Prep Beat: Tahoma's hoop choice has name familiarity

Rob Morrow will follow in his father's footsteps as boys basketball coach at Tahoma in Maple Valley, if the district school board approves his hiring next week.

"It feels kind of like home out there," said the younger Morrow, an assistant coach at Tahoma for three seasons, 2000-01 to 2002-03.

His father, also named Rob Morrow, had two, two-year coaching stints at Tahoma in the 1980s, and his son often sat at the end of the bench during games.

The younger Morrow, 27, was head coach at Hazen last season, leading the Highlanders to a 10-13 record. He played at Kent-Meridian, graduating in 1997, and was an assistant there for three years. He was an assistant at Kentridge for one year before becoming video coordinator for the University of Washington men's program.

Morrow succeeds Dan Strojan, who resigned after six years for family reasons. Tahoma finished 16-7 last season.

"He has some history here," Tahoma athletic director Tony Davis said. "I think our kids are going to be really excited about him being here."

Morrow and his wife, Amee, have a 7-month-old daughter, Emmaline.

"This was the best decision for me and my young family," he said.

Cascade coach Huizinga

giving up wrestling duties

Jake Huizinga realized he needed superhuman strength to coach two varsity programs simultaneously at Cascade High School of Everett.

Huizinga has decided to focus his energy on the Bruins' football team and give up the wrestling program.

The 47-year-old coach, who has been teaching and coaching at Cascade since 1991, leaves after two seasons as interim wrestling coach after the resignation of Sherm Iverson in 2004. It was Huizinga's second stint as Bruins wrestling coach.

"I know that I wouldn't have the time necessary or the energy to continue to develop kids by coaching both sports," said Huizinga, who will enter his fifth season as Cascade's football coach next fall. ...

"I love wrestling. This coming winter will be the first time since my freshman year in high school (in 1972) that I won't be involved in wrestling."

Huizinga spent 1991 through 1999 as Cascade's head wrestling coach and has been part of the program for the last 15 years, including five as an assistant coach.

Ahern first recipient

of coaching award

The 101 Club, the club within the Washington Athletic Club, has honored Frank Ahern, 78, with its first 101 Coaches Award.

The club plans to present the award to an amateur coach in the Seattle area annually.

Ahern has been head coach or assistant coach on more than 20 state-title high-school teams in basketball, cross country and track. He has coached at Franklin, Cleveland, Garfield, Asa Mercer Middle School, Seattle Prep, O'Dea, Kennedy, and Highline and Seattle community colleges. He is helping coach the Kennedy track team this spring.

Notes

• Kelly McCoy (Everett girls basketball) and Dragan Karadzic (Cascade volleyball) are leaving Everett School District coaching positions. McCoy, who spent one season at Everett, will return to her native Michigan. Karadzic coached two seasons at Cascade.

• Highline senior Nkeiru Ugwoaba has accepted a track-and-field scholarship from Portland State. Ugwoaba proved her versatility at last year's Class 3A state girls meet, placing second in the triple jump, third in the 200 meters, fourth in the 100 and running the leadoff leg on the Pirates' winning 400 relay. She won the triple-jump state title as a sophomore. Ugwoaba is the school record-holder in the 100 (12.44) and triple jump (38-2 ¾) and is part of the record 400 relay.

• Unbeaten Jackson (20-0) of Mill Creek, the state's top-ranked Class 4A baseball team, is ranked 10th this week in the Student Sports National Fab 50.

• Senior midfielder Scott Parsons, a four-year starter and the career assists leader at Skyline High School, has committed to play men's soccer at Pacific Lutheran University.

• Eastlake middle linebacker Chad Kanyer, the third-leading tackler in KingCo 4A last season, has committed to play football at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

• Two Spokane basketball players, senior center Heather Bowman of Lewis and Clark and junior guard Angie Bjorklund of University have been named EA Sports second-team all-Americans.

Times staff reporter Craig Smith and correspondent

Matt Massey contributed to this report.