Team Stories

How this project began
Below is a forward to a document written in the mid 60’s about East Basketball from its first season in 1957 to 1965. This document fell into the hands of some former East High players, who in 2008, decided it was important to update the history from 1966 to the last season, in 1978, before it merged back into Bremerton High School.

Thanks to Gordy Duda for getting the ball rolling!


 
Basketball – East

East High goes back to 1955 and our first basketball season was 1956-57. The coaches that first year were Mr. Les Eathorne as head coach, Mr. Bob Eliason Junior Varsity and Mr. LeRoy Spitzer Frosh. Over the years there have been few coaching changes. Mr. Eliason went into the service and was replaced by Mr. Lawrence Sampson, who has had 9 successful years as our J.V. coach. Mr. Spitzer retired to his vocal singing duties and was replaced by Mr. Art McCarty as Frosh coach. Bariches’ Bombers took form in 1959 and Mr. Larry Barich and Mr. McCarty moved on to greener pastures and were replaced by Mr. Jim Hassett and Mr. Eric Thorson who run our Frosh teams at the present time.

East basketball is a unique combination of scrambled confusion, organized harassment, basic fundamentals, and hard work. West, our honored foe was the power in state basketball when East began in 1955. West played a control game and a hard-nosed man to man defense. East needed a basketball personality and we developed it with the aid of the incredible Bakken–our first and brightest Knight. Impossible to control–Bakken stalked the ball like a cat after a mouse! Soon it seemed better to join him and his fun than to not help and watch him run his heart out. He never graciously relinquished the ball and since his time our teams feel that until the ball is over the midline that the press is part of our offense because we are closer to our basket than they are to theirs! For 9 years we have lived and died with the press. When we are successful it is a sight to see, but when it fails–ah yes!

This book (information on teams from 1957-1965) is mainly the work of Gordy Duda! He was a manager, fan and school leader. Basketball secretaries Linda Etten, Sandy Snow, Judy Probst and Nancy Searle typed computed and put it together. Each year we can now add a couple of pages and a history of East Basketball can be kept.