Jun. 30—Devotion to a legendary youth basketball coach brought four of his distinguished alumni together last weekend, and they proved they had not forgotten what he taught them.
Reuniting with Northwest Blazers club teammates from close to two decades ago, Kellie (McCann-Smith) Kromrei of Clarkston helped the Blazers Alumni team claim a 30-and-over women's competitive elite championship at Spokane Hoopfest on Saturday and Sunday. The group remained undefeated in their lifetimes at the large regional event.
"We probably played the most competitive ball that we've ever played in a really long time," Kromrei said. "We were happy with the way we played, and we were grateful for the opportunity to play together for probably the last time."
Kromrei, Jamie (Weisner) Scott, Daisy (Burke) Shustoff and Danielle Walter were there to celebrate the 75th birthday weekend of their former coach, Steve Klees, who founded and still oversees the Blazers program.
"He provides this huge platform for women in sports," Kromrei said of Klees, who was named to the 100 Most Impactful People in Women's College Basketball list by Silver Waves Media in 2022 after helping numerous youth players advance to the Division I college and professional levels. "We got together and played for him."