Girls basketball: A new coach and a new attitude

Published 3:00 pm Wednesday, December 6, 2006

Henry Pope, the new girl’s basketball coach at South Whidbey High School, knew it wasn’t going to be easy.

On the other hand, Pope freely admits he loves a challenge as he assumes the post involuntarily vacated by last season’s winning coach John Pyrtek.

Last year the Lady Falcons finished second in the league at 9-3 and qualified for districts for the second straight year.

The team had one of the most potent offenses in the Cascade Conference, averaging 60.1 points per game in conference play and 59 points overall.

On the strength of last year’s 15-8 record, South Whidbey is currently ranked fifth in the Cascade Conference but Pope is nothing if not realistic.

“We lost a core group of outstanding players to graduation in June and now the younger girls are making the commitment needed to move and improve,” he said.

Pope was encouraged when 30 athletes showed up on the first day of practice. “Hey, I’ve known most of these girls for years, in middle school and through Little League and we’re getting along just great,” he said.

Born and raised in Alabama, Pope followed his brother to the University of Washington where he earned a bachelor’s degree in 1981. He coached basketball at a middle school in Seattle before moving his family to Whidbey Island 11 years ago.

Currently, Pope is a network designer for Boeing. He has two daughters; Samantha is a sophomore at South Whidbey and Taylor is in the eighth grade; son Lewis is in the sixth.

This is Pope’s first chance to man the helm of a high school team and he relishes the opportunity.

“I demand a lot, as the girls have discovered,” he said. “That’s the way I am; act a little crazy then bear down hard on the fundamentals.”

Pope insists on instilling three primary concepts.

The first is discipline, then teamwork, then that sense of chemistry that can take a team to the playoffs.

“I take a long look at their sense of urgency in practice, the intensity and ‘living on the edge’ attitude. If they have that, they can do anything,” he said.

Pope said that practice is all about “muscle memory;” knowing what to do and when to do it without having to think about it.

“In other words, more automatic reaction and less thinking,” he said.

“The girls are beginning to trust each other and me. They need to know they can count on each other to get through the rough spots. They also understand that all of us are embarked on a steep learning curve,” he said.

Pope feels his strength is the interaction he has with his players and his understanding of the fundamentals. Even so, expectations are high.

“I want to continue the Falcon tradition of winning,” Pope said.

So far, the team is responding well.

“Everything is going so well,” senior Meagen Rawls said.

“Our team unity is working out better than some people thought it would. We all like him; he has us working hard, but it’s a good working hard, you know?” Rawls said.

Junior Erica Johnson echoed that thought. “We are a much younger team working on the basics and that’s going to pay off down the road,” she said. “He incorporates all three teams and we all feel we’re being included. ‘One band, one sound,’ he likes to say.”

The initial schedule will be hard on both Pope and his players but that’s OK with him.

“They need to grasp the reality of serious competition. I have no doubts we’ll be much better at the end of the season. And our outstanding group of younger athletes means we will be contenders far into the future,” Pope promised.

Nate Miller is coaching the junior varsity squad this year and Jody Clemens is coaching the Falcons “C” team.

At 7 p.m. on Friday the girls welcome Steilacoom; the next day at noon they’ll face the Lady Wolverines in Friday Harbor.

Jeff VanDerford can be reached at 221-5300 or sports@southwhidbeyrecord.com.