Soon tiles commemorating conference championships won by the Coupeville High School girls basketball team the past two years will be mounted on the walls of the CHS gymnasium.
The Wolves didn’t win those crowns by showing up Nov. 15 to prepare for the winter season. Coupeville, under the direction of coach David King, spends much of the off-season putting in the sweat it takes to develop a winning program.
While the CHS girls basketball team isn’t the only Coupeville club putting in extra time honing its skills in the off-season, it is one of the most active.
June 12, the girls played a few games in La Conner before heading to team camp at Ocean Shores. Nineteen players, up from 11 last summer, made the trip and were split into two teams. Included in the group were three seniors, five juniors, six sophomores and five freshmen.
The Wolves played 15 games spread over four days.
“This group was outstanding,” King said. “The difference in play from the first games for both teams on Monday to their games on Thursday is something every coach hopes for. We couldn’t have asked for anything more. The growth in that short time frame by individual players is going to go a long way once our high school season starts.”
The trip included more than playing games.
“We get a lot of basketball in, but we really strive to bond as a team and do some fun things while there,” King said. “Every year we make it down to the beach and have a competition with building sand sculptures.”
Shortly after returning, five players attended an individual camp at Western Washington University. At least six are going to a shooting camp in North Seattle Aug. 10, King said.
Generally, King also enters a team in the Skagit fall league.
Coupeville’s volleyball team and its new head coach Cory Whitmore held open gyms and practices to prepare for its team camp at Western Washington University.
The Coupeville football team practiced for three days in mid-July but did not attend a team camp this summer because not enough players committed.
Open gyms are held throughout the summer, and workout/weight lifting sessions for all Coupeville athletes are offered twice a day for four days each week.
Doubling- or tripling-up on sports in the off-season is not unusual for Coupeville athletes.
Softball coach Kevin McGranahan noted that at least seven of his players are also active in other sports and train with each during the summer.
Two Coupeville basketball and volleyball players, Lauren Rose and Sarah Wright, along with volleyball player Katrina McGranahan, played summer softball for the Northwest Storm U16 select team based out of Mount Vernon.
Softballers Kailey Kellner and Tiffany Briscoe were part of the summer basketball group, coach McGranahan said, and Briscoe, Hope Lodell and Nicole Laxton are involved in volleyball.
