Foster boys riding wave of optimism

TUKWILA — Last summer, Marc Callero jumped at the opportunity to coach the Foster High School boys basketball team.

Six days ago, he literally jumped for joy when the Bulldogs locked up their first state-tournament berth since 1999.

The first-year Foster coach expects success. It has followed him almost everywhere he has played or coached.

Tomorrow, Foster (16-6) plays Lakeside of Nine Mile Falls (12-11) at 4 p.m. at the Yakima SunDome in a first-round game of the Class 2A boys state basketball tournament.

"We say, 'state champs' in our huddle now that we've qualified for state," said Callero, 33. "The kids feed off that. We started breaking the huddle in the first practice by saying, 'SunDome.' "

Now, Foster is headed there with confidence, having won 13 of its past 16 games.

The Bulldogs, who lack size but not quickness or heart, hope to better their school-best runner-up finishes at state in 1966 and '74. Foster's best finish in recent years was third place in 1998, after falling to Luke Ridnour-led Blaine in the semifinals.

There is hope for a state title with renewed enthusiasm and unbridled expectations under Callero, one of 15 siblings and 10 brothers from an Enumclaw basketball family.

"The one thing Marc has more than any of the brothers and coaches I've been around, is optimism," said Joe Callero, Marc's older brother who coaches the Seattle University men. "Marc is eternally optimistic. When he took the job, he pretty much said, 'Sure, we can finish in the top part of the league and go to state.'

"To him, there's no such thing as a good loss."

That attitude didn't change after Marc Callero found out the Bulldogs went 2-18 in 2001-02 and 6-14 in 2002-03. "Even though they'd lost, they had varsity experience," he said.

"He's inspired some 16- and 17-year-olds to new heights," said Joe Callero, who watched his brother's team play three times. "He's a young coach and he has a lot of energy."

Marc Callero, a 1990 graduate of Enumclaw High School, played two seasons — 1990-91 and '91-92 — under Joe at Highline Community College.

"Marc had great passion when he played and he was optimistic every shot would go in and that we'd win every game," Joe Callero said of Marc, a deft-ballhandling guard.

Marc Callero passed on that optimism to his Foster players.

"It's a possibility we could win it all," he said, noting that last year's fourth-place finisher, Hoquiam, looms unbeaten at 24-0 on its side of the bracket. "The only way I could get excited about playing was with the idea that we could be state champs."

Callero got his forever-rosy outlook tested the night his Bulldogs clinched a state berth with a 72-63 win over Eatonville.

While driving home from the game, his wife, Yolanda, and the couple's two children suffered whiplash in an auto accident on Interstate 5 after being rear-ended.

After riding the team bus back to Foster, Callero found himself in the hospital until 3 a.m. making sure his wife and their two children were OK.

"That was a big scare," Callero said. "I was coming off one of my happiest times of winning and getting to state. Then, I see my 9-year-old son with his head strapped to a board in the hospital.

"It puts it all in perspective."

Foster reached state because of its balanced attack and full-court pressure defense. The quick Bulldogs, who scored 100 points in a game this season, can run.

Monta Watts, one of nine seniors, leads guard-oriented Foster in scoring at 14.4 points per game. Seniors Amsula Abera (12.2), Payzaar Thomas (10.6), David Miller (8.7), Darryl Shears (7.5) and Aaron Jones (7.5) share the scoring load.

The 5-foot-10 Abera makes things click offensively at point guard, and his coach, a former point guard, appreciates that.

"With him, he's given up a lot this year with his individual scoring for the good of the team," Callero said. "He's realized he doesn't have to hit 'SportsCenter' shots all the time and that he can just run the team."