Medical Lake girls play for new coach

MEDICAL LAKE – Consider the off-season for Medical Lake girls' basketball to have been not unlike a game of musical chairs.

When the Cardinal's boys coach, Jordan Starr, packed up and left for his childhood home and a job at Selah High, athletics director Dawn Eliassen found replacements close at hand.

Girls head coach Brett Ward moved to the boy's bench and a veteran assistant, Yeta Holloway, was put in Ward's spot.

For Holloway, who had served on the boy's staff in various roles, first under Noel Hachtel several years ago, the fit appears to be perfect for a variety of reasons.

First, he first taught his shining star player, senior Charde Luat, the game as a third grader. "I got her started in basketball," Holloway professes.

Luat went on to lead the team in scoring last season, was also named to the All-Northeast A League team for a second consecutive season as well as to the 1A-2A All-State team.

But Luat is just one of a number of returnees from the Cardinals' 4-8 NEA squad (7-14 overall) that went out on a six-game losing streak but promises a new look under Holloway.

"Eight are returning, I have seven seniors," Holloway said. "So it's gonna be real change next year."

But as they live in the here and now the Cardinals will be more multi-dimensional with both outside and inside presence, Holloway explained.

One statistic that jumped off the page for the new coach was Medical Lake firing off from 3-point range where they averaged 48 per game.

"You don't want to make a living (with 3-pointers), especially if you don't have the Steph Curry's of the world," Holloway said, referencing the NBA superstar's long-range accuracy.

One of the things Holloway want to utilize this year is getting more easy buckets around the basket, which will help with long rebounds and team getting down the floor in transition.

Chiche Okemgbo is just one of the players projected to have the power in the paint, perhaps delivering double-digit numbers each game?

"(Last year) her points came off scrapped plays, household plays, offensive rebounds," Holloway said.

Shooting guard Delaney Gunther has already proven herself at the college level where she will play after graduation at Walla Walla University.

Hard work over the summer on Gunther's game has improved her mid-range shooting and ability to get to the basket, according to Holloway.

The Cardinals also acquired Reardan transfer Emma Heinemann.

"She didn't play much at Reardan because she had some injuries," Holloway said. He's confident Heinemann will be one of the first players off the bench, if not, perhaps, a starter at small forward.

Now about that name, Yeta?

"My parents wanted me to have something that's unique and different," Holloway explained. "So my dad came up with the name Yeta which means never gives up always keeps trying."

To this day Holloway has never anyone with my same name. There's close, he joked, "The Yeti, you know, the Sasquatch."