THE FRONT ROW with MARK NELKE: For a few minutes, basketball gave way to a much-deserved love of community

The hugs were not scripted. 

But they were quite real. 

Every year at the Fight for the Fish spirit basketball games, officials from Lake City and Coeur d’Alene high schools honor someone in the community, for their contributions to the schools, the area, or both. 

All have been deserving over the 26 years of the Fish game. 

But two weeks ago, Lake City really nailed the selection. 

At halftime of the boys game, 11 first responders, from Coeur d’Alene Fire and Kootenai County Fire and Rescue, many of which had gone through the unthinkable some six months earlier, were summoned out onto the court for what began as a thank you from the schools, then evolved into a show of love from the nearly 3,000 in attendance. 

“It just turned into something pretty special,” Lake City High principal Bryan Kelly said. 

IN LATE June, Lake City’s boys were playing in a summer league tournament in Seattle. On that Sunday afternoon, they were getting ready to play their final game of the summer. 

Meanwhile, back home, first responders answering the call to a fire on Canfield Mountain in Coeur d'Alene were ambushed by a lone gunman waiting for them. Two first responders were killed; a third was seriously injured. 

“And about 20 minutes before tipoff, we start seeing the alerts and texts ... we just have no idea what’s going on,” Lake City boys basketball coach James Anderson recalled. “We didn’t even want to play the game; we were so confused about what was going on back home.” 

The Lake City team took the court. 

“It impacted our guys, and we had a five-hour ride home together, watching the newscasts, and trying to figure it all out,” Anderson said. “We decided on that van ride home that we were going to do anything we could to honor those guys, and what they do.” 

On their shooting shirts that the Lake City boys wear during warmups before the game is a patch with the logos from Coeur d’Alene Fire, and Kootenai County Fire and Rescue. 

IN LATE October, weeks before the season was to begin, Anderson invited three first responders to speak to the players in his program.  

“We wanted to bring them in and lay a foundation of what it was like that day, and how could we honor them,” Anderson said. “What we can do to best represent what they do every day.” 

The father of one of the boys in the Lake City basketball program is a firefighter. The daughter of one of the slain first responders attends Lake City. Another firefighter’s son is an athlete at Lake City. 

The three men talked to some 60 players — varsity, JV and freshman players, as well as some seventh and eighth graders from Lake City’s feeder program. 

They gathered upstairs in the Lake City High auditorium, “a good venue for a fireside chat,” Anderson said. 

The first responders spoke, and the kids asked questions. 

“It was a super-emotional night — lots of tears, pretty powerful on our kids,” Anderson said. 

ORIGINALLY, THE plan, Anderson said, was to honor the firefighters at a Lake City boys basketball game. 

But then ... why not do this at Fight for the Fish? 

“I thought the Fish game was the perfect venue because it brought the whole community as one,” Anderson said. “Sports is just an incredible healer of pain. I think we get too into this rivalry ... we’re one community. What a perfect way to try to bring us together as one community.” 

Kelly and Troy Anderson, Lake City’s athletic director, obviously approved of the idea. 

“This was a no-doubter, to reach out and show that we really do appreciate what they do," Kelly said. “And that we’re here for them, because they’re always here for us.” 

So Kelly wrote a script thanking them, and at halftime the first responders came out onto the floor, and Kelly and Coeur d’Alene High principal Victoria Beecher alternately read from the script. 

“Reading that script, and seeing their emotions got me emotional as well, for sure,” said Kelly, a member of Lake City High’s first graduating class in 1995 who went on to be a teacher and coach at Lake City, before going into administration. This is his first year as principal at LCHS.  

Then ... 

“At the end I went to go shake their hands ... and I just hugged the first one, and I started hugging all of them, because I appreciate them so much,” Kelly said. 

Rather than spend halftime in the locker room like in other games, the Lake City players and coaches remained on the court, at their bench as the firefighters were honored mere feet from them. 

After Kelly and Beecher went through the line, the Lake City players and coaches followed, led by senior captain Josh Watson, with handshakes and hugs for the first responders. 

The Coeur d’Alene players followed by joining the line and doing the same, as the crowd rose and gave the first responders a standing ovation. 

“On a personal level, that’s one of the coolest things I’ve been able to do in this position,” Kelly said.  

ANDERSON THOUGHT back to that meeting with the firefighters in October, and remember sharing with them the reflections the players had from that meeting. 

Among the reflections... 

“My biggest takeaway is that we have a true purpose of why we are wearing these shirts and that when we put those on every game we aren’t just doing it for the team but our community. There’s a greater purpose than just winning the game.” 

“ ... even though they go through so much adversity they have to stay poised and make sure they are able to focus and keep going and complete the challenge or job they are faced with.” 

“Man, just so grateful for what they do, and what they’re willing to risk, if it comes to it,” Anderson said. “For me, it was super emotional, just thinking of the sacrifice of the two and the three, and what it could mean for them any minute of any hour, what they might have to walk into and do, and how they’re willing to do that.” 

More reflections ... 

“Always being humble with the life we have including family members, friends, opportunities because it can all be taken away in the snap of a finger and you never know when that could be.” 

“ ... there’s more to being a part of a team than just playing games. Also, we need to make sure to be grateful and positive of all the little details because you never know what others go through.” 

Last week, the Lake City players wore warmup shirts honoring a local 2-year-old girl who is fighting a medical battle. Earlier this season, the T-Wolf players wore shirts supporting a player from the opposing team who was going through a medical issue of his own. 

“There’s more to life than basketball, and more to basketball than basketball, and we’re fortunate to be in this situation to have this platform to bring light to help people out,” said Anderson, a teacher and former girls basketball coach at Lake City, in his third season as the Timberwolves’ boys coach. “We talk about it every year — yeah, our objective is to win, but we have to have a purpose that’s higher than winning.”

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 208-664-8176, Ext. 1205, or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @CdAPressSports. 

    JASON DUCHOW PHOTOGRAPHY First responders from Coeur d'Alene Fire and Kootenai County Fire and Rescue receive hugs from members of the Lake City High boys basketball team at halftime of the boys Fight for the Fish spirit basketball game Jan. 9 at Lake City High.

    Courtesy photo First responders from Coeur d'Alene Fire and Kootenai County Fire and Rescue speak to members of the Lake City boys basketball program in October in the Lake City High auditorium.

    After two first responders were killed and a third injured in an ambush attack on Canfield Mountain this past summer, Lake City High boys basketball players decided to wear a patch on their warmups this season honoring Coeur d'Alene Fire and Kootenai County Fire and Rescue personnel.