Happy Wife espouses close ties
Bryan Depew has heard it from friends and family all year long.
“People are like, ‘How could you guys win? I just can’t believe that.’ I’ve been harassed quite a bit,” he said.
But Whitworth’s former All-American did take top honors at Hoopfest last year with his Happy Wife Happy Life team. An underdog in 2004 that surprised many in winning the title, no one will look past them again this year.
“This is a lot of pressure,” Depew said. “More teams are going to take us seriously. They know we’re the ones they have to beat.”
Three-fourths of last year’s championship team are returning this year, with Depew and former Whitworth teammates Scott Bierlink and Chase Williams back.
But John Mietus, the fourth and perhaps most important member of the Happy Wife team, is in Europe and couldn’t make it back to Spokane for the title defense. Mietus claimed the Most Valuable Player honors in the championship game against Battle in Seattle in 2004, and Depew readily admits that Mietus will be missed.
In his place, the Whitworth graduates have recruited another one of their own in Kyle Jensen. The 6-foot-7 Jensen could provide much-needed help on the boards, but no one – Jensen included – is banking on him filling Mietus’ sneakers.
“I’ll tell you right now that I’m not as good as John Mietus is,” said Jensen, speaking Friday while making the drive from Bellingham to Spokane. “I know John pretty well and played against him in college. I don’t feel pressure because I’m coming in having played with these guys my entire college career. I probably know them maybe a little bit better than John did previously. But I expect that Bryan and Jason and Scott will carry the load and I’ll just help as much as I can.”
Despite playing locally in college, Jensen has never seen a Hoopfest in person, and this year’s will likely be his only as a competitor. Next month he and his wife are moving to the Midwest as Jensen works toward a Ph.D. at Illinois State.
“It’s his first time ever playing, but we played with him in college,” said Depew, who was the best man in Jensen’s wedding. “He may be nervous the first couple of games, but he’ll get it out of his system.
“He’s lost a little weight since playing in college, but he’s a big kid. I don’t think he’s as mobile as John was, but he’s a great outside shooter and the big body that we need. I appreciate having another big body out there. It takes a lot out of you (playing) inside.”
Even with a new player in the lineup, Depew insists that Happy Wife isn’t changing much from the formula that worked so well in 2004. With memories of last year’s surprise title still fresh, it’s a safe bet that no one from the defending champs will take any opponent lightly this weekend. The team’s run at a second straight championship begins at 9:30 a.m. on the No. 1 court.
“From my standpoint, I don’t prepare any differently. I’m pretty secure these other guys aren’t doing anything different either,” Depew says. “The way people underestimated our team last year, I’m not doing that. I’m treating each of these teams as one that can do just as well as we did.”