With their sights on a Region V Southeast Championship and a trip to the Alaska School Activities Association State Basketball Championships, Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé head basketball coaches Tanya Nizich and Robert Casperson welcomed their newest rendition of Crimson Bears into the George Houston Gymnasium Wednesday evening for the first official 2024-25 practice.
“We are tall, lean and mean,” girls head coach Nizich said. “We are definitely like a running team for C, JV, varsity here. Thirty is a good number. The coaches and I were talking about that the other day. TM had a fairly large senior class and we had quite a few, too.”
With the now-defunct Thunder Mountain High School’s returning players joining the hardcourt cast of JDHS returnees, and with younger players joining the mix, the Crimson Bears welcomed more than 30 girls and close to 70 boys to the initial practice.
Last season the TMHS boys finished with a 21-10 record, a Region V championship and a loss in the state championship game to East Anchorage. They graduated six seniors. JDHS finished 15-13 and graduated seven.
“They have been great about it,” boys head coach Casperson said of the players merging. “They are all in, all together, really supportive of one another.”
Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé boys head coach Robert Casperson, right, and assistant Kaleb Tompkins, left, watch a scrimmage game during the first day of Crimson Bears varsity basketball tryouts Wednesday at the George Houston Gymnasium. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)
Last season the TMHS girls (23-5) won the Region V championship and lost in the third/fifth-place game at state to the Mountain City Christian Academy Lions. They graduated six seniors. JDHS (14-12) also graduated six.
Nizich noted, “They have played like one team in open gym already.”
While the girls held one practice, the boys broke into two practices by age group.
“We typically have separate tryouts based on ages and stuff like that,” Casperson said. “It is absolutely warranted this year when we have 70 kids that have signed up with interest.”
Basically the coaches are looking for the same things.
“We look for players that are willing to work hard, are coachable, have enthusiasm and of course skill, but we can also help build skill,” Nizich said. “Players that want to be here and want to play for JDHS basketball, that support each other and want to be leaders in our community.”
Casperson said, “A lot of them come in with really wide eyes. They have some nerves and stuff so we just want to see who is going to work hard, follow instructions initially and play through any mistakes that they might make and go from there.”
The boys team will fill varsity, JV, C and a new developmental team.
“Because our goal is not to have any cuts, to try and find a home for everybody that is interested in playing basketball,” Casperson said. “Clearly that home can’t be on varsity for everybody but we’re going to try to find a way to make that work. We’ve scheduled extra gym time, hired extra coaches, so we’re going to do our best to keep everybody involved.”
Preseason and open gyms have been underway since August and players who have done extra in the off-season may have an edge, but will need to maintain that.
“There were definitely the regulars that come, and you can see them progressing each and every day,” Nizich said. “So those players will be slightly ahead of the game, but we want to see effort every day.”
Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé girls head coach Tanya Nizich talks to Crimson Bears players during the first day of girls varsity basketball tryouts Wednesday at the George Houston Gymnasium. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)
Said Casperson, “Obviously if we see a seven-footer that can handle the ball like a point guard and hang from the rim we are going to pay more attention to that kid, too.”
Even the best players will need to keep showing dedication and improvement during the season.
“I have extremely high expectations,” Nizich said. “A lot of them know me and I have coached before. They know I have high expectations and the expectation is to get better and better, to test yourself and prove yourself and just continue to grow throughout the season. I know a lot of us are not going to be on cruise control especially with how many players we have in combining the two schools. They are going to work really hard. They have already showed it in preseasons and open gyms.”
Nizich knows the hard work of the first official practice, earning JDHS varsity status in her freshman season of 1996-97.
“I think I threw up,” she said. “No, I’m pretty sure I threw up. And we did hill sprints the whole time. We did short hill sprints (partial Highland Drive) and we finished with the long hill sprints (Highland Drive to the end of Evergreen Avenue). And it was quite miserable.”
Casperson remembers his first JDHS varsity practice day as a sophomore, 1993-94, the second year of George Houston’s head coaching career.
“I remember at that point and time, as an underclassman, you had to have an invite to varsity tryouts,” Casperson said. “And I had that invite and thought that was really special.”
Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé boys head coach Robert Casperson starts a scrimmage game during the first day of Crimson Bears varsity basketball tryouts Wednesday at the George Houston Gymnasium. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)
Casperson said he did not feel he was playing well and as tryouts approached the third day an upperclassmen talked with him.
“He said, ‘Just relax man, you’re still here. If they didn’t think you should be here they would have got rid of you already.’ So that helped. It really calmed my nerves and having the confidence of one of the older players on the team supporting me. I knew I had spent a ton of time outside of season to try and get ready for that because it was something I really wanted…Oh my gosh, I was in shape, but it still wasn’t easy. It’s a lot of running, a lot of defensive work and such a high energy fast pace…I will say it is a badge of honor for me and I do recall I have never thrown up from playing basketball.”
JDHS roster spots will require hard work, both in class and on the court, and accountability. Players will be provided opportunity to stay at varsity level or progress from JV, C and D teams. Rosters will be decided by next week.
“That is the exciting part because with these numbers in general we will be able to not just fill those teams but we’ll also be able to have our swing players,” Nizich said. “And provide better opportunities and see how they are able to progress and work their way up.”
Added Casperson, “Sometimes you lose somebody to injuries or grades or whatnot so that creates openings. Kids just improve and progress so that creates new opportunities so we are always keeping an eye out for that.”
• Contact Klas Stolpe at klas.stolpe@juneauempire.com.
Varsity game schedules
(Home games in bold, conference games *)
12/18-12/21 Boys/Girls & Tarkanian Classic (Las Vegas)
12/23 Alumni Games. Boys 4 p.m. / Girls 6 p.m.
12/27 Capital City Classic:
Shooting contests at 10 a.m., open to the public.
Girls Kenai (AK) vs Chugiak (AK) 1 p.m. / Boys Federal Way (WA) vs Soldotna (AK) 3 p.m.
Girls Juneau-Douglas vs Tikagaq (AK) 5 p.m. / Boys Juneau-Douglas vs Cordova (AK) 7 p.m.
12/28 Capital City Classic:
Girls Chugiak (AK) vs Tikagaq (AK) 1 p.m. / Boys Cordova (AK) vs Federal Way (WA) 3 p.m.
Girls Juneau-Douglas vs Kenai (AK) 5 p.m. / Boys Juneau-Douglas vs Soldotna (AK) 7 p.m.
12/29 Capital City Classic:
Girls Tikagaq (AK) vs Kenai (AK) 1 p.m. / Boys Soldotna (AK) vs Cordova (AK) 3 p.m.
Girls Juneau-Douglas vs Chugiak (AK) 5 p.m. / Boys Juneau-Douglas vs Federal Way (WA) 7 p.m.
01/03 Boys vs Ketchikan 7 p.m.*
01/03 Boys vs Ketchikan 7 p.m.*
01/09 Boys @ Palmer Elks Tournament vs Soldotna 3:30 p.m.
01/10 Girls vs Soldotna 7 p.m.
01/10 Boys @ Palmer Elks T. vs Homer 3:30 p.m.
01/11 Girls vs Soldotna 7 p.m.
01/11 Boys @ Palmer Elks T. vs Palmer 6 p.m.
01/16 Boys @ Colony Basketball Classic vs Colony 6:15 p.m.
01/17 Boys @ CBC vs Monroe 3 p.m.
01/17 Girls @ Ketchikan*
01/18 Boys @ CBC vs East Anchorage 12:45 p.m.
01/18 Girls @ Ketchikan*
01/24 Girls vs Dimond 7 p.m.
01/25 Girls vs Dimond 7 p.m.
01/31 Boys vs Mt. Edgecumbe 7 p.m.
01/31 Girls @ Mt. Edgecumbe
02/01 Boys vs Mt. Edgecumbe 7 p.m.
02/01 Girls @ Mt. Edgecumbe
02/07 Girls vs Wasilla 7 p.m.
02/07 Boys @ Kodiak 6 p.m.
02/08 Girls vs Wasilla 5 p.m.
02/08 Boys @ Kodiak 5 p.m.
02/14 Girls vs Ketchikan 7 p.m.*
02/14 Boys @ Ketchikan 7:15 p.m.*
02/15 Girls vs Ketchikan 7 p.m.*
02/15 Boys @ Ketchikan 7:15 p.m.*
02/21 Girls/Boys vs Monroe 5/7 p.m.
02/22 Girls/Boys vs Monroe 5/7 p.m.
02/28 Girls/Boys vs North Pole 5/7 p.m. Homecoming.
03/01 Girls/Boys vs North Pole 5/7 p.m. Homecoming.
03/05-03/08 Region V Tournament @ Ketchikan.
03/19-03/22 ASAA 3A/4A State Tournament @ Anchorage.
