Three men with strong local connections — including two brothers — will be inducted into the Washington Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame this month.
Keith Kingsbury and brothers Mike Lowery and Norm Lowery Jr. are among five 2009 WIBCA Hall of Fame inductees who will be honored July 30 during a ceremony at 5 p.m. at Comcast Arena.
A former Edmonds Community College men’s basketball coach, Kingsbury compiled 570 victories and 328 losses in 32 years. Kingsbury had a positive impact on countless prep players and coaches, according to WIBCA co-president Nalin Sood.
The Lowery brothers combined for 429 wins in a total of 42 seasons. Mike Lowery was 218-212 at Marysville-Pilchuck High School. Norm Lowery Jr. was 211-264 at Lake Stevens High and Hazen High in Renton.
Their father, Norm Lowery Sr., is in the WIBCA Hall of Fame. He coached Everett High for 18 seasons from 1955-1973 and died in 2007.
Thanks to their kindness, sense of humor and generosity, the Lowerys distinguished themselves in the Snohomish County basketball community, said Sood, the WIBCA co-president.
“They’re just two of the best people you’ll meet,” Sood said of Mike Lowery and Norm Lowery Jr. Sood, Mountlake Terrace’s head boys basketball coach, coached against Mike Lowery for a few years before Lowery resigned after the 2004-2005 season.
The other two 2009 WIBCA inductees are Rod Iverson and Tim Kelly. Iverson was 279-181 in 23 years at Rogers High of Puyallup. Kelly was 256-140 in 16 total years at Lincoln High of Tacoma and Curtis High of University Place.
“It’s going to be a great event. I’m really looking forward to it,” said Sood.
Tickets cost $25. For more details, contact Sood at SoodN@edmonds.wednet.edu.
Reader poll
Two-a-day football practices are safe for high school athletes if coaches and players follow common-sense guidelines, most readers said in a recent Heraldnet.com poll. Responding to the question “Should two-a-day high school football practices be eliminated because of safety concerns?” 69 percent of voters said no. In a recent report, the National Athletic Trainers’ Association recommended prep football teams avoid two-a-day sessions in August when hot weather and intense physical exertion can lead to heat stroke or death.
To see complete results of the poll and participate in other polls, go to www.heraldnet.com/doubleteam.
Edmonds-Woodway teammates share Hilde/Baxter Scholarship
Trevor Swartz and Quinn Naughtin received the 2009 Hilde/Baxter Scholarship, awarded annually to an Edmonds-Woodway High baseball player. E-W coach Dan Somoza presented the award to Swartz, a catcher, and Naughtin, an outfielder, in late May. Both players signed with Skagit Valley College.
The scholarship is named for Mark Hilde and Gerik Baxter, former E-W baseball players who died in a car accident in 2001. They were both major-league prospects.
The amount of the Hilde/Baxter scholarship is $1,207, a tribute to Hilde and Baxter, whose uniform numbers were 12 and 7, respectively. Swartz and Naughtin will split the scholarship.
Local volleyball players excel at Junior Olympics
Eight area girls were on the Washington Volleyball Academy U-16 team that won the Silver Division June 29 during the USA Junior Olympic Girls’ Volleyball Championships in Miami. The team finished ninth overall in the nation in their age group. Local players on the squad were Jazymne Dodd (Kamiak), Kaci Jones (Stanwood), Bryce Larson (Kamiak), Meagan McPhetridge (Monroe), Karla Nelson (Snohomish), Makiya Nelson (Marysville Pilchuck), Megan Rice (Snohomish) and Sarah Titus (Stanwood). The team’s head coach was Dave Morehouse, who coaches Shorecrest.
Mike Cane: mcane@heraldnet.com. Check out the prep sports blog Double Team at www.heraldnet.com/doubleteam.
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