NAPAVINE — When the Napavine boys basketball team opens its season at Onalaska on Dec. 13, the Tigers will look a little different than the last time they took the floor.
A star-studded senior class, which included All-Area MVP James Grose, is gone, as is former longtime coach Rex Stanley.
Leading the way now is Eric Hersman, who was Stanley’s assistant the past three seasons. Prior to joining the staff at Napavine, he spent time as an assistant at both Brewster and Warden, and 2024-25 will be his first season as a head basketball coach.
Hersman knows that there is plenty of turnover, and in the early days of his first season at the helm, he’s keeping the goal simple.
“I just want us to get better every day and play hard,” Hersman said. “If we can do those two things, we’ll be alright.”
He said a few players have already stood out in the first couple of weeks of practice, including juniors Cal Bullock and Hudson Chambers, but the Tigers will be operating shorthanded until the football team’s season is over.
Hersman named Karsen Denault, Grady Wilson, and Jack Nelson, saying that they’ve all had big falls and he’s excited to get them in the gym.
“I would expect that to continue,” Hersman said. “They’ll all be big for us this year.”
Joining Hersman on the staff is Kayden Kelly, a W.F. West and CC alum who most recently assisted his grandfather Tom Kelly at Mossyrock.
“He’s young and energetic, holds kids accountable, and the kids like playing for him,” Hersman said.
“He’s everything I’m not,” Hersman added with a hearty laugh. “He’s young, excited, and energetic … He played hard, and he gets the kids to play hard.”
With Denault leading the way, the Tigers could easily find themselves battling for another C2BL title in late January. They could also be preparing to defend their district title while trying to punch a ticket back to the state tournament in Spokane.
Hersman knows the expectations and doesn’t shy away from them, but he also reemphasized the importance of focusing on what’s in front of them.
“There's like 50 other teams that I can’t control,” Hersman said. “We try to focus on the things we can control, and we’ll see how that goes.”
