Article About Gavin
Former Mercer Island player Gavin Cree conducts first practices in post-Ed Pepple era
Mason Kelley's High School Sports Blog
Instead of holding a celebration Monday, Mercer Island's basketball coach conducted a practice. It was the best present he could ask for.
The 28-year-old first-year head man admitted it was a strange day. After 42 seasons, it was the Islanders' first practice without legendary leader Ed Pepple. But it didn't take long for Cree to settle into a rhythm.
"It was definitely strange a little bit yesterday to know he's not going to be here," Cree said of Pepple. "But, once we got going, I'm right into my niche. We miss him, but we're moving forward and I think everyone's excited."
One day later, Cree seemed comfortable in his new role. It was a moment Pepple prepared him for, starting as a player in the late 1990s and most recently as an assistant coach.
"Coach Pepple, with all his assistant coaches, has prepared them very well to be head coaches," Cree said. "There's a long list of guys who have gone on and are coaching right now. He knew I wanted to be a head coach one day and he gave me the responsibilities to be in this position today."
Over time, Cree expects to put his own stamp on the program, but for now, the goal is to carry on a tradition that Pepple established with four state titles and a state-record 952 career wins over a 49-year career. He plans to take Pepple's principles and mesh those with his ideas over time.
"I'm a part of this system," Cree said. "I believe in Coach Pepple's system, but we'll definitely put our own stamp on it. Day 2, we're not quite there, but we're getting there."
So far, the changes have been subtle.
"It's strange, I played for [Pepple] for two years," said Quinn Sterling, a 6-foot-4 junior forward. "Gavin is a little bit different. They both have little idiosyncrasies that are different."
The one thing that players are determined to continue is the Islanders' tradition.
"We want to prove to people that just having a different coach isn't going to change the team and the tradition," said Gabe Fruchter, a 6-4 senior forward. "We're still going to go at it just as hard."
Mason Kelley's High School Sports Blog
Instead of holding a celebration Monday, Mercer Island's basketball coach conducted a practice. It was the best present he could ask for.
The 28-year-old first-year head man admitted it was a strange day. After 42 seasons, it was the Islanders' first practice without legendary leader Ed Pepple. But it didn't take long for Cree to settle into a rhythm.
"It was definitely strange a little bit yesterday to know he's not going to be here," Cree said of Pepple. "But, once we got going, I'm right into my niche. We miss him, but we're moving forward and I think everyone's excited."
One day later, Cree seemed comfortable in his new role. It was a moment Pepple prepared him for, starting as a player in the late 1990s and most recently as an assistant coach.
"Coach Pepple, with all his assistant coaches, has prepared them very well to be head coaches," Cree said. "There's a long list of guys who have gone on and are coaching right now. He knew I wanted to be a head coach one day and he gave me the responsibilities to be in this position today."
Over time, Cree expects to put his own stamp on the program, but for now, the goal is to carry on a tradition that Pepple established with four state titles and a state-record 952 career wins over a 49-year career. He plans to take Pepple's principles and mesh those with his ideas over time.
"I'm a part of this system," Cree said. "I believe in Coach Pepple's system, but we'll definitely put our own stamp on it. Day 2, we're not quite there, but we're getting there."
So far, the changes have been subtle.
"It's strange, I played for [Pepple] for two years," said Quinn Sterling, a 6-foot-4 junior forward. "Gavin is a little bit different. They both have little idiosyncrasies that are different."
The one thing that players are determined to continue is the Islanders' tradition.
"We want to prove to people that just having a different coach isn't going to change the team and the tradition," said Gabe Fruchter, a 6-4 senior forward. "We're still going to go at it just as hard."
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