Great coaches preach the “next man up” mantra to inspire athletes to step up and carry the load when called upon. As Athletic Director Vicki Vandermay fruitlessly searched for a new boys basketball head coach, Orcas High School teacher and alumni Corey Wiscomb sensed the void, stepped up and took the job. He had been asked seasons prior but had passed.

Looking at Wiscomb, he appears too young to have had two hip replacements and a bad back,  which are the reasons he’s avoided the court.

“Basketball, even coaching, is really hard on my body,” he said.

But Wiscomb overheard one of the players in the hall languish ‘Is there something wrong with us? Why won’t anyone coach us?’ That was the moment Wiscomb decided he was the next man up.

“This is an incredible group of guys, a lot of heart and when I realized no one was stepping up to coach, I decided someone needed to come forward and help these guys,” he said.  “I know the game and my goal is for these strong young men to play some really good basketball.”

Coach Wiscomb brings basketball experience as a Viking and his collegiate days at Colgate University in New York and was last an assistant Viking coach in 2009. Wiscomb is helped by Rich Madden and new  assistant Andrew Stephens.

The boys play home games on Friday against Mt. Vernon Christian at 3:30 p.m. and on Saturday against Lopez at 3 p.m