High school basketball: Fort Vancouver finds victories even in defeat

Osman Sumareh said he loves representing Fort Vancouver High School, appreciates his time with his basketball teammates. Photo by Paul Valencia

Attitude, effort, and family are staples of Fort Vancouver basketball

Paul Valencia
ClarkCountyToday.com

The game itself did not go Fort Vancouver’s way Wednesday night at the Myron Lawrence Memorial Tournament.

But the event? It was special.

For the Trappers. For the booster club. For night owls. And for senior Osman Sumareh.

It was Fort Vancouver After Dark, as the Trappers faced Puyallup in boys basketball. Tip-off was at 9:45 p.m.

Seriously.

A scheduling mix-up earlier in the day delayed the tournament so the Trappers did not get on the court with the Vikings until 9:30 p.m. for warmups.

Sumareh did not seem to mind. He had waited so long for the first start of his varsity career, he could manage waiting a little longer.

There is no storybook ending to this report. Sumareh did not score 20-something points to lead Fort to victory. Nope. Puyallup, clearly the better team, rallied from an early first-quarter deficit to cruise past the Trappers by more than 30 points.

Sumareh did grab some rebounds, and he had a nice put-back basket early, too. Late in the game, he swished a free throw, with a huge smile on his face that made it seem as if he even surprised himself with that perfect shot.

His body language, all night, exuded joy.

“It’s not over until the clock says zero,” Sumareh said. “That’s what the coach tells us. We have to play 100 percent.”

The score matters in varsity basketball. It does. But it is not the only thing that matters.

That is stressed at Fort Vancouver, by coaches such as James Ensley, or by teachers, such as Ben Jatos, who is the tournament director.

Sumareh said he is proud to be a part of this team, hosting this tournament.

“We don’t have the best rep around,” Sumareh said of his school. “We want to show our school off. We have a lot of good students, good athletes. This (tournament) shows our team energy, how we operate.”

Sumareh played a little basketball in middle school, he said, but he got serious about the game when he came to Fort Vancouver as a freshman. That year, talent-wise, he was a long way from ever becoming a varsity player. Yet, he asked Ensley if he could be in the locker room for pre-game speeches and post-game talks with the varsity team, just to learn as much as he could about the game.

He kept asking questions, kept trying to improve. Sophomore year. Junior year. And now a senior. On Wednesday, all that hard work paid off with the first career varsity start for the 6-foot, 4-inch post.

Sumareh said he and his teammates started lifting weights at 6 in the morning about a week after last season’s basketball season ended, to be prepared for the 2023-24 campaign.

The Trappers are not a threat to win a state championship but they are sticking together as a team. Even as the score got away from them Wednesday night, all the players on the bench were engaged, encouraging their teammates on the floor, every possession.

That matters, too.

The tournament itself is about sending out positive messages, too.

Not perfect. Just positive.

There was a group of young Fort Vancouver fans that crossed the sportsmanship line early in the game. Other fans expressed their displeasure. Jatos, the tournament director, went up to the group of young fans, introduced himself, and told them about expectations. Cheer for your team. Don’t say anything negative about the other team.

Situation resolved. No hard feelings. And a teachable moment.

The tournament itself featured games all day at Fort Vancouver High School, which meant a lot of hours for the concession stand. Everything there — drinks, popcorn, candy — are $2 each. It adds up for the booster club after a long day.

This tournament continues all day Thursday and all day Friday, too.

Fort Vancouver for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

That’s a perfect day for a senior such as Sumareh.

“I’ll always be a Trapper,” he said. “All my friends are here.”

He added that he is looking forward to graduating while wearing a Trapper logo.

He will always appreciate the basketball program, too. He never figured he would become a star player, but he always worked on his game, knowing some day, he could have a role with the varsity team.

“Two things we focus on are attitude and effort,” Sumareh said] “And family. “We’re always saying ‘Family’ at the end of practices. And the coach always tells us he loves us.”

That makes for another winning season at Fort Vancouver, no matter the team’s record.

Note: The Myron Lawrence Memorial Tournament continues Thursday and Friday. For schedule and brackets, go to: https://sites.google.com/vansd.org/fortvancouverinvitational/2023?authuser=0