Tigers’ final tale
Not long ago, a parent brought out an old photograph of Derek Gianukakis’ sixth-grade AAU championship basketball team.
The guys – Derek, Cody Groth, Todd Orestad, Kavan Lehn and Alex Besemann – shared a laugh.
In the picture were all five senior players that make up this year’s starting lineup at Republic (25-2), in the final year of what could appropriately be called the Gianukakis era.
It’s a journey that began four years ago when second-year head coach John Gianukakis – Derek’s dad – and the Republic boys ran over Wahkiakum to take home the State B title.
Derek’s older brother, Zach, was a sophomore on the team, along with Todd and Kavan’s older brothers, Tyler Orestad and Kyle Lehn. Republic was making its first state appearance since Rory Rickard led the Tigers to their only other state title in 1997.
In 2004, DeSales tripped the heavily favored Tigers in the first round at state. Republic won the rest of their tournament games and finished fifth.
Last season, when Zach was chosen the tournament MVP in his senior year, the Tigers fell 54-48 to local foe and co-favorite at this year’s tournament, Northwest Christian.
But for Derek, the expedition began 10 years ago when he and Groth began playing basketball together.
“Cody and I have been really good friends since we were little guys,” Derek said. “We started playing in third grade and we always dreamed of playing together in high school.”
So when the former Curlew standout moved to a house on Curlew Lake last year and elected to attend Republic for his senior year, no one was more thrilled than Derek.
“I was the most excited guy in the county,” he said. “I was jumping up and down.”
Maybe the second-most excited guy, then, was the coach.
“He’s just been a great addition to the team,” John said. “He’s a big, strong kid that’s fun to be around. It’s been a definite plus for him to come down and play with us.”
Derek (25.3 points per game) and Groth (17.8) have been at the forefront of the Tigers’ potent offense all season. Factor in Todd Orestad’s 14.5 points a game and the three are combining for an average of 57.6 points.
“It’s a whole team thing,” Derek said. “You can’t forget guys like Todd. He has come up big for us, hitting a lot of shots when we need them the most it seems like.
“And Kavan is our big rebounder, and Justin Sharp and Alex Besemann work their butts off on defense. It’s been a team thing and it shows because we’ve been playing together so long.”
Now, in their final chapter of State B, John, Derek and the mostly senior lineup will search for a shot at another title.
After this year, John will retire to spend more time with his family and the younger generation of players that have seen so much success will move on.
“It’s been a pleasure to watch all these guys come through and evolve after their brothers were here,” John said. “I think that their brothers passed the torch on to them. They haven’t gotten their own championship yet, and this will be their fourth year in a row at state. It’s obviously something that they really want.”
When John started coaching five years ago – Zach’s freshman year – he said his plan “from day one” was to leave when Derek graduated, adding that winning a final state title would be a nice way to leave their legacy.
“I would love to win a state championship for these kids,” John said. “This is my last year coaching, and it’s been a heck of a ride.
“This group has put in their time it would be a great thing for them to go out that way.”
To do so, the Tigers must begin with Mossyrock (13-7). The teams meet in today’s first round at 12:30 p.m.
“We break it down into goals,” John said. “We start all over again (today) with trying to win four games.”
The most appropriate conclusion, of course, would be to again meet the Crusaders (25-1) in Saturday night’s final.
“For me, you don’t care who you play. If you’re there, that’s what it’s about,” John said. “There are a lot of games that need to be played before we could meet each other.”
After splitting recent games with NWC, it’s what the players are hoping for.
“That’d be a great matchup,” said Groth, who will play for Concordia University in Irvine, Calif., next year on a full-ride scholarship.
“We definitely play each other well and I’m just glad we have the chance to get there,” Derek added. “We have four games to win. Hopefully, we can get the job done, and hopefully, it can be against (NWC).”
Derek’s future plans are still undecided.
He’s looking at some community colleges and NCAA Division III schools, but doesn’t offer much disagreement to the possibility of ending up at Community Colleges of Spokane as Zach’s teammate once again.
“I loved playing basketball with my brother,” Derek said.
“I don’t know if I will end up (at CCS) next year, but it’s definitely a possibility,” he adds.