Clarke leads Wildcats

with 30 points in fourth

win of winter season

George Edgar

(Sports Writer)

Wednesday nights at Sheridan Park you can find former Bremerton High alums playing basketball, being dominant as they once were.

For most of them, it’s just a way to trying to stay fit, while playing for the love of the game.

The Bremerton Wildcats are a parks/recreation league team who play their games at the Sheridan Park gym in Bremerton, just below the Warren Avenue Bridge. They are made up mostly of Bremerton High School alumni, playing to stay in shape while re-living a bit of their youth when they played for the Knights.

The team was created in 2010 and are the premier men’s club team in Kitsap County. Jim Portune has been the coach of the Wildcats for the past three years, but is also a historian for Bremerton basketball, going back to the days of East Bremerton and West Bremerton.

“The Wildcats are almost all Bremerton alumni, but there are exceptions,” said Portune. “The goal is to get them after high school and get them ready for college.”

Sometimes, a roster spot is filled by someone still in high school, maybe even middle school (i.e. Enoch Taylor). Some are in college, or between colleges, trying to stay in shape.

“It’s keeping them in sequence, keeping them in motion,” said Portune, “especially playing with college level players. Our motto is to ‘help those younger become better than us.’”

Currently on the team are former Bremerton players D’Angelo Moore, Todd Williams, Kimo Retome, Atyus Smith, Tuh’neechee Lancelin, Teni Vaoifi, Deonte Dixon. They have college experience in Dixon who played for Peninsula College in Port Angeles and Division II school Ave Maria University, and Marquis Gurske, who also played at Skagit Valley and Peninsula. Their latest win was a 139-46 blowout over Kapatid.

Dixon quickly reaped the benefit of playing at Sheridan Park, both in the youth leagues years ago, and with the Wildcats currently.

“At first, I was a shooter, that’s all I could do,” Dixon said. “But this has opened me up to a whole new skill.

Though his playing days are over, Dixon is still very competitive. He had 22 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists in the win over Kapatid on February 15.

“I’m just trying to stay in the gym,” Dixon points out. “I’ve gone from a basketball player to just trying to stay fit.”

Gurske, who started on the 2015-16 Rainier Beach 3A State Championship team, is originally from Bremerton, has college experience as well. He provides a presence in the post for rebounding, but Portune is also trying to get him more fit.

“If you look at Marquis, he’s 300 pounds,” Portune points out. “We’re trying to get him back into shape. He dominated the boards for Rainier Beach. “

This year, Portune is aiming for a larger court, so to speak. He has plans to elevate the Wildcats into a touring team over the summer, playing other club teams in Seattle and all over the state.

“What we’re looking for is to start traveling and playing ABA (American Basketball Association) teams,” explains Portune. “It’s above rec ball. Basically, play in that circle. There’s also a lot of tournaments in the summer with college level players. We couldn’t do that in the past, because we didn’t have the size or the experience. All of a sudden, with so many guys in college, we have the experience.”

“It would be nice,” Dixon said. “You see what we’re doing out here, so we could use some better competition.”

The Wildcats have a 12 game winning streak over the fall rec league into the current winter league. The way things are going, the streak could go into the spring league, especially when they are able to pick up some more players and bring the prospect of a traveling team to fruition.

“If you played in the Bremerton School District,” says Portune, “you can play for the Wildcats.”

Kapatid - 19 27 - 46

Bremerton Wildcats - 70 72 - 142

D. Clark - 30 pts 6 reb 5 ast 2 stl
D. Moore - 26 pts 6 reb 10 ast 2 stl

D. Dixon - 22 pts 12 reb 10 ast 1 to

T. Lancelin - 18 pts 17 reb 6 ast 3 stl

U. Williams IV - 18 pts 9 reb 3 ast 1 stl 1 to

T. Vaoifi - 16 pts 17 reb1 ast

M. Gurske - 6 pts 5 reb 3 ast 1 stl 1 to

A. Smith - 2 pts 3 reb 2 ast 2 stl

George Edgar

(Sports Writer)

edgar7892@yahoo.com