New U-Hi basketball coach already on the job
The oldest of Garrick Phillips’ two sons is about to start kindergarten, but already he’s going through a change in his life’s ambition.
The family is in the process of moving from Snoqualmie, Wash., where Phillips spent 13 seasons as head boys basketball coach at Mount Si High School, to Spokane Valley, where he takes over the same position at University.
“It was tough,” he said, referring to the adjustment his son has had to make. “He was going to be a Wildcat forever, but he’s making the changeover. Now, whenever we go out shopping, he’s looking for maroon shorts and shirts because he’s a Titan.”
Phillips, 36, is coming home.
A 1988 graduate of Northwest Christian School, Phillips, 36, played four years of basketball at the University of Puget Sound. Fresh out of college he took over the head coaching job at Mount Si, in the midst of a 28-game losing streak at the time.
Last year the Wildcats, the KingCo league and tournament champion, beat West Valley, 43-41 in first-round of the State 3A tournament, advanced to the state semifinals, losing to eventual champion Seattle Prep. The team finished 23-7 with a sixth-place state trophy.
Phillips is now getting to know his new players. He coached a weeklong basketball camp at U-Hi last month. Last year’s freshman team is playing in a summer league at West Valley, while next year’s prospective varsity is playing a series of summer tournaments.
“The great thing about it is that the kids I’ve inherited in the high school program have been well-coached,” he said. “I know they didn’t win a whole lot of games last year, and there are a number of reasons for that, but the one observation I’ve made is that they’re well-coached and they’re working hard.”
The getting-to-know-you process has been fast-paced.
“I met the kids for the first time June 9 and coached them in a tournament the 10th and 11th,” he said. “We won four out of five games in that tournament. The weekend before Hoopfest we played in another tournament and won all four games we played in.”
Phillips said his preferred style of basketball is to play pressure defense and an up-tempo offense.
“I like to play that style of basketball and I think the kids like that style,” he said. “We have a pretty athletic group. Right now we’re playing a little more up-tempo and pressure than what they’re used to – and I don’t know a whole lot about what they’ve done before outside of what the kids have told me.
“We’re trying that right now, but a lot of what you do as a coach depends on your personnel.”
Phillips hasn’t written his 2006-07 playbook in ink yet.
“That’s what I like about coaching at the high school level instead of college,” he said. “With college players, you kind of recruit to your style of play whereas with high school kids you end up adapting your coaching style to fit the players you have. I like that part. I like that flexibility. I definitely have a style that I would like to play, but I’m flexible enough to be able to change.”
The new coach sees similarities between his two coaching jobs.
When he first took over at Mount Si, the Wildcats were part of the Class 3A Seamount League. Eight years ago, however, they merged into the KingCo Conference, one of the state’s top basketball leagues, featuring the likes of Mercer Island and Redmond.
“There are no nights off in that league, that’s for sure,” he said. “I loved that about it. We had to go into Mercer Island’s gym every year and that’s not an easy place to play. We hadn’t beaten them until this last year. We went in and beat them by about 20.
“From what I’ve seen of the Greater Spokane League, it’s going to be a lot like that – and I only know about what I’ve seen from watching the scores and seeing teams at the state tournament.”
When it comes to building a program, U-Hi is far ahead of where Mount Si was when Phillips arrived.
“When I took over at Mount Si, there was nothing there,” he said. “I was starting from ground zero. There was nothing in place, no competitive basketball for younger kids until they got into middle school, and even then it wasn’t very strong. The difference here is that the program is pretty well established.”
Phillips plans to stay at University.
“I look to stay here for a long time and get the program going,” he said. “I want to get involved with the youth program and try to stay involved with that as much as possible. The success of the high school program is directly related to how well the kids are playing at the younger levels.”
With the Phillips family, it’s a package deal.
“My family is involved in the program; my wife is involved in the program and my sons are involved in the program,” he said. “I don’t think I could do this job if I didn’t have the support of my entire family. I don’t think you could do this job if you don’t have that.
“Thankfully, they appreciate the game and are entwined in my coaching career everything that goes with it.”