Crusaders building off deep frontcourt

SHORELINE — Size is likely what opponents are going to notice first about the Shoreline Christian School girls basketball team.

But that’s not what the Crusaders consider their most valuable resource.

It’s the mobility of the Shoreline Christian frontline and its supporting cast that coach Stan De Yager plans to exploit.

The posts won’t jog down court, camp out in the paint and wait for the ball to come their way.

“It’s not just stand around height,” De Yager said. “All of our height has good speed too. We’re going to look for an uptempo, motion game and see if we can get it up the court quickly.

“They’re going to be uptempo both defensively and offensively. It’s a very athletic bunch and we’ve got to take advantage of those gifts.”

The Shoreline Christian roster has undergone a considerable overhaul with the graduation of three experienced starters and the addition of six new bodies.

Passion emerged as the common thread linking the returners and the newcomers.

“There’s a lot of energy and love for the game that we haven’t had in a long time,” co-captain Brittany Van Hal said.

The Crusaders appear to have the tools to translate that extra spirit into success. Van Hal figures it’s only a matter of time.

“There’s a lot of talent on this team, so we’re just trying to bring it all together,” she said. “We move around a lot. Everybody can play different positions. That’s one of the strongest things we’ve got going for us.”

The steady presence of Van Hal is another. As the team’s lone senior, the 5-foot-11 post is regarded as a source of leadership and a role model for her younger teammates.

“We’re looking for great things from Brittany,” De Yager said. “She’s really starting to come into her own this year. She realizes this is it and she might as well play loose and have a good time.”

Van Hal and sophomore posts Julia DeKoekkoek and Tess Hodges combined for 15 points per game last year. With the loss of all-league leading scorer Allison Vanderwerff, the three are expected to increase their production this season.

The frontcourt also received a boost with the arrival of Colleen Woods. The 5-10 sophomore transfer was a member of Roosevelt High’s Class 4A state championship team a year ago and adds depth to the Shoreline Christian lineup.

“We didn’t know about her until a week before the school year started,” De Yager said. “Her mom had been looking at our school for Christian education and they decided to make that move. It was a great surprise.”

Another newcomer is taking over the controls of the on-the-go offense the Crusaders are cultivating. Freshman point guard Ann Barrick slides into the vacancy left by Vanderwerff.

De Yager is bracing for a few rough patches as Barrick adjusts to the rigors of the varsity level, but sees a bright future for the 5-5 standout.

“We’ve seen her coming up through our system for a few years now,” De Yager said. “She’s a special little lady who’s played a lot of (select team) basketball. She’s going to have some growing times, we know that. Any freshman with the pressure we’re going to face would have some. But she’s going to be fine.”

Juniors make up the rest of a retooled backcourt that includes just one returner in Kara Fertello. The 5-6 co-captain noticed the team’s new pieces began falling into place during a summer league hosted by Seattle Christian.

“It built confidence for a lot of us,” Fertello said. “We got to experience some stuff we didn’t get to in the regular season.”

The seeds of a businesslike approach were also planted in the offseason. De Yager has observed a more serious tone to workouts than recent seasons.

“They’re spending a lot of time in the classroom with their playbooks,” he said. “They really want to perform well in practice. They’re not real content with mediocrity, which is a really good sign.”

Shoreline Christian won a crossover playoff game to earn its 22nd consecutive tri-district tournament appearance last year. The postseason format is changing this winter with the merging of the eight-team Northwest 1A/B League.

De Yager anticipates a heated conference race.

“We know that every game we step into is going to be a contest. I don’t think we’re going to see any 20-, 30-point blowouts in our league this year, which is great,” he said.

“I love competition. It’s going to be pretty good competition too, in terms of the evenness of the teams. We’ll see how it all comes out. I think we can be in the mix.”