Nespelem School celebrates historic basketball season with first senior night in 60 years

NESPELEM, Wash. — A small school just north of the Grand Coulee Dam hit some major basketball milestones on Tuesday night.

For the first time in 60 years, the Nespelem School held a Basketball Senior Night on January 21. It also completed its first Girls Basketball season in school history.

For decades, the small K-12 school of just over 100 students, was unable to fill an entire basketball team roster.

So, when eight players committed to the team this year, and led the school to a winning record, the community came out in support.

Boys Basketball coach, Marion Ives, said the whole season was special and exciting.

“This is my first opportunity as a varsity coach, so it really meant a great deal to be varsity coach for Nespelem, and a new beginning,” he said.

Lone senior, Anthony Smith, helped prepare the team to win.

“He’s leading four eighth graders we had to move up and three sophomores with no varsity experience whatsoever, so he had a big job on his plate,” Ives said.

The excitement was shared by the school’s first-ever Girls Basketball team, making the season a historic one for Nespelem.

Both the Girls Basketball head and assistant coaches attended Nespelem and said they are excited to pass their knowledge down to the next generation.

“I’m just grateful that the girls were able to get the season started at all, and we played three games. They improved in those three games. That’s what we want to see, but next year, we’re hoping for more,” Coaches Roweena Antone and Alana Epperson said.