Cubs alum to coach girls basketball

BALL BALLET:
Anderson Union High School Alum Kevin Crye holds practice twice a week in his new position as Cubs girls basketball coach.

New leadership and a young team give the girls on the Anderson Cubs basketball team nothing to lose in the upcoming season, said coach Kevin Crye.

“All of us are in a no-lose situation,” Crye said. “Anderson just graduated their entire varsity team. So I think a lot of the younger players see opportunity. The kids get a chance to learn the game, and we are just going to go out and play.”

Pressure or no-pressure, Crye, his fellow coaches and the girls’ basketball team have already put a lot into their game. The team has been practicing twice a week for about a month, and many of them will continue to practice straight up to the season opener in November.

Crye said he doesn’t push the girls to practice, he merely provides the team with the tools they need to improve and succeed.

“This is their opportunity. My job is just to have the staff, the knowledge, and the opportunity for them to get better,” he said.

The basketball coach is taking over for Jeff Osborn, who coached the team for five years. Crye coached most recently at Shasta High School in Redding. He was also an assistant coach under Cubs basketball coach Ron Brown in the late 1990s.

Returning to Anderson High School is like returning to his roots, Crye said. “This is like a dream job for me. I get these kids. I grew up in Anderson,” the coach said.

When it comes to coaching the girls’ team, Crye said he’s not planning drastic changes from past Anderson coaching strategies.

“That’s what I love about Anderson. There’s tradition here,” The coach said. “It’s been very successful, and I don’t want to fix what hasn’t been broken.”

Freshman player Emma Peters said she and Cubs girls team are adjusting well to each other.

“I think we are all bonding really well,” Peters said. “We had our first tournament and we are really meshing as a team.”

Junior Nicole Trittin, whose been on the girls basketball team since she was a freshman, said it took a little while for the girls to adjust to changes for the upcoming season, but now they’re finding their groove.

“We were kind of rocky at first but we adjusted to it,” she said.

“We are really being open minded,” Sophomore Megan Lietem said.

The girls said they don’t mind coming into practice during the summer, they just make it a regular part of their schedule. All of them said they’re looking forward to playing, travelling and participating in upcoming tournaments.

The team has already participated in a tournament in Chico.

“There’s a lot of excitement because they are getting so much better,” Crye said. “It’s a good feeling.”

Crye said he’s impressed with his fellow coaching staff and the work they’ve put into developing the girls team.

“What I like about it is we have great buy-in from the staff,” he said.

“We have four coaches at every practice,” he said. “Your program is only going to be as good as the staff you assemble.”