Returning to Lebanon

Joe Williamson says he isn’t nervous about Wednesday night’s game.

That’s when the first-year coach of the Corvallis High girls basketball team returns to his old stomping grounds.

Williamson’s Spartans (11-4, 4-1) are tied for first in the Mid-Willamette Conference but will face a Lebanon (9-7, 4-2) team that showed why it was a playoff team a year ago with a 56-51 win at Crescent Valley (9-6, 4-1) last week.

And Lebanon is where Williamson spent the past five seasons as co-coach with Mardy Benedict.

“Oh I’m sure it will be a fun situation,” Williamson said Tuesday night, the grin on his face widening with each word. “I’ve already talked to some of the (Lebanon) guys, the varsity players out sitting here waiting for the varsity game. They’re already ready.”

With Benedict, Williamson helped turn the Warriors into a playoff team. Most of the girls off last year’s team that reached the postseason, will be in the lineup tonight when Lebanon hopes to muddle the standings even more with a win.

Williamson has already had a chance to see and talk with some of his former players and their parents this season.

While having dinner at Red Robin in Albany after the South Albany game a couple weeks again, Williamson was met by some of the Lebanon players, who had just played West Albany.

“Oh yeah, it was like a hugfest with the parents and players so it was pretty, I have a pretty good relationship with most of the parents that are still there,” he said. “And it did help a little bit probably.”

While he will be familiar with the school, that comfort level may evaporate when he takes his new team into the locker room before the game.

“I’ve never been in the visitor’s locker room at Lebanon so there is a first time for everything,” he said.

So will he head to the wrong bench?

“I’ll know where our fans are and that’s where I’ll go,” he said.

The Spartans will have had eight full days off since playing last. And Wednesday night’s game is the first of five in nine days after last Friday’s game against Dallas was snowed out and rescheduled for this Saturday.

The layoff and the upcoming schedule doesn’t concern Williamson.

“Games are fun,” he said. “I think the girls think games are fun. We’ve had a stretch where all we’ve done is practice for a week-and-a-half and five games in nine or 10 days is great.

“I think we’re ready.”

And despite not playing for eight days, and that it is a game against their new coach’s former team, shouldn’t change the approach the Spartans have had all season.

They know a win is big in their quest to become conference champions.

And with some of the players having watched Lebanon’s upset of CV in person, it should have them focused even more.

“I think they realize if you leave them open, they’ll hit a shot,” Williamson said. “We have to defend them. We have to defend Alexis (Nissen) and make it hard for her.

“They understand the effort that it will take to win. That helps a lot. We have to take teams seriously.”

Williamson is doing just that. He told the players before the CV game not to make the event bigger than their own play.

Now it’s time for the coach to practice what he has been preaching.

“I’ll probably have a hard time if they’re not playing well because I want us to play well,” Williamson said. “I have to keep my emotions in check and coach the team. That’s the thing — to keep a level head.

“I think it will be a good time. If our girls come to play, we match up pretty well.”

And if they do, they are one step closer to reaching their goal.