Hanford High grad Woodward isn’t done with basketball yet

When Connor Woodward graduated from Hanford High School last June, he figured his competitive basketball career was over.

So he went to Washington State University for the fall semester.

But Woodward — who finished the 2018-19 Mid-Columbia Conference season as the No. 2 scorer, at 22 points a game — realized soon after he wasn’t ready to give the game up.

Just showing up at the student rec center to play pickup games wasn’t cutting it.

“When I went to WSU, I realized I missed it,” said Woodward. “And Green River (Community College) reached out to me. Man, I missed it.”

Green River Coach Godfrey Drake got a tip that Woodward might not be done.

“I found Connor through some four-year coaches who knew that he wanted to leave Washington State University and play somewhere right away,” said Drake. “I knew about him in high school, but thought he would end up in the Tri-Cities area, so we never made contact with him. But we definitely knew who he was.”

So Woodward transferred from WSU to Green River in Auburn, and although the Gators had been practicing since October, Woodward fit right in.

“I got to school right before New Year’s,” said Woodward. “I first practiced that Sunday, Dec. 29.”

Drake was impressed with his first look.

“My first impression was this kid really knows how to compete,” said Drake. “He is lightning quick and he really knows how to put the ball in the basket. He is also a very well put together young man as far as his body type.”

It didn’t take long for him to feel at home the first game that he suited up Jan. 8 against Highline.

Woodward came off the bench 5 minutes into the contest and ended up sinking 9 of 13 three-point field goal attempts and finish with 30 points.

“I wasn’t expecting that,” Woodward said.

Maybe not. But Drake will take it.

“Connor brings an electric feel to this team that can’t be replicated by anyone else,” said Drake. “He brings an elite level of athleticism that this team needs and he is a knockdown shooter. That helps us out tremendously.”

Green River lost 90-85 in overtime to Highline in that game, but Woodward started in the Gators’ next game.

And just like that, he’s back on the basketball court in a competitive environment.

“I’ve been around basketball forever,” said Woodward, the son of Evan Woodward, the girls basketball coach at Hanford. “And I love being around the game.”

While Woodward is an outstanding basketball player, he’s also a good high jumper. Last year at the Class 4A state track and field meet, he finished second with a leap of 6-foot-4.

“I don’t know if Green River has a track and field team,” he said.

They do.

But right now, Woodward is only thinking about basketball, and his second chance at the game.

And Drake is happy he came to Green River.

“Connor is an amazing young man and we are lucky to have him,” said Drake.

WIAA proposed amendments

The WIAA released proposed amendments that the WIAA Representative Assembly will vote on later this spring.

A lot of smaller amendments, but a couple of them catch the eye.

Such as whether high school basketball teams can expand their regular-season schedule from the currently mandate maximum of 20 games to 24 games. This would allow teams to perhaps enter a couple of non-league tournaments.

Another proposal would allow high school volleyball teams to raise their maximum of regular-season matches from 16 to 18.

A third proposal would allow 1B football teams to opt from playing 8-man football to 6-man. Teams would have to have a maximum of 16 players to qualify.

Girls wrestling

The Hanford and Kennewick girls wrestling teams had outstanding performances this past weekend at the prestigious Kelso Invite.

The tournament is bigger than the state tournament in some ways, as some of the weight classes had as many as 60 competitors in them.

White River took the team title with 197 points. Hanford was right behind in second at 190.5 points, while Kennewick was third at 163.5.

Three Mid-Columbians won individual titles: Kennewick’s Alexia Asselin at 170 pounds, Hanford’s Katelynn Gelston at 190, and Othello’s Emily Mendez at 110.

Three more finished second: Pasco’s Jazmin Mercado at 125, Alexxus Ramos of Sunnyside at 110, and Hanford’s Taylor Wilson at 105.

Warden’s Aaliyah Escamilla placed third at 100 pounds.

Four others had fourth-place finishes: Walla Walla’s Nayeli Flores at 105, Hanford’s Maria Gardner at 125, Hanford’s Hailey Say at 140, and Wa-Hi’s Annelise Whitaker at 135.

Placing fifth: Ayanna Asselin of Kennewick at 155, and Pasco’s Lyqualah Kinsey at 115.

Three others finished sixth: Kennewick’s Aubreyanna Asselin at 155, Sunnyside’s Riley Guerrero at 135, and Kennewick’s Lindsay Rojas at 140.

Pasco’s Sofia Correa finished seventh at 120, while Othello’s Alexis Monday did the same at 110.

Sunnyside’s Roxsana Cisneros picked up an eighth-place finish at 115 pounds.