Top-ranked Grandview boys have all-alumni staff

Grandview coach Roy Garcia directs his players during a 2010 Class 2A state tournament game in the Yakima Valley SunDome.   SARA GETTYS/Yakima Herald-Republic file

Coach, really, again?

And then they look around at the adults and in every corner of the gym they see Greyhound heritage. All five coaches grew up in the same town, learned the game under the same principals and played a major part in sustaining the
program's high level of success.

Head coach Roy Garcia, Class of '92.

Assistant Genaro Garza, Class of '92.

Assistant Andrew Penwell, Class of '00.

JV coach Stephen Sanchez, Class of '03.

C squad coach Blake McFerran, Class '04.

"At times the boys are exhausted and they get that look, like, isn't this enough?," Garcia said. "But they know we've been through this. It's been passed down through the program to us and we've done it. They know it works."

It has worked in the past -- 13 state trophies in 13 trips since 1988 -- and it certainly works now. These Greyhounds are 14-0 and ranked No. 1 in this week's Class 2A state poll.

With five of its final six CWAC games at home, Grandview has a good shot at the program's third 20-0 regular season. In the other two years -- 1990 and 2002 -- the Greyhounds captured state titles and finished unbeaten.

"This season reminds me a lot of when I played," said Sanchez, who was an all-state guard on the 2002 unbeaten team, which the year before had taken fourth at state. "We were heartbroken at state (in '01) and then came back
with a great season -- and most of that was because we knew each other so well. These kids are like that. They were disappointed with last year (eighth at state) and they have come back with so much desire."

Garcia and Garza were in on the ground level of Grandview's emergence as a state power, playing on Mike Schuette's Class A teams in the early '90s.

"The program hasn't missed a step with the way its been run through all that time," Garcia explained. "There haven't been any drastic changes. The vocabulary, the drills -- a majority of the stuff is still the  same.

Communicating that with this staff, since we've all been through it, is so much easier."

What Garcia learned 20 years ago is still preached as bedrock philosophy -- work hard, prepare, handle pressure and believe you can win any game.

That's how you go 13-for-13 for state trophies.

"From those traits come confidence and from that comes team chemistry, something this team has developed very well," Garcia said. "We've always been taught to be mentally strong and have a strong basketball IQ. We'll need that for the second half of the (CWAC) season because teams will adjust."

What ideal mentors Garcia has with his home-grown staff. Nothing matches experience.

Anyone who saw Sanchez run the point will see similarities in senior Tony Vela, who has a 16-assist game this season. Sanchez still holds 2A state tournament records for assists in a game (16) and tournament (39) and owns the single-game school record at 18.

Another Grandview tradition, carried on nicely by this crew, is 3-point accuracy. Daniel Nielsen went berserk last month against Ephrata, hitting a Valley record 11 treys, and that broke a record shared by Penwell.

Penwell not only assists Garcia he coaches the eighth-grade boys, further extending the sphere of alumni influence.

But don't get the wrong impression here.

"I didn't surround myself this season with yes men," Garcia insisted. "As head coach, I don't want that. We have a lot of give and take and I like to be challenged."

Challenge? How about sustaining a program's success under the supervision of the man who helped build it. That would be athletic director Scott Parrish, a 1986 grad who coached in the boys program for 17 years. Garcia was Parrish's assistant for nine years before taking over in 2008.

"That might seem intimidating, but Scott has never given advice unless I've asked for it," Garcia said. "And really, what better way to take over a program? Scott is a mentor with a ton of experience -- he's like a security blanket.

"We take pride in being home-grown," he added. "The community has been wonderful to us and we're privileged to coach their sons. Having these guys back, helping to carry on the tradition, it's a real blessing."