New W.F. West High School boys basketball coach Chris White poses for a photo at the PAC Center in Chehalis on Wednesday, July 22.
Chris White has been hired as W.F. West's new head boys basketball coach.
The new head boys Bearcat basketball coach was right there all along.
Chris White, a math teacher at W.F. West High School, accepted the open position last week, closing a hiring process that featured around 20 applicants.
White, 41, has been a math teacher at W.F. West for the last 16 years, and was an assistant coach under former Bearcat boys coaches Dale Leach and Ryan Robertson, as well as former girls coach Henri Weeks. He’s also coached middle school boys and girls basketball, and has worked with the majority of the players currently in the Bearcat basketball program through school or AAU basketball.
“I just kind of felt like it was time to step up and take a challenge. I just really enjoy this group of kids a lot, so I thought it would be a blast,” White said. “It’s just kind of the logical progression of lots of years of doing it, and the opportunity presented itself, and it felt like it’d be a lot of fun.”
White’s two sons will be a sophomore and a freshman in high school this year, and he’s had the opportunity to coach their teams over the years.
“I know he’s going to do extremely well. He’s bringing instant credibility, just with the kids and in the community,” W.F. West athletic director Jeff Johnson said. “He’s one of those guys that’s just so likeable, and he’s always trying to find a way to reach every kid. He understands the maturation rate of teenagers, and he’s just tireless and relentless.”
A Challenge
The job, on the surface, looks a bit challenging; the Bearcats went 0-21 last year, with injuries to handful of key players. The struggles, however, provided a chance for a few younger players — particularly a trio of freshman, Dakota Hawkins, Nole Wollan and White’s oldest son Brandon — to show promise in expanded roles.
“With the tough season, they got some opportunities to step in there and grow up pretty fast,” White said.
The immediate focus for the Bearcats will be giving the team a bit of a physical bite.
“We lack physicality. That’s my big goal as a coach, to get these guys more physical, even if they don’t have the tools, to at least get the mindset to bang people and hold your ground,” he said. “We just haven’t really had that inside game at all. We haven’t had anybody really strong around the hoop, and hopefully we can develop that part of the game.”
The on-the-court focus will be gritty defense and rebounding.
“We don’t want to give away easy baskets. Everything needs to be either a really tough shot, or you felt some contact from us,” White said. “We’re going to try to make it a goal not to get outhustled or outworked.”
His experience with this group of players has already given the new coach a good idea of what to expect.
“You already have a feel for where they’re ceiling is going to be, what their strengths are, what their weaknesses are,” he said. “I’ve already had a chance to push them into different situations and see how they answer the call.”
That was a selling point during the hiring process, Johnson said.
“His familiarity with these current kids is a heck of a bonus,” Johnson said. “They’ve been very successful with his leadership, and it’s unbelievable how great of a teacher he is. That just carries over to the court.”
The head boys and girls basketball coach positions both opened up near the end of the school year. Tom Kelly was hired for the girls job last month, replacing 13-year veteran Weeks; White takes over for Robertson, who also coached for 13 years.
“Initially there was a little doubt with the timing, knowing we had no real teaching positions out there,” Johnson said, “but just in our own community, we ended up filling some great spots, and bringing in quality, quality people.”
Strong Staff
White’s already lined up his roster of coaches and assistants for the 2015-16 season. Kevin Schultz will return from last year’s staff and coach the freshman team, while Brandon Abbott — a former EvCo MVP with the Bearcats and standout at Centralia College — will return to coach the JV team. Kyle Karnofski, a Castle Rock graduate who played four years at St. Martin’s University, has been hired to teach English in Chehalis and will coach the C-squad team. The last addition to White’s staff was 2001 W.F. West graduate Kyle Aselton, a standout left-handed pitcher that reached the Double-A level in the Minnesota Twins organization.
“I enjoyed watching him play. He had good balance, footwork and demeanor,” White said of Aselton. “It’s going to be a fun staff. I’m looking forward to creating a family atmosphere with the players and the coaches.”
Notes: White graduated from Ilwaco High School in 1992 and played basketball at Lower Columbia College under Jim Roffler, though a major shoulder injury put an end to his playing days. … White teaches geometry, precalculus and technical math at W.F. West. He’ll start his 17th year in Chehalis in September.
