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Posts Tagged ‘Winter Sports Preview’

Young, aggressive, and ready to rumble

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , on May 11, 2021| Leave a Comment »

After missing her sophomore season with a busted ankle, Ja’Kenya Hoskins is ready to rumble. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

It’s a whole new ballgame.

As Coupeville High School girls basketball players and coaches prep for a new season, much is different.

The Wolves are in a new classification, with the school’s student body count moving them from 1A to 2B.

With that comes a move from the 1A North Sound Conference, lorded over by state power King’s, to the much-more competitive Northwest 2B/1B League.

Then, there’s the whole ongoing pandemic thing, which moved the season from winter out to spring, with a compressed 12-game schedule set to run from May 18-June 17.

On the floor, second-year Wolf head coach Scott Fox has a roster in flux, with some unexpected losses, but also some positive gains.

The return from injury of junior forward Ja’Kenya Hoskins, who broke her ankle playing dodgeball right before her sophomore campaign, is the big headline.

She’ll be joined by fellow juniors Izzy Wells, Audrianna Shaw, Anya Leavell, and Kylie Van Velkinburgh, as well as sophomores Maddie Georges and Carolyn Lhamon, all returnees from a varsity team which went 12-7 during the 2019-2020 season.

Maddie Georges slices through the defense.

Georges, a speedy point guard who tallied 86 points as a freshman, is the leading active scorer for the Wolves, as senior Chelsea Prescott opted not to play this season.

Prescott, who sits at #44 on the CHS girls career scoring chart with 249 points, is one of three varsity players who didn’t return, along with senior Mollie Bailey and sophomore Nezi Keiper.

That leaves opportunity for JV players to move up, though one who likely would have, tough-as-nails guard Alita Blouin, will miss the season with a back injury.

With player numbers down, a new wrinkle comes into play, as 2B schools can use 8th graders to help fill out its varsity and/or JV rosters.

However his lineup works out, Fox is ready for the challenge.

“We are young and don’t have the size or senior experience we had last year, but they were playing well together in the summer and fall before Covid shut us down,” he said.

“It does feel strange to be playing in May/June and with masks on,” Fox added. “We are going to compete in every game, but we have some talented schools in this league that make regular trips to the state tournament.

“Our goal is to be one of those teams, and I don’t think we are too far off.”

While all six of their league foes will bring a strong effort each time out, two stand out in particular.

“La Conner is really good!,” Fox said. “Scott Novak does a great job over there, and they have been to the (2B) state championship game a few times.

“Not far behind is Mount Vernon Christian, which is also talented and plays extremely hard,” he added. “They also make frequent state tournament runs at the 1B level.”

Getting away from private schools which often exist as “destination schools” for athletes who live in other areas is a plus for the small-town public school Wolves.

“I’m looking forward to the new league because it puts us on par with schools our size, but is still really competitive,” Fox said.

“Travel is always an issue when you’re going to Darrington, Concrete, Orcas, and Friday Harbor, but all schools in this league have to travel long distances, so it’s an equalizer.”

While Coupeville doesn’t have a lot of tall towers to clog up the middle, it does have girls who can play multiple positions, and have shown a desire to always be competitive.

Carolyn Lhamon stays calm under pressure.

“The strength of our team is our athleticism,” Fox said. “We have some real athletes out there that I want to run the court with while playing aggressive defense.

“I’d like to press more this year, but with the kids having to wear mandatory face masks, we need to be cognizant how much to push this style of play.”

With the pandemic-altered campaign sort of like an extended summer season, the young Wolves will continue to work on the small things, which can have a big payoff down the road.

“Our backbone is our defense, and I would like to improve on our transition offense from steals or missed shots,” Fox said. “We drill on this often in practice, and so far I like what I see.

“We’re looking to improve as a team, be competitive in every game, and have fun playing basketball again!”

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Veteran Wolf hoops squad ready to make a run

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged , , , , on November 25, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville senior Jered Brown has been a four-year varsity player. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Fellow senior Sean Toomey-Stout was in the top two in nearly every stat category a season ago.

They have the numbers. They have the experience. They have the talent.

As Brad Sherman enters his third season at the helm of the Coupeville High School boys basketball program, the Wolves are primed to make a big surge.

CHS, which kicks off a new season with back-to-back road trips to Darrington and Oak Harbor Dec. 3-4, boasts 33 players divided equally between three squads.

Sherman will be joined by returning JV coach Chris Smith, while the C-Team needs to replace Scott Fox, who has taken over the Wolf girls varsity program.

Coupeville’s first-string boys squad is virtually the same one which took the court a year ago, as the Wolves lost just sixth man Dane Lucero to graduation.

Hawthorne Wolfe tossed in a team-high 158 points last season, the most scored by a Wolf freshman boy across 102 seasons, but he’s not the only guy capable of filling up the hoop.

The next eight players on the scoring list, led off by Sean Toomey-Stout (122) and Mason Grove (109), were juniors last season, giving CHS a senior-heavy roster this time around.

Ulrik Wells (74), Jered Brown (71), Gavin Knoblich (65), Jacobi Pilgrim (43), Koa Davison (11), and Jean Lund-Olsen (7) are also back, while sophomore Xavier Murdy (4) is a full-time varsity player in his second season.

Rounding out the roster is one newcomer, with senior Tucker Hall making the jump from JV to varsity.

“Depth and experience are going to be big for us,” Sherman said. “This group has shown they are willing to work hard.

“With so many returners, they are getting more comfortable playing together and that’s huge,” he added. “I think we have the opportunity to be strong on both sides of the ball.”

While the Wolves kick off the second week of practice Monday, many of their players have been working on their games year-round. A strong showing at team camp is also cause for happiness.

“Our guys showed a lot of growth over the summer, especially in our transition game and showing a lot more poise on offense,” Sherman said.

“Between our summer practice schedule, the tournament win on the coast, and battling with some big schools in Cheney at camp, we were really proud of the body of work our guys put together in June to carry us toward the season.”

As he mixes and matches players, looking for the best combinations, Sherman wants to see those groups gel.

“We are seeing a lot of good things from a lot of guys right now, and really just stressing the importance of each and every role working together,” he said. “Several of our guys have quite a bit of versatility to play in different spots, which gives us a lot of flexibility with our lineups and sets.

“Trust, on and off the court (is big),” Sherman added. “We have to have five guys on the floor working together, thinking together, trusting one another to do their jobs in every aspect of the game.

“That is a big point of emphasis for us.”

As they work towards the start of the season, the Wolves are hard at work fine-tuning their games on both sides of the ball. Keeping the pressure ramped up on opposing teams is big.

“We know we need to take care of the ball better and finish at the rim,” Sherman said. “Unforced turnovers hurt us last year – and while we aren’t spending any time looking in the rear-view mirror, we do need to learn and improve on some of those key things.

“Defensively we need to just make sure we are playing four quarters of all-in defense with five guys moving hard to position on every single pass,” he added.

“We are really emphasizing closeouts, on-ball pressure, and improved communication on the defensive end.”

Coupeville has a 19-game regular-season schedule, with the final nine tilts all against fellow North Sound Conference teams.

King’s, which finished 3rd at state last year, offered league rivals a chance to play just once, and not twice, and the Wolves, along with Granite Falls and Sultan accepted.

South Whidbey and Cedar Park Christian did not, making for a lopsided league schedule.

For his part, Sherman is not super-concerned with any one team on the schedule, viewing each game as an important building block for his program.

“Really not focused on one particular team,” he said. “Our preparation as coaches and athletes has to be the same for every team we face.

“This is a tough league, and we just need to take it one game at a time.

“As a coaching staff we have full confidence in our guys ability to compete night in and night out,” Sherman added. “We certainly scout and game plan for each team we face, but ultimately it’s our ability to go out and play good team basketball and execute our own stuff that really matters.”

This will also be the Wolves final rumble against this set of conference foes, as Coupeville drops from 1A to 2B with the 2020-2021 school year.

“We part ways with this league next season, so one of our goals is to go out strong and make a statement at every level of our program,” Sherman said.

“Our ultimate hope would obviously be to earn a postseason opportunity in February, but for now, it’s just one game at a time.”

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New season, new coach, new dreams

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , on November 15, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Senior Hannah Davidson is a key returning starter for the Coupeville High School girls basketball squad. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Bouncing back from a volleyball injury, Chelsea Prescott is ready to singe the nets.

Ja’Kenya Hoskins (left) is out with a broken ankle, but she’ll be there to cheer on Izzy Wells.

Scott Fox is ready to get going.

Since taking over the Coupeville High School girls basketball program following the retirement of David and Amy King, he’s taken his new players to summer camp, but, come Monday, things get really real.

That’s when the Wolves show up in the CHS gym for their first practice, with a jamboree in Sedro-Woolley just 12 days later.

The Coupeville girls open the regular season with back-to-back road games Dec. 3-4, travelling to Darrington and Oak Harbor, before welcoming Orcas Island to town Dec. 7.

As Fox prepares for the 18-game season ahead (plus a potential playoff run), he and new JV coach Megan Smith are already appraising the talent they have, and how best to use it.

The Wolves, who finished third in the six-team North Sound Conference a year ago, lost three seniors to graduation, led by Lindsey Roberts, who exited as the #18 scorer in program history.

Her departure, along with those of Ema Smith and Nicole Laxton, leave a hole to be filled, but Fox won’t enter the season empty-handed.

Senior guards Scout Smith, Avalon Renninger, and Tia Wurzrainer, senior center Hannah Davidson, and junior forward Chelsea Prescott lead off the returning core, one the new Wolf coach will rely on to lead his squad.

“The strength of our team is going to be our experience,” Fox said. “We have four seniors and a junior who will lead us this year.

“I’m hoping that our senior experience, coupled with playing time opportunity for the others, will push us in practice and we will see the results in our games.”

The others he speaks of includes a mix of returning players, such as sophomore Izzy Wells, and newbies, like the freshman trio of Nezi Keiper, Carolyn Lhamon, and Maddie Georges.

Sophomore Ja’Kenya Hoskins, who was a hard-working rebound machine as a swing player last season, was expected to play a major role for Coupeville, but her body had other thoughts.

A broken ankle, suffered during a Homecoming week dodge-ball tourney, has subtracted her from the roster, likely for the entire season.

“Ja’Kenya is out, and that hurts,” Fox said. “But it has opened up opportunities for Izzy, Nezi, and Carolyn, who all play that position.

“We have a couple of incoming freshmen that could see a lot of varsity time,” he added. “Point guard Maddie Georges showed a lot of promise this summer. She ran the second team offense most of the summer, until she was slowed down with a back injury.”

However the roster ends up breaking down, the Wolves will look to make their mark on the defensive side of the ball.

With a scrappy team of ball-hawks at his disposal, Fox wants to take the game to opponents.

“We play very hard-nosed defense and will rely on our bench to keep the intensity up,” he said. “We are a defensive-oriented team, so, if things go as planned, our defense is our backbone.

“Transition offense from our defense is going to be crucial for our success,” Fox added. “We need to recognize our opportunities to attack with numbers or set up our offense when our fast break is not there.”

While defense is the spark, a basketball team still needs to score to win games, and the Wolves enter the new season without anyone like recent stars Makana Stone, Kailey Kellner, or Roberts, players who were established as go-to scorers in big moments.

Prescott has shown an ability to pump in points in a supporting role, though, while Smith and Renninger are steady shooters.

The chance is there for any of that trio, or other players, to blossom into a feared offensive weapon. They just need to seize the opportunity in front of them.

“We are asking kids to be scorers that really haven’t been in the past,” Fox said. “I was extremely pleased in the summer when we started to gel and the kids started to figure out their roles.

“I am all about the open person taking the shot, no matter who it is,” he added. “In fact, as the kids will tell you, if they have an open shot and don’t take it, we’re going to talk.”

While he’s a longtime hoops guru, Fox is still relatively new to Coupeville basketball, especially the girls side of the ball.

As he preps for league play, it will be a learning experience.

“Being my first year at the helm, I’m sure King’s is the team to beat,” Fox said. “They have always been very talented and will pose challenges for us and the rest of the league.

“I just don’t know much about the other teams, and who is coming back this year.”

Which doesn’t mean he fears, or overlooks, any opponent, regardless of what their record might have been in years past.

“My goals are to be competitive in every game,” Fox said. “Looking at our schedule, I feel we have the talent and desire to compete in all of these games.

“I’ve been stressing to the kids to be practice players and that will translate to game players,” he added. “The harder we play in practice, the more successful we are going to be in the games.”

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New-look Wolves bounce into action!!

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged , , , , on November 23, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Junior post Ulrik Wells is expected to be a key player for this year’s Coupeville boys basketball team. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

The Wolves are led by (l to r) junior Jered Brown, senior Dane Lucero and junior Sean Toomey-Stout.

It’s a reboot.

When the Coupeville High School boys basketball team steps on the court for its season opener, it will be a vastly different team from a season ago.

The Wolves lost seven seniors to graduation, players who teamed to score 1,523 points during their varsity careers.

Included in that group is Hunter Smith, who departed as the 12th highest scorer in the 101-year history of CHS boys hoops.

But it’s a new day, and while Coupeville will miss Smith, Kyle Rockwell, Ethan Spark, Joey Lippo, Hunter Downes, Cameron Toomey-Stout and Ariah Bepler, the cupboard is far from bare.

The Wolves return six players who saw varsity action during the 2017-2018 season, and get back the services of the school’s top male athlete, who missed basketball season last year while rehabbing from a football injury.

That welcome addition is junior Sean Toomey-Stout, and after earning All-Conference honors at three positions during the gridiron season, “The Torpedo” is ready to lay waste to the hardwood.

“It’s hard to match Sean’s work ethic (on and off the court) and we’re looking forward to seeing that on the floor this year,” said Coupeville coach Brad Sherman.

“He adds a lot to the team on the defensive end of the floor especially.”

Post player Dane Lucero, the team’s lone senior, and junior point guard Jered Brown form a potent trio with Toomey-Stout.

Lucero and Brown are the only returning full-time varsity players from last season, and will be looked to as leaders.

“Jered will be key for us on offense. Solid ball handler for us, good court vision,” Sherman said. “Dane is a strong leader on and off the basketball court.”

Juniors Gavin Knoblich, Ulrik Wells, Mason Grove and Jacobi Pilgrim, who swung between varsity and JV last year, make the jump to full-time A-team status this time around.

Grove, who made a blistering run at the school’s unofficial JV basketball single-season scoring record, knocked down 51 points in limited varsity time as a sophomore.

With the departure of the seniors, that leaves him as the top active career scorer for the Wolf boys program, topping Brown (29), Lucero (16), Knoblich (5), Wells (4) and Pilgrim (1).

“Mason shot lights out at the JV level last season, and was able to give us a spark off the bench on varsity at times, as well,” Sherman said. “Looking forward to seeing him continue to develop as a scorer for us.”

Wells, Knoblich and Pilgrim all are a year older, and a year stronger, and all hope to make an impact in the paint.

“Ulrik is really developing in the post. He could have a big year,” Sherman said. “Gavin has had a great couple weeks of practice. Really working hard and getting the attention of the coaching staff.

“Jacobi will also play a big role for us this year,” he added. “He’s gotten much stronger and is playing tough around the rim.”

While that seven form the core, juniors Jean Lund-Olsen and Koa Davison and hot-shooting freshman Hawthorne Wolfe have also worked with the varsity and could end up in the mix.

With a strong turnout, Coupeville will field three boys hoops squads this season. Seeing a rise in turnouts, especially coming from the younger classes, is key to the program building valuable depth at every rung.

“Excited about the freshmen class coming up,” Sherman said. “Won’t name them all – it’s a big turnout, which is great.

“Lots of athleticism, a few kids who would live in the gym if we let them,” he added. “Some are going to be impact players right away. They put in a lot of work this summer and jumped right into the program ready to go, and ready to work, which has been exciting to see as coaches.

Sherman, still the #8 scorer in Wolf boys hoops history (874 points, if you’re wondering), enters his second season at the helm of the CHS program.

He’s joined by returning JV coach Chris Smith, as well as new assistants Scott Fox and Patrick Upchurch.

After going 7-13 in his first season, 5-4 in Olympic League play, Sherman will shepherd his players into a new league this winter.

The new-look North Sound Conference pits Coupeville against former Cascade Conference foes Sultan, South Whidbey, Granite Falls, Cedar Park Christian and King’s.

South Whidbey won the league title last year, but lost all-universe player Lewis Pope to graduation. King’s, which knocked the Falcons out of the playoffs, finished 6th at state.

But again, today is a new day, something Sherman embraces.

“Brand new league and a lot to learn about some of our new league opponents; we aren’t going to look past anybody,” he said. “There is certainly some very skilled competition and strong teams ahead of us this season.

“I always think a little less focus on the opponent and more focus on executing what we are trying to do is the most effective way to approach the season ahead,” Sherman added. “We can scout and watch film, we certainly do our homework and game plan, but at the end of the day none of that matters if we aren’t dialed-in and executing our own stuff well.”

The Wolf coaching staff is intent on seeing their players grow in “confidence, discipline, and patience with the basketball.”

“I think we’re still learning a little about ourselves as a team so early in the year, but as a coaching staff we’ve seen a lot of things we really like,” Sherman said. “I love the effort from our guys so far and the desire to give an all-in effort every day and compete.

“We really want our defense to set the tone, and we are working hard to make sure that becomes a strength as we enter and progress through the season.”

More than anything, the Wolves want to exit every practice, every game, confident they have taken another step forward in building the program.

“To get better every week. To develop leaders on and off the basketball court. To put our best effort forward every time we hit the floor,” Sherman said.

“A new league means new opportunities; it also means new teams learning a lot about one another,” he added. “I think we really have to put our focus on playing our game, and playing our game well.”

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New season, new league, new hoop dreams!!

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , on November 19, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Senior Ema Smith is one of three captains for the CHS girls basketball team. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

“We want to come into the league and show that we belong. We want to compete until the final buzzer, and, if we get beat, make the other team earn the win.”

After dominating the Olympic League, winning three titles in four years, the Coupeville High School girls basketball squad faces a big challenge this season.

With the North Sound Conference prepping for its first hoops season, the Wolves, who lost three varsity players to graduation, and another three to reasons such as family moves, will have to be ready to fight from day one.

That’s something CHS coach David King knows, and looks forward, to.

“We’re basically going back to the league we left five years ago,” he said. “A new league means we are coming in to unknowns with the other teams. There are new coaches we haven’t competed against, so there will be a learning curve through the first round.

“Each day at practice and each game we want to get better,” King added. “By the end of the year, we want to see the work we put in from the beginning show that we have improved. If we do this, we should be playing our best and earn a playoff spot.”

The battle for a conference title will go through Shoreline, where perennial state power King’s has added a freshman, Jada Wynn, who played in the Junior NBA World Tournament this summer.

But it should be more than a one-team race.

“We know King’s is the team to beat. They were very good last year and have an incoming freshman that could be their best player,” David King said. “Cedar Park Christian will have something to say about the standings. They have a college-type player that leads their team.

“South Whidbey always seems to be in the mix and the games between them and us are always a battle,” he added. “Granite Falls and Sultan are unknowns since we have not played them for the last four years.

“With King’s leading the charge and CPC right behind, it may be a jumbled group with the rest of the teams.”

Coupeville will jump into action with a small, but talented and feisty, core of players.

“The team and players we have is a team I want to go to war with!,” King said. “Dedicated and competitive as well.

“The leadership we have is second to none.”

Seniors Lindsey Roberts and Ema Smith and junior Scout Smith enter the new year as captains, and anchor the team.

“Lindsey has been on varsity all four years and has grown each year,” King said. “She is someone the incoming players can watch and see how a leader leads and works for her playing time.

“Ema and Scout are both vocal and keep the team upbeat and positive.”

Roberts is also a player who could make a deep run on the scoring chart in her final go-around.

With 298 career points, she enter the season in 36th place all-time among Wolf girls hoops stars, and seems primed to make a run at crashing at least the top 20 before she’s done.

Juniors Hannah Davidson and Avalon Renninger and sophomore Chelsea Prescott round out the returning varsity players, while senior Nicole Laxton and junior Tia Wurzrainer make the jump from JV.

“With this group, they are so versatile that we are opening it up on the offensive end and not putting players in “set” positions,” King said.

“All, with Hannah being the exception, will be able to lead us from the point and play on the wing, while Lindsey and Ema are able to add post play to their resume.”

Laxton and Wurzrainer offer valuable support.

“Tia’s strength is defense and hustle. She will fit in well with these skills,” King said. “Last year on JV she gained confidence and improved her shot and started looking to be a scorer.

“Nicole brings strength and height,” he added. “Her ticket to helping us is tough rebounding and improved effort on the defensive end.”

Sophomore Mollie Bailey, who has “been working hard throughout the summer and the first week of practice,” will round out the team while swinging between varsity and JV action.

However the lineup plays out, Coupeville will live and die as a team.

“We are a tight-knit group,” King said. “The players are competitive and willing to put the work in.”

That work extends to both sides of the floor.

“We are putting an emphasis on our offensive execution and court vision,” King said. “We are minimizing our offensive sets; this, in turn, will allow us to put in the time and effort every day to run our offense with confidence.

“If we execute correctly, we will have shots we are looking for.”

To get those shots, the Wolves want to force the action on the defensive end of the floor, which has been a Coupeville trademark during King’s time on the bench.

“Defense is a staple for us. Every year the players buy into our defensive schemes and bring the effort that allows us to excel on this end of the court,” he said. “This team is no exception and are proven defenders.

“Rebounding will be something we will need to get after every day,” King added. “We may not be the tallest team, so we will have to survive on desire and effort, especially on the defensive rebounds. Need to be tenacious.”

Another key area the Wolves will concentrate on is cutting down on errors of any kind.

“Minimizing turnovers, the unforced variety,” King said. “Last year and in years past, we struggled with being too loose with the ball.

“Concentrating on our execution and court vision and improving in these areas will help us improve and lower our turnovers,” he added. “If not, the turnovers lead to easy baskets going the other way.”

While the varsity squad enters the new season with a relatively short bench, there is depth at the next level. And opportunity for those younger players.

“Our incoming freshmen and new players are athletic and competitive,” King said. They are going to push our varsity players every day in practice to get them ready for our opponents.

“Our depth could be a hindrance. Foul trouble is a concern with the bench depth,” he added. “We are hoping one or more incoming players improve as the season progresses and earns some time on the varsity bench.”

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