PORT ANGELES — Sequim’s Hope Glasser and Neah Bay’s Cei’J Gagnon were standouts for their respective teams throughout their high school basketball careers.
The senior forwards have signed to continue those careers as Peninsula College Pirates, women’s basketball head coach Alison Crumb said.
“I’m so excited to bring these two kids on board,” Crumb said. “They are both very athletic and very high-character kids. I can’t wait to coach them and have them be a part of our Pirate family.
“I love having great local players to be apart of our program and I’m so excited for the next two years with these incredible student-athletes.”
Glasser is coming off a senior season in which she was one of four Wolves to score 10 or more points per game.
The first-team all-Olympic League selection posted 10.8 points, eight rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.5 steals for a Sequim squad that finished second in the Olympic League and came within one win of a state regional round berth.
Gagnon scored 9.4 points and grabbed 4.1 rebounds for the state-bound Red Devils this season.
She was selected to the Washington State Girls’ Basketball Coaches Association All-State team and also earned honorable mention in all-state voting by The Associated Press.
Sequim’s Hope Glasser prepares to pass during her team’s Feb. 6, 2020, game against Port Angeles. Glasser and Neah Bay forward Cei’j Gagnon have signed to play basketball for Peninsula College coach Alison Crumb. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News file)
“They both possess that binding quality and really completed their teams,” Crumb said. “They can both do a little bit of everything on the court and can play every position. They are both really good leaders and bring a calming presence, but they are both competitors and have that fiery side which I like to see as a coach.”
Crumb, known for her intensity dating back to her playing days at Port Angeles, sees similarities in Glasser.
“I was joking with Hope that she’s such a nice and well-respected player, but really I like how mad she gets at times,” Crumb said. “She has that want-to-win quality. Both of them are from winning programs, played for winning coaches, had great senior seasons and are talented. I just like how adaptable they both are. They also are likeable kids and that makes my job easier, I don’t want to coach a knucklehead for two years.”
Glasser said she sees the same qualities in her coach, part of the reason why she chose to play and attend Peninsula.
“That intensity,” Glasser said. “We share one of the same traits. She coaches how she feels and out of a sheer drive to win. I think that’s how we clicked. And her teams play a fun style and they win, so I’m not just staying home, I’m staying home to win.”
And Glasser, part of a supportive extended family as the daughter of Kim and longtime Sequim boys coach Greg Glasser, is looking forward to joining another family group.
“It’s hard in two years to make a team into a family,” Glasser said. “I’ve been to some practices and spent time with the team and you could tell she cares for her players and they really care for each other and for her. When another girl goes down on the floor, there’s always another girl there to pick her up. I like that support.
“And playing here, I’ll still be able to have my mom and dad and other family members come to our games.”
Family was an important aspect in Gagnon’s decision.
“It’s close to home and I’ve heard so many good things about Coach Crumb and the program she runs,” Gagnon said. “I’ve talked to [former Pirates from Neah Bay] Gina [McCaulley] and also Cherish Moss a lot about it. They’ve all said it was so much fun and that your teammates end up becoming your friends and family even after you are done playing.”
Gagnon said she is interested in pursuing a degree in Native American Studies, with the eventual goal of returning to Neah Bay to teach the Makah language to tribal youth to preserve the tribe’s heritage and culture.
Crumb will appreciate hearing what Glasser has been up to during quarantine.
“We have a basket at our house, a little cement court and my dad, he’s been drilling my right hand,” Glasser said.
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-406-0674 or mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
