Seagulls are perched at the top

Published 6:17 am Friday, January 27, 2017

Former Gulls' basketball coach Larry Elliott.

SEASIDE — Tension and anticipation build at the Gulls’ Nest even before the clock starts and the game tips off, a sense that Seaside is about to do something memorable.

Small, lightning fast and unselfish, the boys basketball team is on a 13-0 run and ranked No. 1 in their division statewide. The Lady Gulls are nearly as unstoppable — at 9-2 — and are No. 10.

The success on the court is being celebrated throughout the community in what could go down in the books as one of the high school’s great seasons.

“All of us in Seaside are very proud of our student athletes,” Mayor Jay Barber said. “We have seen amazing performances from both the boys and girls swim teams as well as our cross country, soccer and football teams earlier in the year. But we are especially proud of our boys and girls basketball teams this season. They are nothing short of amazing.”

Tom Maltman graduated in 1973 after a three-sport career with the Gulls, including basketball. Today he serves on the Seaside School District’s board and is a big-time fan.

He is quick to say that his brother, Scott, was the real hoops star in the family, but he shared in the Seagull pride.

“It’s just great,” Maltman said. “We’re one of the smallest schools in the 4A classification. The kids have had great success and it brings a lot of pride to the community and the board. We’re awfully proud of the kids and their coaches.”

Larry Elliott coached the Gulls on the basketball court from 1971 to 1996, taking the team to the state championship tournament nine times in 25 years. He lives in Seaside and follows the Gulls every game.

“Here’s what I watched last night,” Elliott said after Tuesday night’s lopsided victory over Valley Catholic. “They play well together. They have a feel for each other. They are unselfish. They cover for each other defensively. They’re quick as cats and always looking for opportunity. Jackson Januik — I have never seen a guard who can handle a ball as quick as he does — anywhere.”

Mark Utti, the father of girls’ star Maddi Utti, attributed the Gulls’ success to training programs that nurture young talent.

Kerri Januik is not only the mother of two Gulls’ standouts — senior co-captain Jackson and sophomore Chase — but serves as tournament director for the nonprofit Pacific Basketball League.

From January to March, teams from throughout the Northwest come to the area, bringing top young competitors to Seaside. Local kids have an opportunity to take them on one-on-one.

“I’ve always encouraged basketball in our community by allowing that opportunity for them,” Kerri Januik said. “They don’t have to travel, they can just play here and participate against all these other teams that come to town.”

It is this experience, along with strong coaching in the early stages, that helped local players develop the skills necessary to successfully compete.

“These kids play six weekends in a row at their age, then they have their school ball on top of that,” Mark Utti said. “When they’re younger like that, it really develops them. It gives them that motivation to keep playing, that love of the game.”

Both Kerri Januik and her husband, Frank, played basketball in high school. “The kids have a passion for it like Frank and I did,” she said. There are so many siblings and family combinations in the Seaside program you need a family tree.

The Thompson brothers — varsity starters Hunter and Duncan — received coaching and inspiration from their dad, Byren, who ranks among the top five free-throw shooters for the school and played a part in the Gulls’ 1990s tournament teams.

Mark Utti played basketball for Astoria and helped take the Fishermen to the state tournament in 1983.

Basketball is in the Westerholm family DNA. Old-timers remember coach Bill Westerholm’s dad, Jerry, as a history teacher and athletic director.

As a player, Elliott said, Bill Westerholm “was probably one of the top five competitors who have ever played with me.”

A new generation, represented by former Lady Gulls’ star Whitney Westerholm and this year’s Gulls starter Payton Westerholm, have taken the mantle. In the wings, Jordan Westerholm, 10, plays youth basketball in Seaside.

“It seems coaches’ kids bring along other kids with them,” Elliott said. “They watch dad. They watch the teams since they’re little tiny guys. It really makes a heckuva difference.”

“Since you’re little, you just know you have something to work for,” Whitney Westerholm said.

Basketball, she said, was her favorite sport because of “the camaraderie and the heart you had to put into it.” For many of these kids and their families, basketball is much more than a game.

“It definitely gives them a focus and a passion, and helps them do well in school and keep their grades up,” Kerri Januik said. “This is important to them. It is a real priority in their lives and I think it helps them stay focused and organized in other parts of their lives.”

The road will likely get tougher for Gulls — who play at Tillamook tonight — as the season progresses toward the state tournament.

“The only thing they really lack is size,” Elliott said. “But what I always say as a coach, you give me five 6-foot kids who are quick and I’ll play with anybody in the state. And that’s exactly what’s going on right here. Not only do they pass the ball, they shoot the ball, and they can jump. They have good hops, good basketball savvy — they just know what to do.”

“What they lack in size, they overcome in skill, so I hope skill can win out,” Kerri Januik said. “I don’t want to miss a thing. It’s been really, really fun.”

Seaside squad follows in the ‘tradition’

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