 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | | |||||||||||||
 |  |  |  |  | | |||||||||
 |  | | ||||||||||||
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | | ||||
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | |||||||||||||
| | | | | | |||||||||
| | | ||||||||||||
| | | | | | | | | | | ||||
The CBA's
Two W's – Woolpert And Wolf
Woolpert returns to lead Sun Kings; Wolf enters his first season as head coach
in Idaho.
The past two seasons have given both the Yakima Sun Kings and the Idaho Stampede a taste of success, as the Sun Kings captured their third CBA Title in 2003, while the Stampede made its first appearance in a CBA Finals in 2004, coming up three points short against the Dakota Wizards.
With the 2004-05 season set to tip off, both teams are looking to continue their recent achievements as they head into the Continental Basketball Association's 59th season.
In Yakima, the Sun Kings brought back Paul Woolpert, the franchise's all-time winningest coach, in hopes of returning the team to the upper echelon of the league.
Woolpert previously coached the Sun Kings from 1997-2001, compiling an 89-71 record, ranking him first all-time in wins for Yakima, including a CBA Championship in 2000.
It is his understanding of the CBA, and his past success that has the Sun Kings optimistic about the franchise's 19th season in the CBA.
"You just go back to experience," remarked Woolpert. "Most of the guys I drafted in the 2004 Draft, a number of them made NBA teams. So you just have to be patient, because you can bring anybody in, but it is more important to bring the right people in."
Three players the Sun Kings have brought in are CBA veterans Marlon Parmer, Elvin Mims (the number one overall draft selection in the 2002 CBA Draft), and Carlos Daniel, who played for Woolpert during the championship season of 1999-2000, averaging 11.5 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. The experience that Daniel gained during the team's title run played a big factor in him returning to the Sun Kings.
"He is a known entity in this league," added Woolpert. "He is a great kid and a great leader, and he came in to camp in great shape. The guys look up to him, he knows what I want on the floor at all times, and he leads by example.
"He will also talk to the guys when necessary and sometimes he will get them going because he is not afraid of chastising them and letting them know that that is not the way you do it here. He brings a lot of leadership, and guys recognize that when you were an important part of a CBA Championship team, and they will look up to you. So far, Carlos has given everything I have asked of him."
Woolpert will also ask his players to think about what they are doing while on the court, and not just go out and play. That includes playing defense to create offense, and making good decisions.
"Most importantly, I want a team that will play intelligently, and I think we will have that," said Woolpert. "I want a team that will play smart and intelligent, but I do want a team that will play fast as well, and I think we have a number of guys who enjoy defending and creating offense with our defense. So we are going to try to defend 94 feet and create an up-tempo game."
Page 1 of 2
Top Stories | Business | Media | Basketball | Baseball | Hockey | Football | Your Takes | Editor's Rave | MLN Store | Maps |
| Jobs | Contact Us |copyright ©2000-2004 MLN Sports Group LLC. All rights reserved. See our privacy policy.
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
||||
 |
 |
 |
|
||
 |
|
||||
 |
|
||||
 |
|
||||
 |
 |
 |
|
||
 |
|
||||