Lakeside’s lead player enjoys new coach’s focus on teamwork
For Lakeside High School senior Kia Gibson, the path not taken was the one which led her back home.
Gibson, a four-year mainstay for the Eagles in volleyball and basketball, flirted with the idea of transferring to Gonzaga Prep after her sophomore year and in fact was on the Bullpups’ preseason volleyball roster. But she reconsidered just as her junior year was beginning and returned to Lakeside, which it turned out had, presciently, not yet taken her off the rolls.
The athletic consequences for the Eagles were dramatic – the volleyball team finished third in the 2A state tournament during Gibson’s junior season and second last fall in 1A, and fifth in last year’s 2A basketball tourney.
“That’s a part of my past I want to forget,” said Gibson, so she didn’t go into much detail.
But she did say, “I stayed here because we were a Lakeside family and because I finally realized that I couldn’t please everybody, so I needed to do what was right for myself. Once I did, I had an inner peace that I hadn’t felt for a while.
“In the beginning, there were some questions about my return, and I had to regain some trust on the volleyball team, but when they knew I was here to stay, that didn’t take too long.”
Although volleyball is her “second” sport, Gibson said it was the one that drew her back.
“I love playing volleyball, I love playing with the girls I’ve played with, and I couldn’t imagine playing without them,” she said. “I’m probably better in basketball, but I love every team I’ve ever been on. The two sports are totally different – volleyball’s a little looser, you get to freelance and have some fun, and basketball is more intense.”
This winter, Gibson and her Lakeside teammates are part of a coaching transition, with local product Jeff Pietz succeeding Lora Jolley after three seasons.
“It’s been amazing so far,” Gibson said. “Coach Pietz gets after us, and I love it. That’s something new for us, and it does so much for our team. I didn’t get to meet him when he interviewed last summer because I was at my aunt’s wedding in New York, but after the interview, I talked with him because I wanted to know his philosophy and let him know mine. I wanted to know he could make the tough decisions about who plays and not just play girls because they’d played before.”
Pietz, a 1991 graduate of Reardan High School, coached at Seattle Prep for 14 years, including the past eight as varsity head assistant. Although his intentions for the past couple of years had been to return to Eastern Washington, the Lakeside job was the only one he applied for last summer.
“I was already at a good school with a good program,” he said, “and I knew Lakeside was the same sort of place. My mom passed away a couple years ago. and I’ve wanted to come back to be near my family.
“There’s a honeymoon period any time a new coach comes in, where people watch to see how things are going to work out, so the expectations haven’t been unreasonably high. Neither the girls nor I had any idea what it was going to be like, so all were a little wide-eyed. We’re a pretty young team, not many seniors, but the girls are buying into my philosophy and are committed to our common goals.
“Kia’s our top player, the leader on the court for us. Sometimes the other girls want to rely solely on her, but she’s selfless and will always try to involve others. I’ve seen her pass the ball when she’s two feet from the hoop, trying to get somebody else a better shot. She’s got great basketball sense on the court.”
The Eagles, in the 1A Northeast A League after WIAA reclassification, are 2-1 in league and 9-4 overall after a tough overtime loss at Freeman last Friday. They have two freshman starters, and one of their three seniors was injured early in the season.
“But Coach Pietz has us playing with class and maturity and intelligence,” Gibson said, “and even though we’re young and the league is tough, this is the most team-oriented program I’ve ever been in.”