He talks with his hands on the court... and off the court, Josh Koets

“He is a leader that everyone looks up to,” said Olympic College student and fellow basketball player Cartiea French-Toney of sophomore Josh Koets.
Koets has been playing organized basketball since he was just eight years old when his mother put him in Pee Wee basketball.
“My mom worked after school so she put me in Pee Wee to kill time after school and keep me on track,” said Koets. “Then I just fell in love with the game.”
Koets did a good amount of moving around growing up.
He lived in Orlando, Florida until he was eight, moved to Bremerton until the sixth grade, moved back to Florida, then back to Bremerton and attended Bremerton High School for all four years.
Throughout high school Koets was not just a standout on the court but excelled on the football field as well.
Koets was a punter, a defensive end and a tight end.
During his senior year, Koets led the Bremerton Knights on the court, averaging 16.4 points a game, and had a league record of 10 - 6, the best record the Knights posted in all four years Koets attended.
“All through high school I played forward. We had a small team but I was pretty strong from football, so I didn’t get pushed around,” said Koets.
Koets’ ability caught the eye of current Rangers Assistant Coach, Julius Johnson.
“(Johnson) came and watched a high school game and then offered me a scholarship,” said Koets.
Both the players and coaches said they agree Koets is a leader, though a fairly quiet one.
“He doesn’t have a lot to say, he leads by example and just goes out and does it,” said French-Toney. “He is the first one in the gym and works hard, and when the best player works hard everyone follows that.”
Last season, as a freshman, Koets was 14th overall in all of the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges in both points and rebounds, averaging more than seven boards and 17 points a game.
Head coach Barry Janusch says Koets plays with tenacity and desire. Koets stands at just 6-feet 2-inches tall, but Janusch said the reason Koets can play inside with guys who are 6-feet 6-inches tall or even taller is because he goes for everything.
“He gets beat up a lot of the time, but usually he inflicts more pain on the big guys than they do on him,” said Janusch. “And he has great hands; if he can get his hands on it he will come down with the ball, that’s why he was a good tight end too.”
Janusch also said last year he wasn’t too comfortable with Koets handling the ball, but this year he’s done it more, and has made good decisions.
“(Koets) knows that next year at the four-year level he will have to be able to handle (the) ball,” said Janusch.
Though Koets had success last season, the team finished with a record of just 3 - 13 in league.
This year, Koets said, it will be different.
“We play a very fluid game,” said Koets. “And we are very team-oriented and we all hang out and have no issues.”
Koets also said the Rangers will have the edge against a lot of teams because the team is very athletic and can run with any team in the league.
The Rangers are just 1 - 3 in league in their young season, but have suffered due to injuries and players being unable to play due to other circumstances. However, the team is now up to full form.
Under Koets’ leadership, the Rangers could give us a season equal to the one the men’s soccer team gave us few months ago.