Four standout basketball players, including a pair of former superstar Clarkston Bantams, are among the hundreds of ballers competing in Spokane’s Hoopfest tournament this weekend.
Kellie (McCann-Smith) Kromrei, coach of the Clarkston girls basketball program, will be playing with Jamie (Weisner) Scott, Daisy (Burke) Shustoff, and Danielle Walter. These four women have been shooting hoops together since fourth grade.
“We used to play together all the way from fourth grade until we signed (to colleges) junior year,” Kromrei said. “We’ve never lost a game (at Hoopfest); hopefully, we can keep that tradition alive 18 years later.”
Kromrei and Scott were award-winning Bantams, and all four played for the Northwest Blazers club team, which was coached by Steve Klees. They will be competing in the elite bracket.
Kromrei said that part of the reason the group is getting together is to celebrate Klees, who founded the Northwest Blazers and has since helped create 300-plus DI scholarships for his players.
After high school, Scott, 31, went on to play for Oregon State University. She was voted player of the year in the Pac-12 following the 2015-16 season when she led the Beavers to their first Final Four appearance.