At WV, it’s about family
As far as Casey Sherrill’s concerned, West Valley High School boys basketball is all about family.
“That’s it exactly,” the senior guard said. “If you’re a part of this basketball team, you’re part of the family. It’s not about seniors and juniors and sophomores. If you’re on the team, you’re in the family.”
Sherrill is one of the few returning veterans on this year’s West Valley squad. Most of the team that finished 21-6 a year ago and earned an eighth-place trophy from the Class 3A tournament graduated. Most of that team led the Eagles to a fourth-place trophy at state in 2005.
“That’s one of the things that I’d like these new guys to know about the teams that I played on the past two years,” Sherrill said. “Those teams were all close. We were family and we were all best friends. Some of us were related – I’ve played with two of my cousins on those teams.
“The other thing I’d like to teach these guys is that you don’t want to have any regrets when you walk off the court. If you have a shot, take the shot. If you have an open lane to the basket, take the chance and drive. This is a game where you don’t want to have regrets; leave it all out there on the floor.”
Sherrill knew this year’s team would be good – the Eagles are 6-2 overall and 3-0 in league after a 55-48 victory Tuesday over Medical Lake.
Neither is Sherrill’s contribution. The senior guard averages just over 10 points per game, including a season-high 15 against Coeur d’Alene.
“I knew after we finished the season last year that we would still be good,” he said. “I knew we had talent. We’re inexperienced, but we’ll learn and we’ll get better.”
The Eagles, now part of the Class 2A Great Northern League, have learned quickly. The team’s two losses in December, were by eight points to Coeur d’Alene at home and by two at Sandpoint.
Meanwhile the team won by five points over visiting Post Falls and by the same margin at Moscow to break even on its nonleague tour of Idaho’s Inland Empire League.
In its first two league games, the Eagles pulled out a two-point win over Cheney and a three-point victory at Clarkston.
“We’ve played some close games,” Sherrill said. “Winning games like that teaches you something. It gives you confidence.”
That confidence will help as the team goes into uncharted territory. This week begins the team’s first trip through the unfamiliar turf of the GNL. The first two league games, against Cheney and Clarkston, were against former Greater Spokane League foes. Starting this week the Eagles get their first look at GNL veterans Medical Lake, Riverside, Pullman, Colville and Deer Park.
“I’m looking forward to going into some new gyms where we haven’t played before,” Sherrill said. “We’re a good road team. We get pretty excited on the bus because we end up talking about our game plan and getting each other psyched up to play the game.”
And Sherrill looks forward to establishing the new West Valley home court as the toughest place in the league to come play.
“We’re definitely the best gym in the league,” he laughed. “I tell people we have the best college gym in any high school league around.”
This year’s squad is intent on continuing West Valley’s basketball tradition.
“We have new guys on this team, including one guy who moved into the district this year,” Sherrill said. “I think we all want to carry on the tradition – even the new guys.”
The Eagles have placed in four of the past five state Class 3A tournaments, bringing home a fourth-, fifth-, sixth- and eighth-place trophy.
Those trophies are now in cases at the entrance to the gym. Construction continues on the school, but the gym, field house and auxiliary gym all are now open.
“That’s the nice thing,” Sherrill laughed. “The hammering and pounding is all finished. Now we can finally get settled in.”