Winter sports starting; Lady Mules set to go

In his second year coaching the Wahkiakum Lady Mules basketball team, Coach Rob Garrett has plenty to be excited about. He has a new assistant coach, Tina Merz, who played for the University of Montana in Missoula, and is an experienced coach who knows how to post up. And last year’s young talented team has matured into an even better bunch of ballplayers.

“We have a lot of talent," he said. "We have an all around team. Our starting five is stacked. Already you can tell we’re way ahead of where we were last year. That being said, we have tons of work to do.”

At practice Monday evening, teachers Marc Niemeyer and his wife Tiffany, who played basketball for Eastern Oregon, joined the coaches on the floor and showed the girls a more physical game.

“I feel like I can push them a lot more than last year,” Garrett said. “Last year I spent a lot of time trying to convince them to trust that I want the best for them, and this year they believe me.”

He’s pleased to have Coach Merz around. In an early practice, she had the girls walk into a darkened gym with the Chicago Bulls starting line up music playing. She then had them visualize themselves playing Reardan in the state championship.

Hoping to cultivate kindness and camaraderie, the coaches have made it a requirement for the girls to acknowledge each other in the hallway or any other place they may run into each other. The best player has to acknowledge the one who is struggling. The popular girl has to high five the loner. It doesn’t matter; they are teammates.

They have also been asked to make an effort to get to know people outside their own social circles.

“I want these girls to come out of my program as really good people,” he said.

Looking at the coming season, Garrett believes the Mules’ biggest competition will come from Toutle Lake, Morton/White Pass and Adna.

“It’s up to the girls,” Garrett said, “If they can keep their attitudes in check and stay positive and come together as a team and put that quality time in the gym we’re going to be really, really good.”