04-05
Blake Day (32) in 04-05
Alex Evans (31) in 07-08
Tyler King (31) in 10-11

Career three-balls:

Brad Sherman (101) **Sophomore and senior seasons — junior year is one of the missing books**
Pete Petrov (101)
Mike Bagby (80)
Ty Blouin (80)
Rich Morris (78)
Kramer O’Keefe (71)
Alex Evans (48)
Brian Fakkema (46)
Zepher Loesch (42)
Caesar Kortuem (41)
Blake Day (35)
James Smith (35)
Tyler King (34)
JJ Marti (33)
Troy Blouin (28)
Casey Clark (27)
Cody Peters (27)
Trevor Tucker (25)
Greg White (22)
Geoff Wacker (21)
Joe Donnellon (15)
Boom Phomvongkoth (15)
JD Wilcox (13)
Arik Garthwaite (12)
Matt Ortega (12)
Jason Bagby (11)
Jason Fisher (11)
Bryan Hamilton (11)
Casey Larson (11)
Ben Hancock (10)
Ian Smith (10)
Michael Vaughan (10)
Keith Dunnagan (9)
Erick Harada (8)
James Jorgenson (7)
Joe Kelley (6)
Dalton Engle (5)
Andrew Mouw (5)
Geoff Hageman (4)
Jason McDavid (4)
Virgil Roehl (4)
Nick Sellgren (4)
Ross Buckner (3)
Matt Frost (3)
Matt Helm (3)
Kit Manzanares (3)
James Meek (3)
Trevor Mueller (3)
Matt Douglas (2)
Ben Hayes (2)
Jerry Helm (2)
Travis Hooker (2)
Ryan McManigle (2)
Nevin Miranda (2)
Mitch Pelroy (2)
Matt Petrich (2)
Tony Prosser (2)
Joe Rojas (2)
Scott Stuurmans (2)
Nic Anthony (1)
Rob Blouin (1)
Chris Cox (1)
Scott Davidson (1)
Mike Duke (1)
Eddie Fasolo (1)
Hunter Hammer (1)
DJ Kim (1)
Erik King (1)
Gabe McMurray (1)
Brian Miller (1)
Tim Walstad (1)
Zeb Williams (1)