Zach Wilde takes over CBC women’s basketball program

Zach Wilde is no stranger to the inner workings of the NWAC basketball scene.

He played in the league and has been the associate head coach of the Everett Community College women’s program the past two years.

Now, he will take the reins of the Columbia Basin College women’s team.

“It’s exciting coming into a program that is established,” Wilde said. “There is a lot of excitement around our program. The campus is spectacular and the community is behind us. You can’t ask for a better opportunity to break into the league than at CBC.”

Wilde takes over for Daron Santo, who left after last season. He was with the Hawks for seven seasons, including the past three as head coach. Santo is now the head coach of the Kennewick girls program.

“We couldn’t be more excited to have Zach on board,” CBC athletic director Scott Rogers said in a news release. “Zach brings a wealth of knowledge and success within the NWAC as a student-athlete and coach. He has strong character, is passionate about the sport and carries a deep commitment to providing a quality student-athlete experience.”

Wilde inherits a program that finished 20-9 last season and advanced to the NWAC tournament, where the Hawks finished 1-1.

“Talk about big shoes to fill. Daron took over for Cheryl (Holden), who was one of the best,” Wilde said. “To me, you can’t ask for a better opportunity to break in to the league than at CBC. You are coming into the toughest league in the NWAC. It is a great challenge to come in and play in such a tough league.”

The Hawks lose leading scorers Sierra Perez (19.48 points), Cayla Jones (17.04), Emily Botkin (13.97) and Alexcis Higginbotham (13.03), but return Sabin Keo and Aspen Fiander (Kennewick) who each played 25 games or more last season.

Even with Santo leaving in the midst of recruiting season, Wilde said he has been able to sign a good group of players.

“We have signed eight girls,” Wilde said. “Daron helped me with a couple. Litterally, right after I got the job, I was signing players. We got a girl from Wasilla, Alaska, (Catherine Baham), who could be the MVP of the league. We also signed a girl (Sharlei Graham-Bernisto) from Hilo, Hawaii, who will be an impact player.”

The 5-foot-11 Baham helped Wasilla post a 26-1 record this past season as the Warriors won their second consecutive Class 4A state title.

The Hawks also signed Sara Ramirez of Hermiston, who redshirted at Central Washington last season. As a senior at Hermiston (2015-16), Ramirez averaged 14.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.8 steals a game. She was named co-MVP of the Columbia River Conference.

Also signing on the dotted line were Kiley Larson (Kennewick), Alexis Castro (Granger), Isabel Arellano (Wapato), Lyndell Wapsheli (Yakama Tribal) and Caitlyn Hossfield (West Valley-Spokane).

“If the season started today, we would have a good team,” Wilde said.

AN IMPRESSIVE RÉSUMÉ

A project manager at The Boeing Co., Wilde has been interviewing for positions at the college and other businesses in the area.

As a 6-foot-7 forward, Wilde played at Snohomish High School, where his team won four league titles and went to state four times. His senior year, he averaged 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists per game. The Panthers placed fifth at state his junior year.

From Snohomish, he attended Clackamas Community College, where he earned South Division All-Freshman honors after averaging 7.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Clackamas posted a 29-3 record and won the 2009 NWAC title.

After one year at Clackamas he transferred to University of Hawaii at Hilo, where he played three years for the Vulcans. His junior year, he averaged 13.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.

He earned Pacific West Conference honorable mention status his senior year (11.6 points, 8.6 rebounds per game), and left the program as the school’s No. 2 leader in rebounds with 577.

Wilde coached the girls team at Mountlake Terrace High School for two years, finishing 18-6 his first season. The next season, hitting the court with one senior and a handful of first-year players, the Hawks were 1-18.

He then joined the staff at Everett CC, helping the Trojans make the NWAC tournament the past two years.

This story was originally published July 18, 2017 at 6:30 PM with the headline "Zach Wilde takes over CBC women’s basketball program."