When the
Alumni Tournament comes around each December 31st, my though process
naturally gravitates back to the experiences I had playing basketball growing
up in Everett. I don’t necessarily
recall specific games or plays, but what I do vividly remember and cherish are
the relationships that I built playing this game, and the personal equity that
was gained as a result.
I can
imagine our collective hoop journeys are similar, but I’ll briefly explain mine
nonetheless. I started playing hoops
through the Everett Boys and Girls Club in the mid-80’s, and the stage couldn’t
have felt bigger. The gym always felt
packed on Saturdays, and it was awesome to go out there and battle against the
guys that would one day be my high school teammates. I teamed up with my boy Kurt Koshelnik from 4th
grade on, and our partnership on the court grew and flourished through many
years of practices, games, one-on-one battles, and shooting competitions. There may have been a fist fight or too mixed
in along the way, but what we built from an early time was this brotherhood
through basketball. Anyhow, this translated
to many victories, a few losses, but more than anything a connection through
hoop that would carry us through the future.
At some
point the guys that were most serious about basketball came together to form
what would today be considered an AAU select team. Right around 6th and 7th
grade, that happened for me and guys like Kurt, Byron Lewellen, Craig Anderson,
and Mike Mickleberry. Through various
versions of teams, this core group stuck together and started playing in
basketball tournaments together throughout the Puget Sound. I distinctly remember fierce battles with
Rotary, Redmond, Mill Creek, and the Seattle Pirates where we’d get our first
experiences with close games, bravado through physical battles, and failure
that made you realize it really hurt to lose a game or miss an important
shot. It eventually led to traveling on
basketball trips to places like Reno and Palm Springs, where our coach would
rent a motorhome and pile 10 guys in for trips down the coast. It’s all pretty hilarious in hindsight,
because there were literally no parents on these trips and we had zero
supervision in places like Los Angeles, but we made it out unharmed and were
the better for the experiences. Not just
for the games we got to play, or the hours of practice time we received, but
for the friendships and bonds that were formed.
I can’t place enough value on what this meant to our collective group.
As a result,
we had a true sense of investment into what we wanted to achieve out of our
high school playing experience. It became
very tangible and real to us that we could win a state championship at Everett. Ask anyone outside of our core group, and
they would have thought that was insane. But we genuinely believed it. We believed it because we sincerely believed
in our abilities, but more importantly unconditionally trusted the abilities
and intentions of each other. That trust
allowed us the ability to hold each other accountable in ways that most kids
our age probably couldn’t handle. We
could cuss each other out if we felt the other wasn’t giving top effort, or was
getting his butt kicked by the opposition.
We would listen with empathy if one of us came to the other with
frustrations on the court. We could get
in physical altercations with each other, and be completely cool with each
other 5-10 minutes after it happened. We
had a collective buy-in, and through that playing basketball meant something
significant to each of us.
What does
that translate to? It becomes a primal
scream of celebration when Kurt makes an “and 1” in a crucial game
situation. It leads to four guys running
over to pick Byron up off the ground after he takes a huge charge. It’s me running down the court like a delirious
crazy person after watching Tom Niva dunk on Iyan Walker. It’s knowing that being down by 6 points with
30 seconds left in a state tournament game means nothing, and that Jessen
Schilaty will hit a big shot or two for us.
It’s winning that game. It’s placing
5th at the state tournament when you’re projected to place 5th
in your league. What does it translate
to? It translates to creating an
experience that’s way bigger than yourself, and bigger and better than you can even
imagine.
Why am I
waxing poetic on “the good ‘ole days”?
Because I’m sure that on some scale each of you can identify with this
within your own experience. You had
those guys you connected with and bonded with.
You were giving the opportunities to grow together through basketball,
and it helped create memories that were special, but more importantly helped
create life lessons you hold near and dear to you today. What’s rad about the Alumni Tournament is
that not only can we celebrate these experiences together, but we can help
support the next generation of young Seagull hoopers as they embark on their
journey.
The Everett
Hoops Club AAU program has been in existence for several years, and serves as
the “farm system” for the Everett High School basketball program. The non-profit organization has feeder teams
from 5th through 8th grades that play a league schedule
from December through February, and also compete in various tournaments. The participants in the program are students
attending schools in the Everett High portion of the district, so basically it’s
a mix of kids that grew up going to Whittier, Hawthorne, Garfield, Jackson, or
View Ridge. It’s a fairly wide
geographic region within the city, and with that comes a widely diverse
demographic of participants. As has been
the case throughout time, there are currently many kids playing that come from
either low-income or very low-income households that are unable to cover the
basic participation cost of $225 per season.
This fee helps cover league fees, gym time expenses, referee costs,
tournament costs, and uniform/supply costs.
Tom Gish – the current President of Everett Hoops Club – estimates that
75% of this year’s participants are receiving some form of subsidy assistance
to participate. The problem with this is
there are not revenue streams sufficient enough to meet this need, and it
results in those volunteering their time to help cover these costs. As someone who values the experiences I had
playing youth basketball and knows what it meant to who I am today, this is not
acceptable.
As a result,
there has been a recent groundswell of support to help meet this financial need
for Everett Hoops Club to keep it viable.
While there are many people talking about ways to strengthen the
organization long-term through providing financial and organizational support,
there is an immediate need to help offset current year operating costs for the
program participants. That is why I’m
asking that each of us step up to the challenge and help.
When you
sign in on Wednesday, you’ll be asked to make a minimum suggested donation of
$10 to participate in the Alumni Tournament.
All proceeds will go towards
supporting the Everett Hoops Club AAU program.
While $10 is
the minimum suggested donation, I would ask that those that can dig a little
deeper please do so. I see the AAU kids
in the gym playing every single week during the season, and without getting too
detailed about it, let’s just say this opportunity means a lot to them. They are proud of the jersey that says “Everett”
on it, and they are truly getting an experience that is foundationally
necessary for them to be successful – both on and off the court – for many
years to come. They are well on their
way to forming those relationships and experiences that will translate to
future successes.
It’s my hope
that through day-of-tournament donations and gifts, we will raise $2,000 for
Everett Hoops Club. Let’s make it
happen.
If you have any
questions, don’t hesitate to contact me directly. As was referenced in prior emails, you can
donate via cash, check, or credit card at the registration table.
Look forward
to seeing you all Wednesday.
Bobby
Thompson
Everett High
School
Class of
1996
