The state's most successful girls basketball team has a new head coach this season.
Crane – which has gone 100-3 in the last four seasons, winning two 1A titles and an unofficial state championship (2021) – has promoted assistant Tomika Doman to replace longtime coach Stub Travis.
Doman, the starting point guard for Brigham Young in the early 1990s, is the mother of senior all-state point guard Kortney Doman. She assisted Travis for the last five seasons after moving from Canby, where her oldest daughter, Skylee, was a standout point guard for the Cougars.
She has big shoes to fill in Travis, who compiled a 570-154 record in 28 seasons at Crane, ranking him No. 5 all-time in the state for wins.
“I learned a lot from Stub,” said Doman, who guided the Mustangs to an 82-30 win at Bonanza in their season opener Thursday. "To be a part of a community that's so supportive is incredible.”
Crane is ranked No. 1 in the 1A preseason coaches poll despite losing four starters from last season, when the Mustangs finished 28-2 and fell to Damascus Christian 35-33 in the state final.
But the team has a cornerstone in the 5-foot-9 Kortney Doman, the 1A player of the year last season and co-player of the year as a sophomore. She is coming off a volleyball season in which she was named the 1A player of the year and led Crane to its first state championship, recording 37 kills in the state final.
Tomika Doman said Kortney is prepared to take on more responsibility this season.
“Her confidence has really improved,” she said. “Her shot's improved a lot. She used to do a lot of drives and floaters, but she's really been working on her shot. She hit some big shots last year. She's been working on it more this year.”
Kortney Doman uses her long frame, athleticism and quickness to dominate in basketball. She also is a two-time state champion in the high jump.
Like sister Skylee, who went on to play at Southern Utah, Kortney is a pest on defense, using her quick hands to rack up steals.
“They play a little different,” Tomika Doman said of her daughters. “It's fun to watch them. They're very quick on defense.:”
Among the four starters gone from last season's team is guard Leslie Doman, Kortney's cousin and a 1A second-team selection. But the Mustangs are confident that they can reload and remain a contender.
“Especially after winning volleyball, we've got to keep it going,” Tomika Doman said. “Most of the kids that play basketball played volleyball, so I think the cohesiveness and the work ethic that they learned in volleyball has just continued on. That helps a lot.”
The Mustangs expect Kaitlyn Siegner, a 5-9 freshman post, to provide an immediate boost. Her sister, Kelsie, was a two-time 1A player of the year for Crane before graduating last year and starting her college career at Eastern Oregon. Her brother, Cody, is a 6-7 junior who helped lead Crane's boys to state titles the last two seasons.
“She plays big,” Tomika Doman said of Kaitlyn Siegner, the daughter of Crane athletic director Jamie Siegner. “She's only 5-9, but she's tough inside. And she can shoot outside.”
Also expected to start are sophomore wing Ava Bowen, a rotation player as a freshman, junior post/forward Elaia Idoeta and freshman guard Taya Nelson.
The Mustangs have high hopes for a deep freshman class. Eight entered the program this year, with Siegner, Nelson and Kamryn Dunten starting the season on the varsity roster.
“It's a big class,” Tomika Doman said. “They're all very athletic, talented. Definitely excited about the future with them.”
Damascus Christian out
Damascus Christian, the only team to defeat Crane in the last four seasons, will not defend its 1A title this season.
That's because the Eagles -- who won state titles in 2013, 2015 and 2023 and have a streak of winning seasons known to go back to 1999-2000 – do not have enough players to field a team.
Robert Day resigned as coach in the summer and his daughter, 5-10 sophomore wing Lainey Day, transferred to nearby 6A Nelson. Last season, Lainey Day averaged 10 points per game, was selected as the league defensive player of the year and made the 1A first team.
Of the other players who were in the rotation in the state championship game, senior post Laelie Rasmussen (5-11) and junior guard Ava Mai transferred to 6A Barlow and 3A Westside Christian, respectively. Sophomore guard Leilani Hanna is on Nelson's JV team but still attends Damascus Christian.
Watch out for Nelson
Lainey Day is part of a promising young nucleus at Nelson, which last season went 15-9 and made the 6A playoffs in the program's second season.
Day, 6-2 freshman Love Forde and 6-0 freshman Nylah Webster join a roster that includes two returning starters in senior guards Ella Shackleton and Jaisa Juliano.
“We have a lot of new faces and a lot of young players, but this is a very talented team,” coach John Schlaefli said. “Our goal is to be playing the last day of the season at the Chiles Center competing for a trophy.”
According to Schlaefli, Forde is a “dominant inside presence with soft hands and a soft shooting touch,” and Webster is a “wing shooter who has the length and the ability to finish around the basket.” Webster is the daughter of former NBA player Martell Webster.
Day, Forde and Webster are receiving “significant interest from major Division I college programs,” the coach said.
Change at La Salle Prep
Perennial state power La Salle Prep also has a new coach, Lucas Fiorante, after the resignation of Kelli Wedin in September.
Wedin went 238-46 in 11 seasons with the Falcons, winning 5A titles in 2015, 2017 and 2019. Her three daughters – Taycee, Addi and Ella – were standout players with the Falcons and moved on to college careers.
Ella is a freshman at Loyola Marymount and Addi is a redshirt sophomore at Saint Mary's. Taycee finished her career at Saint Mary's last season.
Fiorante succeeds Kelli Wedin after spending the last six seasons assisting Poeko Waiwaiole at 6A Cleveland. The Falcons can build around 6-1 sophomore wing Ava Bergeson, who last season averaged 9.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists. 2.0 steals and 2.0 blocks.
Fiorante said that Bergeson “will be a real threat this year. Great scorer inside and out. Incredible play-maker and never gets sped up. She also is a significant threat on defense at the rim.”
jerryu@osaa.org
Subscribe
