High School Hoopers Do Some Secret Shopping

 

High school basketball fans across Oregon know how incredible Clackamas High’s varsity girls team plays on the court. State champions just two years ago and third-place finishers last season, the number-one ranked Cavaliers use stifling defense and long-range shooting accuracy to light up scoreboards in a hurry.

But this holiday season, they’re also making sure some local kids’ eyes light up on Christmas morning. The group of close-knit teammates who are always cheering for each other on the court…are also spreading cheer by anonymously adopting two local families in need.  

“We’re always trying to figure out a way to serve and give back to our community,” explained head coach Korey Landolt. “So our program adopted two families— one by our varsity team and the other by our two JV teams. Players and their families bought gifts off the wishlists from each family’s needs and then we spent one evening after practice putting it all together.”

Many of the players said it’s the least they could do for a community that always supports them on the court.

“I think it’s a really good opportunity for us to help out people in our community and give back to people,” said senior Avery Peterson. “And it shows that our community looks out for people around them, especially those who don’t have as much as us and we can help them out.”

“We always have a whole bunch of kids coming out to our games,” added senior Kaden Lacy, “and I think it’s good to show that we support them and their families, especially those in need.”

Players created a spreadsheet of each family’s wishlist and divided up purchasing duties…from toys to shoes to pajamas and yes, even basketballs. But after organizing all the items by family member, many players admitted they’d rather have the pressure of making a last-minute free throw over the pressure of perfectly wrapping a holiday gift.

“Well some of us are pretty good, but others were a bit more creative,” laughed Peterson, who also said that shooting basketballs is much easier than trying to wrap them. “We tried to do it like a Tootsie Roll, but we definitely had room to improve.”

Coach Landolt hopes the two teams improved the holiday outlook for their two adopted NCSD families, whose gifts are a part of Clackamas High’s annual Winter Blitz community service project. She’s also proud of the players for wanting to help their community behind the scenes.

“We didn’t put any tags on the gifts from us. It’s not about the recognition—it’s all about seeing what a cool thing we can do when we come together. It’s something that’s really good for us, but it feels really good to give to people who are needing it this holiday season.”

Find out more about Winter Blitz efforts taking place at both Clackamas and Adrienne C. Nelson High School here.