PORT ANGELES — Phenomenal is Kasey Ulin’s favorite adjective and one he has used countless times to praise and spotlight his players.
The word also describes Ulin’s reach and impact as head coach of the Port Angeles boys basketball program, a role Ulin held since he took over the Roughriders’ position just two weeks before the start of the 2014-15 season.
Ulin first guided the program back to respectability and then back to state tournament success in 2022, making the school’s first state tournament appearance since 2011 and earning the first state trophy (sixth place) since the 1996-97 Riders’ finished seventh in Class 4A.
Ulin will not continue as Port Angeles head coach, officially turning in his resignation ahead of Thursday night’s school board meeting.
The former Forks High School standout who led the nation in scoring at Dickinson State and went on to play in various European professional leagues, racked up a record of 150-102, including 92-46 in Olympic League play with three Olympic League championships.
He was recognized by the Washington Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association with the Pat Fitterer “You Gotta Love It” Positive Coach Contributor Award in 2024.
The award is given to a boys basketball coach who has “had a transformational effect on the lives of their respective players and coaches, and also had a significant positive impact at their school or within their community.”
With rumors swirling, Ulin was reached on Sept. 12 and confirmed that he was planning to resign, but he declined to go into detail on the reasons behind his decision, offering an official, “No comment.”
Social media discussions pointed toward a small selection of disgruntled parents of players voicing their concerns and a resulting lack of administrative support from the district.
Three Port Angeles parents spoke in support of Ulin during public comment at Thursday’s board meeting.
Ray Vaara, father of Riders basketball and baseball standout John Vaara of the Class of 2022, said “he was lucky enough to have coach Ulin coach my son.” He went on to address those issues in his three minutes of comment.
“I believe letting parents influence decisions is wrong,” Vaara said. “The coach has to have the ability to make cuts, play who they want to play, when they want to play them ,and however many minutes they want to play them.
“Basketball is a competitive sport that only goes seven or eight players deep. Not everybody gets to play, not everybody gets a juice box. That’s life; life is hard. After we get out of school, life is hard. Not everybody is going to fall into a family position and get a job. They will have to go out there and compete, and Kasey was really big on that. You had to earn your minutes, and if you earned your minutes, you had to do something with your minutes that would give you more playing time. I can’t get into everything right now, I just don’t have enough time.
“I would like the board to consider in the future giving coaches the option to make decisions and then backing them up. Not letting a few disgruntled parents disrupt what a majority of us feel — Kasey Ulin is a great coach, a great man, and he taught much more than basketball.
“Last thing I wanted to say was soft parents raise soft children.”
Board member Sarah Methner, herself the mother of former Port Angeles basketball players under Ulin, made a clarification when Shane Abold, a C-team parent, spoke.
“Kasey Ulin was not dismissed,” Methner said. “We accepted his resignation tonight. I just wanted to clarify that.”
Green and white
In a long post on his Facebook page, Ulin discussed his tenure.
“We invested in kids and their lives,” he said. “We know that kids do not care about how much you know, until they know how much you care. We walked alongside them. Through everything they were experiencing: a divorce, through a breakup, through issues at school, late night calls, early morning breakfasts, injuries, car crashes, bad days, sleepless nights, tough defeats, hard practices, changing schools.
“Through anything they were experiencing, we were there with them. Those relationships have continued after they graduated high school. Long after the last time their jersey was worn.
“We provided support in their lives through difficulties and moments of hardship. When they needed us the most, we were there. We would take the time for every single player because every single player mattered. From the top player on varsity to the 12th player on our freshman team.”
Abold discussed such a situation with his son Taylor recovering from finger surgery.
“Coach Ulin noticed what my son was going through and didn’t let him fade into the baackground,” Abold said. “He pulled him aside, spoke to him directly and told him he believed in him, the injury didn’t define him and he knew he could play again, it would just take strength of character to make him stronger. Taylor still talks every day about how much Kasey’s words meant to him. He eventually made the C team in basketball, the coaches believed in him, restored his confidence and reminded him that setbacks are temporary.
“Now he approaches challenges with the resilience and self-belief traits strengthened because of coach Ulin. To speak to him and speak life to him despite not being on his team yet showed me what a true leader, mentor and role model is.”
About the team
“We created a foundation of being ALL IN, a team-first mindset, where we all had to make sacrifices, to support each other, to work as one, to trust this process and to believe in something bigger than ourselves,” Ulin said. “Leading the state in sweat and high fives was our goal. No one was going to out prepare, out work or out love our team.”
Much of the impact Ulin made came nowhere near the gym.
“A lot of our investment in our players’ lives happened off the basketball court, unseen by many,” he said. “Pumpkin carving, BBQ’s, team dinners, capture the flag, Personal Growth Monday’s, team hikes, supporting them during COVID, camping trips, guest speakers, scavenger hunts, hand written letters to seniors, books we would read as a team, whiffle ball, flag football, bowling nights, Tecmo Bowl games, fundraising activities, cutting firewood … all were intentional things we provided so our players had the opportunity for deeper connection and substantial growth. We wanted their experience to be rewarding and full of joy.”
Ulin and his staff put in the structure needed for sustained success.
“We made a full-fledged commitment to having a complete program, A-Z,” he said. “No stone left unturned. Building a feeder program, working with youth coaches, running youth camps, 3-on-3 tournaments, the Rumble on the Ridge, offering skills sessions and shooting clinics, going to middle school games, running a strength and conditioning program, fall leagues, speed and agility work and creating a top-notch summer basketball program. Everything and everyone mattered and had importance.”
Noah McGoff, now a doctor of optometry in Salem, Ore., played for Ulin, graduating in 2017. He provided the consensus opinion among Ulin’s former players.
“This is a sad day for Port Angeles boys basketball and the Port Angeles community as a whole,” McGoff said. “So many young men will not have the opportunity to be coached by one of the greatest coaches this program has had in coach Kasey Ulin.”
Ulin attended his wedding to another former Port Angeles standout, Maddie Boe.
“Kasey has been far more than just a basketball coach for our program, but also a mentor, leader and role model for so many of us young athletes,” McGoff said. “He taught us discipline, hard work, and that there are no shortcuts to success on the court or in life. Coach Ulin created a culture and brotherhood that reaches far beyond the basketball court, and I am incredibly grateful to have had him as a coach and now a close friend and supporter.”
Rebecca Winn Parker, a parent of a current player, also spoke up for Ulin.
“Coach Kasey Ulin inspired my son to be the best player, student and person he can be on and off the court, before high school and I know he will still be encouraging him into his college years and beyond,” she said. “That’s the type of coach he is. He has challenged, given constructive criticism, inspired, promoted personal growth, team building and supported my son and many others to be the best version of themselves. My son was looking forward to learning more and finishing his high school years with Coach Ulin. We wish him and his family the best. He deserved better from PA administration and should have been supported.”
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Sports reporter/columnist Michael Carman can be contacted at sports@peninsuladailynews.com.
