With the retirement of all-time leading scorer and rebounder Deonte Dixon, as well as the trio D’Angelo Moore (Olympic College), Kanye Taylor (Olympic College, and JoJo Johnson (Bellevue College)returning to school for their sophomore season, the Bremerton Wildcats have a big hole to fill in their roster prior to the start of the 2024-25 season. Which begins in just a week, with the start of the Bremerton Parks & Rec Men’s Fall League at Sheridan Park.

Of the ten players that suited up for the Wildcats summer session only shooting guard Caleb Washington, small forward Teni Vaoifi, forward Jumier Johnson, and point guard Joseph Kroger, who joined the team the final game of the Olympic College Men’s Summer League, remain.

PORTUNE

“We have known for some time that this time was coming,” said head coach Jim Portune. “We just didn’t realize how sole searching and time consuming the reloading would be.”

The first attempt the organization made to add players was to reach out to the newly graduated Bremerton alumni and offer them an opportunity to play post-high school basketball. None of the graduated seniors that recently returned from the 2024 2A Boys State Tournament accepted the offer.

Portune went on to add, “then we had to take a hard look at not fielding a team for the first half of this seasons, until the local college season was over.”

After talking to numerous members of the Bremerton basketball brain trust, over the course of a two-week period, it was decided that shutting down the team for six months was not the best course of action. That it would take too long to get the team back up and running in its usual form once the college players returned for the off-season.

An idea that did emerge was to expand the Bremerton Wildcats mission to include the active-duty Navy players station onboard the ships or on shore duty at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (PSNS). Like many Bremerton alumni, the Navy basketball courts are full of players with college level talent who, for one reason or another, didn’t have the opportunity to play college basketball when they graduated from high school.

The question arose because Portune, a retired submariner, had coached Navy players while stationed at Naval Station Kitsap – Bangor from 1989 till his retirement in 1999.

“Every way we turned the idea it just looked and felt right," coach stated. "So, for the last month I have been sitting in the PSNS gym watching pickup games after work each day, looking for Navy players with college level abilities.”

The first Navy recruit offered a chance to play for the Wildcats was ABF3 (Aviation Boatswain’s Mate) Isaiah Duran, who is stationed onboard the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-75). A 6’2” long and lean point guard, Duran played a year of junior college basketball at Erie Community College in Buffalo, New York, after graduating from Brandeis High School in the Bronx.

“When I first saw Isaiah play for the first time, I liked him a lot,” Portune said with enthusiasm. “He likes to push the ball up the court and blows by people doing it. He also keeps his head up and passes to open teammates ahead of him without thinking about it. His jumper has range and he can score in a lot of different way when needed.”

The second military addition to the Wildcats roster was EM3 (Electricians Mate) Brandon Byrdsong. Standing 6’4”, Byrdsong is a former two-sport athlete, football and basketball, from Sandy Creek High School in Tyrone, Georgia. After winning two Georgia high school football state championships, Byrdsong went on to play two years of football at Grambling State University (NCAA Div. I) as a tight end, defensive end, and wide receiver before joining the Navy.

“I had to watch Brandon play a couple times,” stated Portune. “He has a passion for shooting the deep ball and is good at it. What was hard to tell is whether he had skills down low, in the paint. I had to go over and ask him and the next game he quickly showed he was equally talented both inside and out. He will give us a much need stronger presence down low.”

The third Navy player Coach Portune recruited from the Naval Shipyard hardwood was ABF3 Antwon Adams, a 6’2” small forward. Also stationed on the USS Reagan, Adams hails from Valdosta, GA. He played two years of varsity basketball at Lowndes High School for Coach Donnie Hollan.

“Antwon is strong. A workhorse”, coach added. “He does all the little things down low in the paint that a team needs if they are to win championships, especially in the Bremerton Brick Palace (Sheridan Park). There is noticeable chemistry on the floor with him, Isaiah, and Brandon and was an easy selection once I saw the three of them play together.”

With the addition of Duran, Byrdsong, and Antwon to the Wildcats roster now totals seven. But the addition of Navy players brings a new challenge for the team.

“Navy ships go to sea,” explained a knowledgeable Coach Portune, “and the USS Reagon departs this week for San Diego, CA. They won’t be back until the third week in October.”

But if you know Coach Portune personally, you know he has a backup plan.

“The secret I learned decades ago coaching Navy players,” added Portune, “is to have a larger than normal roster. To compensate for sailors coming and going to sea.”

And, for Coach Portune that entails recruiting players off the USS Nimitz (CVN-69), who is currently out to sea on trials, and to recruit from submariners at Subase Bangor. To this reporter, it sounds like he will constantly be recruiting.

But Coach Portune repeated several times throughout the interview that Navy basketball players will not push out Bremerton alumni. He reiterated over and over that the foundation of the Bremerton Wildcats are Bremerton High alumni and that Navy ball players will only fill the roster gaps when needed.

“D’Angelo’s (Moore), Kayne’s (Taylor), and JoJo’s (Johnson) jersey in the uniform bag every game. No one is permitted to wear them. They will get them back and their roster spot when this year’s college season is over.”