Wahluke Eagles

This blog describes the joys of coaching an AAU basketball team from Mattawa, WA. Our team and town is roughly 90% Mexican. The blog celebrates and describes life in a central Washington town through the eyes of the players and their coaches.

Name:
Location: Mattawa, Washington, United States

I work as a School Psychologist in the Wahluke School District. When I am not coaching I enjoy fishing, reading, and riding my bike.

20 August, 2006

A New Look

The Wahluke Eagles are excited at the prospect of getting official uniforms next year. This upcoming season is our third and each year our look has changed.

The first year, it was a team of seven boys with homemade uniforms that consisted of a white t-shirt with hand written numbers on the back and shorts. Some had black, other blue, and occasionally one kid came with red.

This last season we had the practice uniforms from the girl's AAU team. They were reversible tank-tops with Mattawa written on the chest. The situation remained the same with the shorts.

This year we are hoping to look official with team uniform. The boys voted and by an overwhelming majority picked Royal Blue with White trim. The front of the shirt will say Wahluke Eagles, then the number, and just below the number an Eagle holding a basketball.

The uniforms cost around $325 to outfit 15 players. We are asking the boys to contribute $15 dollars and we'll gladly accept any donations. Any funds received will be deposited in an account and be used exclusively for the team. Juan and I will continue to pay for our own expenses.

04 August, 2006

New Rudy Call

Last May Juan and I announced an open invitation to join the Wahluke Eagles. Before the kids tried out, we both discussed the need to really evaluate the new players and show that we were serious about accepting new players. Well two players quickly caught our attention. The first was Joey Joseph and the second was Rudy.

Joey Joseph played with us the initial season from October to December. Joey Joseph (Little Cub) is an exceptional player. He cut his teeth with the Wapato Little Cubs (our arch-rivals). He came to Mattawa and made an immediate impact on the playground. And when he joined us for the first season in Fourth grade he made an impression with his demeanor. He worked hard, got along with everyone, and set a sterling standard of behavior. Loosing Joey Joseph was hard so when he came back he was met with open arms.

The second player was Rudy. Rudy is short but explosive. He has the grin of a Cheshire cat especially when he is around Freddy When he sees Juan or I, he can quickly shift to an expressionless look. But beneath the boyish sense of trouble and the bland looking student was the heart of a basketball player. Rudy is tough on defense, like Freddy he has no compunction about diving for a loose ball. Rudy can shoot, like Tony he can make his three pointers. Rudy hustles, like Gabino (Pickles, Afro-Dude) and Oscar (Catfish) he hates to loose and he never gives up.

So even though our next game is around 24 October 2006, the Wahluke Eagles are preparing. We picked up Rudy and were reunited with Joey Joseph. Watch out. Deep in the corner of Grant County lies Mattawa. Forgotten and under estimated like their parents, these sons of the frontier are practicing and waiting for their chance to show they belong.