While the focus on high school sports in Washington state remains centered on how competition can be adapted to take place in conjunction with Gov. Jay Inslee’s COVID-19 Safe Start phased approach, other athletic business continues as usual.

Lynnwood High School announced that when their Lady Royals basketball team next takes the court, the players will do so under the guidance of a new head coach, Eddie McFerrin.

McFerrin has spent the past eight seasons as an assistant coach for the women’s basketball teams at Edmonds College and Bellevue College. He also runs Fusion Elite Basketball, an Everett-based program that aims to provide coaching for at-risk youth.

“For a long time, I’ve been wanting to take over my own program,” said McFerrin. “That opportunity just sort-of came this year to take over with the girls program at Lynnwood, and I sort of rose to the opportunity knowing the background and history of that program.”

The history he speaks of is a team that made five straight appearances in the Tacoma Dome competing for the WIAA State Championship from 2013-2017, bringing home a 3A state title in 2015, and third-place trophies in 2014 and 2016. Teams that featured players like Jasmine Edwards (Central Washington University), Jordyn Edwards (University of San Diego), Kelsey Rogers (Western Washington University), Kaprice Boston (Seattle Pacific University), and former Oregon State star and WNBA’s Atlanta Dream draftee, Mikayla Pivec.

McFerrin said he’s excited to “bring that atmosphere back to the Royals that they used to have back in 2014, 2015.”

He hopes to regain that atmosphere with a defense-first-mindset for his squad.

“I believe that’s the way to win games,” he said. “That’s the way to create offense.”

He takes over the program from Brandon Newby, who coached the Royals for three seasons, posting a 32-35 overall record that included trips to the district tournament each of his three seasons, and a regional appearance in a loss to Stanwood in 2017-18.