Reporter for The Canyon Weekly
New Santiam High girls basketball coach Hannah Thompson is getting the Wolverines ready for Tri-River Conference play.
Thompson has a fairly young squad, with 4 seniors, 1 junior, 5 sophomores and one freshman.
“Our team is very young and we’ve had different people stepping up every day,” Thompson told The Canyon Weekly. “I’m excited about our potential and the improvements that my girls have made in a short matter of time. I think we will be a pretty competitive team within the Tri-River.”
The Wolverines, 1-4 overall at presstime, open league play at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 4 vs. Kennedy in the first half of a doubleheader. The Santiam boys (4-1) host 4-1 Kennedy in the second half of the doubleheader.
“We’re extremely excited to have her,” said Santiam Athletic Director Clint Forste of Thompson.
Thompson played three years for the Wolverines before playing her senior year at Mazama in Klamath Falls, graduating in 2015. She played college ball at the College of the Siskiyous and Cal State Fullerton before moving back to the Santiam Canyon and starting work in real estate.
She served as a volunteer assistant under veteran coach Dave Plotts for two years before taking the head job.
Thompson works for the Ned Baker agency in Salem, and she praises the family-owned company for giving her the flexibility to pursue coaching.
“I truly do love real estate, the people I work with, and having a job that is so fulfilling to me,” she said. “Plus it allows me to coach basketball, which is something that I have always loved and have been very passionate about.”
