Shaa Humphrey was welcomed back onto the North Kitsap boys basketball sidelines in early 2024 as an assistant to the coach who once led him and other former Vikings to the program’s first-ever state championship in 2020.
Now the former high school hoops star will keep his feet planted in Poulsbo, athletic director Billy Rodgers introducing Humphrey as the program’s new head coach Oct. 10.
“Throughout the process, Shaa demonstrated his ability to lead, teach and motivate,” Rodgers said. “He shared a vision of building a strong program, with a focus on player development and teamwork. There is no question, he is ready to take this next step in his career.”
Humphrey has called the announcement a dream come true, saying he is excited to continue a legacy he was once part of building as a player. “I love this program. I love the town of Poulsbo. This is home for me and this is something I have been thinking of doing since I was a player here,” he said.
Humphrey was once the go-to guy for the Vikings under former coach Scott Orness, who resigned Aug. 30 after nine years to follow his son Cade’s basketball journey at Gonzaga.
Humphrey is a two-time team captain, former league and state tournament MVP and member of the 1,000 career points club. He first helped lead the team to a sixth-place finish at state in 2019. Fighting off injuries in his senior year, he then helped lead NK to the 2A state title game in 2020 in which he and former teammate Kobe McMillian would together put the game away in the fourth quarter of a 56-53 win over Clarkston.
It’s the ability to relate to his athletes and his understanding of the standards for excellence in the NK program that he says will help his team continue to reach for the stars under his leadership.
“I know what it takes to win, and win at a high level,” he said. “I know what it’s like to have a target on your back on a nightly basis, and what it feels like to play in big games. The season is a long grind that really starts at the end of May. I know how that grind feels and the toll it can have on your mind and body. As someone who went through this process as a player, I can support our guys in reaching our goals.”
Humphrey went on to briefly play basketball at Eastern Oregon University in LaGrande before the COVID pandemic shifted his focus to academics at Grand Canyon University. His education not only led him back into the NK school district as a student teacher but gave him a chance to learn even more from his former coach before Orness’ Aug. 30 resignation. Humphrey is now working as a PE/health teacher at Auburn High School.
Orness “showed me in my one year on his staff how much work truly goes into having a successful program, and that is at all levels starting with the young kids,” he said. “Orness is a great leader, and has one of the best basketball minds in the state—for me to learn from him as a player and then as a coach is a huge blessing.”
