The scoreboard is buzzing. There are whistle blasts and hype music. Add some sneaker chirps from athletes – stopping and going, crossovers, and fast breaks. Mix in the cheerleaders and pep band. Don’t forget the crowd stomping and screaming at the refs or the jeers at the opposing team's foul. Coaches are barking instructions, motivating their athletes and calling plays. This is the reverberation chamber that is the Warrior Dome at Bethel Regional High School.
For three days, the boys and girls high school basketball teams from Unalakleet, Valdez, Homer, and Bethel competed in this intense environment. And for Valdez Buccaneers Coach Dave Cronk, it was a bit of a homecoming.
“I lived out in Bethel for 14 years beforehand, so it's kind of a good weekend. Good to get out here and see a lot of familiar faces. And one of the nice things about Bethel is, you know, I'd been gone a little while. And when you come back, and it's like you were never gone. And people still like you and appreciate you. And it was just, it was a great weekend,” said the Buccaneers coach.
Cronk coached his boys team to victory, beating the Bethel Warriors on Saturday, Jan. 20, the last day of the tournament. But he was concerned about the Buccaneers' performance on Thursday, Jan. 18.
“We opened up the tournament on Thursday with Unalakleet and kind of came out a little flat footed, but played well enough to win. We talked a lot that night and the next day about getting out there and playing with the right intensity and attitudes, and building each other up and taking care of each other, and having fun while we're playing. Because we were capable of playing way better than that,” Cronk said.
The Buccaneers beat the Unalakleet Wolfpack 59-37. Then on Friday, Jan. 19, they faced the Homer Mariners and won 72-42.
“We played Homer and it kind of came together. And they were, we played with a lot of intensity and a lot of heart, and they played together. And I told them after that game, I said 'I was proud of the way you guys came together and kind of flipped the switch from the day before.' And so we needed to make sure we carried that into Saturday,” Cronk said.
Cronk said that there are five returning Buccaneers that played a lot last season. Nick Alfaro, Owen Watson, and Grayson Ade are seniors, and teammates Tino Tucker and Jarrett Gage are juniors. The Buccaneers faced the Bethel Warriors on Saturday, Jan. 20 to determine who would take first place.
“I watched Bethel play and they were playing tough. They played tough defense, they got great shooters. And I knew it was gonna be a war when we stepped in there. We're just thankful that we got invited out, and it was great to come back out and see everybody.”
In the end, Cronk and the Buccaneers earned the first place trophy, beating the home team Warriors 50-36. This tournament win for Valdez improves their record to 9-2.
For their second place finish, Bethel Warrior Coach Eric Jung said that he is proud of the team’s performance and how they handled pressure.
“It was a good game against a team that's gone to state, like, I think almost every single year since basketball started in Alaska. So I mean, Valdez is always a good strong program with lots of tall, athletic kids. And you know, we're right there with them in the first half. And the second half we missed a couple shots, they made a couple shots, and then we had to change how we played. So it was a great game for us to get, especially this early in the year because it gives us something we can look at the tape and see mistakes that we're making and grow from it,” said Jung.
Jung is a social studies and gym teacher at Bethel Regional High School. This is his third year as the boys’ varsity coach. Prior to that, he was the girls’ varsity coach. He said that his team is experienced, with a lot of seniors, and that all of the players contribute. He believes that success is defined by the team and not a single player.
“We got a good group. There's a lot of good, experienced players and a couple young kids that, you know, that they get on the court and play for us. One thing I do want to point out on the team is, like, they're great with each other. Like, it's one of the most kind of connected and together teams that I've had in terms of they're truly in there for each other,” Jung said.
Jung said that the team will go over the film on Jan. 22 and work to improve in preparation for Barrow this weekend. The Warrior boys basketball team is currently 6-4.
