Brian Witherspoon, who was the interim boys basketball coach at Camas this past season, has been hired as the new girls basketball head coach at the school
Paul Valencia
ClarkCountyToday.com
It was an interim position but it turned out to be a permanent mindset for Brian Witherspoon.
“It recharged a battery that was lying dormant,” said Witherspoon about this past basketball season, when he was the interim head coach of the Camas High School boys basketball team.
“It was fun going through the preparation. The energy was different. I had a great group of guys. That made a huge difference,” Witherspoon said. “That recharged my battery to sit in the leadership seat again.”
Still, school administrators, as previously reported, opened the position after the season. Witherspoon did not get that job.
He still had a passion for being a head coach, though.
Last week, Camas made it official: Brian Witherspoon is the new head coach for the girls basketball program.
“I talked with some of the girls. They were excited about the idea of me coaching or potentially coaching. That drove a lot of it,” Witherspoon said of his decision to go for that job.
Interestingly, the former girls basketball coach — Scott Thompson — is the one taking over as the boys basketball coach. It was not intended to be a trade. It just turned out that the two basketball minds are switching spots.
A decade ago, Witherspoon was the head coach of the Evergreen boys basketball program. He moved to Camas High School — where he is a counselor — and had been with Papermakers boys program as an assistant coach since 2017.
Then, just 72 or so hours prior to the beginning of the 2024-25 basketball season, the head coach resigned. Witherspoon was named the interim coach. Witherspoon and the Papermakers returned to the Tacoma Dome and finished sixth in the Class 4A state basketball tournament.
Now, Witherspoon will pivot to coaching the girls team. The Camas girls program has been on a run of dominance, finishing fourth, second, first in state and then reaching the state quarterfinals in the past four seasons.
The Papermakers have a lot of young talent returning, and Witherspoon has already seen the potential.
“Through the interview process, I took them through basic drills, introducing the offense,” Witherspoon said. “They really bought into it. They were excited about it. I could see the light. They seemed to be locked in. I’m excited to be on the floor and start coaching them next month (summer ball) and getting ready for the season.”
Yes, Witherspoon said the offense and defense will change. But he is also open to suggestions from team leaders.
“It will be different from what the girls have done, but I would like to keep some of the things they really like,” Witherspoon said, noting combining some familiar styles with his new approach will call for less of a learning curve. “I think they’re excited with what I have in mind for them.”
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