Ferris girls hoops squad to rely on athletic talent

When Barry Olson took over the Ferris boys basketball team two years ago from Don Van Lierop, he led the Saxons to the Greater Spokane League championship and a berth at the state tournament.

But the very next year, Van Lierop returned to the boys program, leaving Olson on the outside looking in.

Olson bided his time, and when Art Rojas left as the head coach of the Saxon girls team this year, Olson stepped in, hoping to bring the same success to the Ferris girls that the boys have enjoyed the past decade.

“Coaching the program, you want the same kids, whether it’s the boys or the girls,” said Olson. “The recent history of the boys is to have a lot of success and doing well, and have that pressure. As far as the girls, that’s where we want to be.

“You want be there competitively with LC (Lewis and Clark) and Mead and U-Hi (University), to say we can compete at that level. It’s going to take raising the expectations of players, coaches and fans alike.”

Expectations are indeed higher for the Saxons this season as they return all five starters from last year’s squad. While Ferris will not lack for experience, it will face a huge learning curve early in the GSL campaign.

“In essence, it is kind of rebuilding…,” Olson said. “Art used a lot of sets and more structure to what they were doing. I’m more of a teach the kids the game and let them go play and let’s see what kind of things they can do.

“Rely on the kids to make the reads and play the game.”

One returning starter Olson will rely upon heavily early year is 5-foot-11 senior center Jenna Galloway.

“Talent-wise, she’s one of the best players we have,” said Olson. “I think what impresses me more than anything is not just the talent but that she’s working as hard as or harder than anyone else on the team.

“She’s the one out there wanting to learn, being that sponge, soaking up what we’re trying to teach. … She’s not only an offensive threat, but she does a great job defensively putting some pressure and getting after it.”

Galloway, who has been on the varsity all four years at Ferris, knows the transition to a running style of game will pay off down the road for the Saxons.

“We might not be the most talented, but we’re definitely the most athletic,” Galloway said. “We have probably one of the most athletic teams in the GSL.

“Our strength is going to be running. I think the way he wants us to transition and the way he wants us to play is definitely towards our strengths.”

Galloway and her teammates are also excited to have coach Olson bring the success he had with the boys program to the girls side.

“I think it’s helped us all to buy into what he’s saying right away…,” Galloway said. “Watching him coach the boys a couple of years ago, I developed a lot of respect for him.

“The way he coached, he’s teaching us more than basketball. He’s teaching us life lessons and things we can use after basketball, which is what I really like about it.”

While the Saxons hope to compete at the top of an always-tough GSL, Galloway is aiming for an even bigger goal this season: to start a legacy of winning to rival the Ferris boys.

“That would be the ultimate send-off into college, just to get our program to be a successful program like the boys,” said Galloway.

“The boys have done such a good job, and to just share in that same joy of being successful would be amazing.”