Carlos Humphrey has returned to his coaching roots. This time, he has the power to shape an entire program.
Humphrey is the new head girls basketball coach at Cascade High School. The 30-year-old Oklahoma native coached the Bruins junior-varsity and freshman girls hoops teams for three seasons before embarking on other coaching ventures in 2004.
“Just to return as the head coach (is exciting),” said Humphrey, who has crisscrossed the country as national director for Advantage Basketball Camps, a well-known hoops school for kids ages 7 to 18.
Humphrey replaces Dave Roberts, who had coached Cascade since the 1999-2000 season. Roberts’ contract was not renewed last month, Everett School District athletic director Robert Polk said.
Humphrey played at Missouri Valley College and competed professionally for two years in Europe.
As a coach, he once guided Cascade’s freshman team to a 19-1 record. He said he plans to emphasize an attacking, disruptive defense and revitalize a Bruins varsity squad that struggled in recent seasons. This past winter, Cascade was 4-12 in the Western Conference North Division, 6-14 overall. It has won six or fewer league games per season each of the past four seasons and hasn’t had a winning overall record since 2002-2003.
“My main focus with these girls – it’s definitely going to be a rebuilding process – is to take it one game at a time, actually one practice at a time. … It’s almost going to be like a new beginning, really,” said Humphrey, speaking in a phone interview Wednesday during a break from an Advantage Basketball event in Plano, Texas.
Humphrey said he recently accepted an offer to become vice president of Advantage Basketball Camps, a change that will require less travel and allow him to devote more time to the Cascade job.
Cascade athletic director Doug Kloke said he is impressed by Humphrey’s hoops knowledge and his knack for supporting student-athletes. “He connects real well with the kids,” said Kloke, “and treats them with a lot of respect.”
Kloke said he hopes Humphrey can help reverse Cascade’s lagging turnout and lift the Bruins back to prominence. They haven’t advanced to the state tournament since 2001. In 1999 they placed sixth in the state, the best finish in program history.
The future is promising, Kloke said, thanks to several talented young players, including forward/post Danielle Love, a freshman who averaged about 15 points and received All-Wesco North second team recognition.
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