Montesano basketball tournament honors memory of Larry Quinn

Tournament draws 150 girls, proceeds fund scholarships

By Dan Hammock • February 1, 2017 10:00 pm
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Players from the Port Angeles Threat basketball team took the top spot in the 2017 Larry Quinn Memorial Basketball Tournament, held at Bo Griffith Gymnasium in Montesano Saturday and Sunday. In the foreground handing out championship t-shirts is one of the tournament’s organizers, Roni Sue Toyra. In the back, second from the right, is Renee Quinn, Larry’s widow. Larry was a much-loved Montesano High School girls basketball team coach who died suddenly in the summer of 2013. This year’s tournament, the fourth, raised thousands of dollars for Montesano High School scholarships.
Players from the Port Angeles Threat basketball team took the top spot in the 2017 Larry Quinn Memorial Basketball Tournament, held at Bo Griffith Gymnasium in Montesano Saturday and Sunday. In the foreground handing out championship t-shirts is one of the tournament’s organizers, Roni Sue Toyra. In the back, second from the right, is Renee Quinn, Larry’s widow. Larry was a much-loved Montesano High School girls basketball team coach who died suddenly in the summer of 2013. This year’s tournament, the fourth, raised thousands of dollars for Montesano High School scholarships.

A couple of Port Angeles teams squared off in the final of the 2017 Larry Quinn Memorial Basketball Tournament at Bo Griffith Memorial Gym in Montesano Sunday afternoon. In the end it was the Threat topping the Avalanche for the title, marking the end of the tournament that honors a beloved Montesano girls basketball coach who passed away suddenly in 2013.

Some 150 girls from across the region made up the 10 teams that participated in the weekend event. Money raised through team entry fees, raffle ticket sales and concessions totaled more than $6,000 the first day alone and all proceeds go toward funding scholarships for graduating Montesano High School students.

Quinn was a lifelong resident of Montesano, graduating from Montesano High School in 1984. He himself was a formidable force on the basketball court and, after attending Grays Harbor College and Central Washington University, he put his love for the game, his community and the young people of Montesano into coaching girls basketball. His teams were always solid fundamentally, and even stronger in character.

Among the volunteers, players and families that packed the gym all weekend were four Montesano seniors, all current Bulldog basketballers and all part of the last team Quinn coached. Cheyann Bartlett, Josie Talley, all-time school points leader Jordan Spradlin and the school’s three point shot record holder Josie Toyra shared some of their fondest memories of the coach Sunday.

There was the time in Seaside, Ore., right before the tipoff of a championship game. The night before the team had found novelty rubber teeth, truly ghastly gag teeth. As Quinn was starting his pregame pep talk and last-minute instructions to his team, they all put the fake teeth in their mouths, and when Quinn noticed his pregame strategy session came to a screeching, laughing halt. Now loose, and already well-prepared, the girls went on to win that game, and that team — which included Quinn’s own daughter, Hannah — produced the best win/loss record of any Montesano High School girls basketball team in school history over their four years of playing together. This season the team is 15-3 and ranked fifth in the state among class 1A teams.

Toyra’s mom, Roni Sue Toyra, grew up with Quinn and along with Brandon Klinger ran the effort behind the tournament – this was the fourth – with dozens of volunteers from throughout the community helping with everything from tournament registration to concessions.

“For a basketball tournament we bring a lot of business to the Harbor in a slow month,” said Roni Sue. “The teams stay in Monte, Aberdeen and at the beach.” The Montesano hotel was booked solid for the event, for example.

Quinn married Renee Richardson in 1993. The couple had three children. The oldest daughter, Lyndsy, is a student at Washington State University, and both Hannah and her twin brother Noah will graduate from their parents’ alma mater this year. Renee spoke about the scholarship given in honor of her late husband, including the unique way it is awarded.

“The kids send us an essay, describing how they share some of the same characteristics as Larry, and how they plan to continue using those qualities in their lives after school,” she said. Since all the recipients up to this point were personally touched by Larry’s influence, deciding who gets scholarships and who doesn’t has been particularly difficult. “Larry would have hated that part,” she said.

The scholarships are for graduating Montesano High School seniors. “You don’t have to be good in sports, you don’t have to have a 4.0,” said Renee. “The scholarship is based on character.”

For more information on the scholarship, search Facebook for the Larry Quinn Memorial Basketball Tournament.

The fourth annual Larry Quinn Memorial Basketball Tournament was held at the Bo Griffith Memorial Gymnasium in Montesano over the weekend, attracting 150 girls from across the region and raising thousands of dollars for scholarships. Quinn, longtime Montesano High School girls basketball coach, passed away suddenly in 2013. Pictured in the background on the left are senior portraits of graduating Montesano girls basketball players, who were the last class Quinn coached.

The fourth annual Larry Quinn Memorial Basketball Tournament was held at the Bo Griffith Memorial Gymnasium in Montesano over the weekend, attracting 150 girls from across the region and raising thousands of dollars for scholarships. Quinn, longtime Montesano High School girls basketball coach, passed away suddenly in 2013. Pictured in the background on the left are senior portraits of graduating Montesano girls basketball players, who were the last class Quinn coached.

The fourth annual Larry Quinn Memorial Basketball Tournament was held at the Bo Griffith Memorial Gymnasium in Montesano over the weekend, attracting 150 girls from across the region and raising thousands of dollars for scholarships. Quinn, longtime Montesano High School girls basketball coach, passed away suddenly in 2013. Pictured in the background on the left are senior portraits of graduating Montesano girls basketball players, who were the last class Quinn coached.

The fourth annual Larry Quinn Memorial Basketball Tournament was held at the Bo Griffith Memorial Gymnasium in Montesano over the weekend, attracting 150 girls from across the region and raising thousands of dollars for scholarships. Quinn, longtime Montesano High School girls basketball coach, passed away suddenly in 2013. Pictured in the background on the left are senior portraits of graduating Montesano girls basketball players, who were the last class Quinn coached.

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