Though Yelm High School’s boys basketball team seeks its first victory in the South Puget Sound League (SPSL), the program’s head coach Dave Wasankari is pleased to see the rate his players have grown throughout the 2024-25 season.
Wasankari noted that in the team’s latest contest against the Curtis Vikings on Friday, Jan. 3, the Tornados varsity roster included four freshmen, three sophomores and just one senior. Relying on youth, Wasankari’s Tornados kept the SPSL contest with Curtis competitive throughout the matchup as freshmen Raziah Patterson and Zayden Homann scored 17 points and 13 points, respectively, while sophomore teammate Comboni Loku added 14 points of his own.
“It was a very good team we played. They’re big, they’re strong, and they’re well coached. We came in with a game plan, and we played well. I don’t want to harp on it. We’re young,” Wasankari said. “There were two minutes in that game where we had a five-point lead but turned the ball over and found ourselves down at the quarter six points. One point I want to make is that we’re getting better. We’re growing, we’re maturing, and we’re starting to play as a team. We’re starting to trust each other.”
Wasankari added, despite several athletes being out of the lineup or missing off the bench due to sickness or various reasons, the team still competed until the final whistle. Though Yelm led 31-30 at halftime, the coach noted that the team got tired and made some mistakes toward the end of the third quarter, which ultimately led to the Vikings taking the victory. Entering the final quarter of the contest, Curtis led 47-39 and continued to add to its lead.
“We’re growing and competing. We’re all on board to get better, and that’s what we’re doing,” Wasankari said. “We’re a young team, and we’re not where we need to be. If we’re in a game where we’re up 20 or down 20, we’re not going to waste that time to not improve. We play hard and compete hard for 32 minutes, no matter what. We don’t do it when we want to. That’s just who we are and who we’re going to be for the next three to four years.”
The coach highlighted sophomore big man MJ Wadley for his performance against the Vikings. Wadley, a 6-foot-2-inch, 235-pound post player, provided the Tornados with aggressive defense inside the paint all evening.
“MJ was a dude tonight. He guarded a very good player. MJ played physical and kept us in the game, despite being sick tonight. He played lights out,” Wasankari said. “Jo (Josiah Hardie) was the same way. He brings that energy and defensive toughness.”
Wasankari also highlighted the trio of young guards, Loku, Patterson and Homann, as three athletes who have continued their development throughout the season. He noted that another rising player on the defensive side has been sophomore Urijah Aalona.
“When you have three kids that score near 15 points and have other kids scoring four to six, you’re going to compete in any game,” Wasankari said. “They gave us a pretty good balance. Urijah had four points, but he played really well for us on the defensive end, too. The team is growing. We’re getting better every day, and at times it can be fun to watch. Come check us out.”
