State high school basketball: Celebrating a coaching connection at Camas and Fort Vancouver

Fort Vancouver coach James Jones gives his team some instruction during Friday’s state playoff game. Photo courtesy Chris Barker

Current Camas coach Scott Thompson used to coach at Fort Vancouver, and a former player of his, James Jones, is now the head coach at Fort and it just so happened that both teams played state playoff games on the same court Friday night

Paul Valencia
Clark County Today

A basketball season is a journey.

So, too, is a career in basketball.

The road is long, full of ups and downs, with championships and heartbreaks, sometimes separated by just days.

On Friday night, the Class 1A District 4 champion Fort Vancouver Trappers and the Class 4A Greater St. Helens League champion Camas Papermakers saw their seasons come to an end in the opening round of their state tournaments.

The results led to reflection from the two head coaches — on the games that were played at Camas High School on Friday, as well as the seasons that just concluded.

Oh, and also on friendship and mentorship.

It just so happens these two coaches have a special, unusual bond. Their journey together to the 2026 Washington high school boys basketball postseason started almost 20 years ago.

Back then, Scott Thompson, now the head coach for the Camas Papermakers, was the coach at Fort Vancouver. One of his star players, James Jones, is now the head coach at Fort Vancouver.

Scott Thompson, who now coaches the Camas boys basketball team, used to coach at Fort Vancouver. On Friday, Thompson coached in one state playoff game, just a few minutes after a former player of his, James Jones, coached Fort Vancouver in a playoff game at Camas High School. Photo courtesy Chris Barker

So there they were Friday night, on the sideline, leading their championship teams.

Fort Vancouver, the 9-seed, took on No. 16 Nooksack Valley in an opening round elimination game in the Class 1A tournament. Camas, the 12-seed, faced No. 13 Woodinville in an opening round elimination game in the Class 4A tournament.

Thompson and Jones, on the same court once again, pulling for one another.

Again, the results did not go the way of the Trappers nor the Papermakers. Still, the coaches were able to embrace the moment.

From 2007 through 2009, Jones played for Thompson, and in two of those three years, the Trappers missed going to the state tournament by one win.

This week, Thompson invited the Trappers to use the Camas gym for practice in preparation for Friday’s game. Thompson also gave the Trappers a pep talk.

“He said the one thing he wasn’t able to do (for the Trappers) was touch the dome floor,” Jones said.

Back then, Fort Vancouver was a Class 3A program trying to get to the Tacoma Dome for the Sweet 16.

These days, Fort Vancouver has reached the Sweet 16 the past two seasons but only 12 teams advance to a dome. As a Class 1A program now, Fort Vancouver’s goal was to get to the Yakima Valley SunDome.

It did not happen.

Still, for Jones, it meant the world that Thompson was pulling for him and was there in the gym.

“Just knowing he was rooting for us (to capture) that moment was huge for us,” Jones said. “That’s my guy.”

Camas’ Mason Hamilton drives to the hoop for two points during Camas’ playoff game against Woodinville on Friday night. Photo courtesy Chris Barker

Thompson was able to watch most of Fort’s game before getting ready for his own game. Thompson said he was inspired by the huge gathering from the Fort Vancouver fans in the Camas gym.

“That was a really meaningful moment for me to be able to watch Fort get so much community support and build something so special. I could see it was an incredibly successful season for them,” Thompson said.

“To watch James get out there and battle, and lead the guys, it was very rewarding and a lot of fun. I was caught up in the emotion, too. I was screaming and yelling for them. I wanted it for him so bad, too. I spent nine years there as head coach. I got to coach James for three great years.”

Jones said he still relies on his old coach for advice.

“We’re talking three or four times a week,” Jones said. “Usually we try to keep it short, but it ends up being an hour and twenty minutes later.”

As far as Friday’s games, Fort Vancouver struggled with turnovers and was unable to come up with enough big shots in its 54-45 loss to Nooksack Valley.

“That’s why you play the game of basketball, and sports in general, for the life lessons,” Jones said. “Sometimes it doesn’t go your way.”

Fort Vancouver’s Brino Masamy goes up for a challenging shot in Friday’s playoff game against Nooksack Valley. Photo courtesy Chris Barker

He called it a great season for Fort Vancouver, and the Trappers have no reason to hang their heads. Jones also appreciates the Fort Vancouver community.

“That has been huge for us. The amount of alumni we’ve had here, who reached out to me on Instagram, on Facebook,” he said, adding that he’s received text messages from numbers, people not in his contact list, saying congratulations, and go Trappers.

“The amount of support we’ve had the last two years has been crazy, and it’s been a true blessing,” Jones said.

Camas had to endure playing an elimination game without its best player. Ethan Harris, an Iowa signee, was held out due to an injury. Still, the Papermakers kept it close throughout the contest before Woodinville found some breathing room in the fourth quarter for a 62-53 victory.

“It’s a very emotional locker room because it matters to us,” Thompson said of the Papermakers. “When you build something special and everybody enjoys what they’re doing, it’s hard when it ends.”

The effort was always 100 percent, he added.

“The guys really care about each other. They wanted to keep going because they want to continue to be together. They just wanted to continue coming to practice because they truly care about each other,” Thompson said. “It shows by the way they play. They leave everything on the court. They play incredibly hard. And they play together.”

Scott Thompson has been focused on team building since the 2000s.

On Friday, Thompson got to share the court with James Jones, one of his former players, who has also built something special.

Even in defeat, the Papermakers, the Trappers — and their coaches — could appreciate the journey.