County basketball offers old-timey look; Vikings, Nighthawks, Pirates now on board

It’s once again that time of year when the high school gyms of Whitman County fill up with fans to watch teams in one of the most storied basketball leagues in Washington state.

WIAA re-classifications last year restored the traditional lineup of Whitman County League basketball, which tips off a new season this weekend.

Coming back down to the 1B ranks this year to join the league with their traditional rivals are former Whitman League power teams, Tekoa/Oakesdale and Garfield/Palouse. Both played the last two seasons in the 2B ranks, a split that convoluted the league seasons when county schools faced off in non-league games.

Another tradition returns next March when the 1B teams return to Spokane’s Arena, a venue that historically drew thousands of Whitman County fans. The 1B tourneys have been waged at Yakima since the small school division was created.

“I think it’s gonna be one of the most exciting years in Whitman County league basketball in a long time,” said Rosalia Coach Rob Hudkins. “And I think getting back to Spokane is going to add a lot of motivation to some of these teams to get back to state.”

To a man, each coach in the county league expects a wide open season, with talent and experience spread throughout each school’s roster.

“This league’s gonna be a battle. From top to bottom, there’s not going to be a single night where you can look at an easy win,” said Tekoa/Oakesdale Coach Adam Ellis.

Rosalia After ripping through last season without a league loss, Hudkins’ Spartans are the early favorites to claim the top league spot this year.

“Rob’s done a great job of building a program and bringing in young guys to replace his seniors,” said Garfield/Palouse Coach Tim Coles.

Rosalia was bounced from the championships in Yakima last year in two games, after entering the state tourney with a perfect record.

“It was a bummer it ended the way it did, but somebody had to come home outta that bracket,” said Coach Hudkins.

Though top scorer Jim Maley graduated last year, Rosalia brings back a talented core, led by senior Nathan Richards, whose play in the post has been a dominant force in league play for the past three seasons. Richards could miss the first few games recovering from a broken hand suffered last spring, but Coach Hudkins said the depth of his bench should cover Richards’ absence.

Hudkins said outside players like Scott Eberle and D.J. Brown make this year’s Spartans a faster-paced, more perimeter-oriented squad.

“The thing I like about this team the most is we really have about eight to ten guys that can play just about any position on the floor and we don’t lose much,” he said.

Rosalia opens with Liberty Friday night before traveling to Wellpinit Saturday.

ST. JOHN/ENDICOTT posted the league’s top finish last year, coming up just short of grabbing another globe for the most packed trophy case in Whitman County.

But the Eagles will bring an entirely new look to this season.

Stars Warren Miller and Dylan Schmick graduated, and Coach Rick Winters stepped down to concentrate on his superintendent duties.

New coach Scott Hollingsworth, a member of the 1978 St. John championship team and a disciple of the Bill Hays school of coaching, expects a high tempo attack from this year’s young Eagle squad.

“We’re going to be a little size-challenged this year, I think, but we should be able to get up and down the court quickly,” said Coach Hollingsworth.

Particularly impressive over early practice sessions, he said, have been Mason Van Lith and Kaleb Simon. Both were key to last year’s runner-up squad and bring in another year of experience.

The Eagles open with Davenport next Tuesday night.

COLTON looks to be an up-and-comer on this year’s league landscape, bringing back the potent inside-outside combo of guard Josh Straughan and post Dustin Patchen.

“They’ve probably got the best point guard in the league and a tough post man,” said T/O Coach Ellis. “When you can put that together, you’re going to be tough to beat.”

Straughan was the Wildcats’ top scorer last season, and Patchen developed into a monster on the glass last year.

The ‘cats also bring in a talented group of freshmen.

Colton swings into action tonight, Thursday, at Genessee and travels to Grangeville next Tuesday.

GARFIELD/PALOUSE graduated top gun Gavin Burt, but Coach Tim Coles, the elder statesman of Whitman County coaches, said this year’s squad should be an athletic bunch.

“We have a team that’s going to be able to bottle some people up defensively,” said Coles. “If this game was only defense, we’d be right up there near the top.”

It’s on the other side of the court that Coles has questions. Steven Griffin could take up the slack, returning after a pair of injury-plagued campaigns, and Brock Slocum provides Coles a streaky weapon from deep.

“We’re going to have nights where our shots fall and we could be really tough to beat,” he said. “But we could also have a lot of nights where everything clanks off.”

Stout center Nathan Cocking should provide an inside presence for the Vikes.

GP opens the season with home games against LaCrosse/Washtucna Friday and Lakeside of Plummer Saturday.

TEKOA/OAKESDALE has a big hole to fill in the middle this year, after losing Brandon Hovde, who was a potent post presence the past three years.

If anybody can fill the shoes of a graduated great, it would be 6-6 sophomore Max Mueller. Coach Ellis said Mueller picked up key experience on the JV squad last year and could develop into an inside force.

Leading the team this year will be veterans Earl Gaines, Corey Schultz and Lance Lindgren. Ellis said the three seniors bring savvy and an intense work ethic to the floor that should help guide the younger members of the Nighthawk squad.

“It’s all about preparation,” said Coach Ellis. “We’ve got a group of seniors that work harder than anybody at being ready to play. If we’re that prepared, I think we’ve got just as good a shot as anybody.”

The ‘hawks are set to open at Asotin Friday night, followed by a Saturday trip to Potlatch.

LACROSSE/WASHTUCNA brings back a pair of big scorers from last year’s squad to guide a tall team that only graduated one player from last year.

Seniors Jeff Zimmer and Chris Wargo put up points against top competition last year and lead a core of five returning starters.

“The kids took some knocks last year,” said Coach Jones. “But I think they really started to figure out the pressure and the speed of gametime basketball.”

The Tigercats travel to Palouse Friday for an early non-leaguer and then to Harrington Saturday.

POMEROY is the new entry in the Whitman league block this year, after dropping down from the 2B ranks. Pomeroy replaces the departed Tri-Cities Prep that moved up to 2B this year.

Coach Brian Koller said his Pirates bring in a lot of size and experience, with senior starters Shawn Beale, Justin Ruark and Mack Wolfe returning,

Koller said he has three members of his team that stand 6-3 and hopes that size will offset the speed attacks of the other league teams.

“This is a tough, tough league this year,” he said. “Actually, we’d probably be a little better off up in the 2B ranks.”

Pomeroy opens the season next Wednesday at Asotin.

TOUCHET returns to the league with a streaky run-and-gun attack that carried them within a game of an appearance at Yakima last year.

Led by gunner Jake Hodnefield, the Indians feature a potent arsenal of outside shooters that can take over entire stretches of any game.

“They’re tough to deal with,” said Rosalia Coach Hudkins. “You can’t for a second get comfortable against them, or they’ll burn you.”

Touchet starts the season next Tuesday with a game against Helix of Milton-Freewater.