Todd Beamer High School girls basketball coach Heather Sugg has taken a leave of absence from the team after doctors found an inoperable, cancerous tumor on her brain recently.
Assistant coach Dave Cox has officially taken over coaching duties for the Titans. Cox is a former women’s coach at Seattle University. Beamer has three more games remaining this season, including their final home game of the year Tuesday against Decatur.
“It’s all happened so fast,” said Beamer athletic director Jerry Peterson. “Our goal is just to support Heather any way we can.”
Sugg, 36, took over the Beamer girls program last year after working as an assistant under former coach Tiffany Rutter for two seasons. She is the mother of four and married to John Sugg.
According to the Seattle Times, Sugg is undergoing a scan on Monday to find out more about the tumor and expects to start radiation sometime next week. The cancer is a Grade 2 tumor, which is a less aggressive variety. Grade 4 tumors are the fastest growing.
• The Federal Way High School Class of 1974 and the City of Federal Way are hosting a reception to “Send Bob and Sue Celski to Vancouver” at 6:30 p.m. at the Federal Way City Council Chambers on Saturday, Feb. 6.
Bob and Sue Celki’s son, J.R., will be competing at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, B.C. next month as a short track speedskater. J.R. started his skating career at Pattison’s West skating center in Federal Way at the age of 3.
Both Bob and Sue Celski graduated from Federal Way High School in 1974.
Organizers are asking people attending the reception to “donate what they want to help out our hometown, world-class athlete’s family. It’s not required to donate to attend, but we’d appreciate it to help cover our costs and to put a small token of appreciation behind a family that’s sacrificed more than you’d know unless you’ve been there.”
For more details, contact Bruce Honda at hondabg@hotmail.com
• In only it’s fifth year as a school, the Sequoyah girls basketball team ended the season with a perfect record under the direction of head coach Don Tuggle, a longtime coach in Federal Way. The team won the district championship.
Jayde Christopher led the team in scoring and Megan Huff was the team’s leading rebounder. “We knew we had a chance to be a very special team this season,” said Tuggle.
This district championship marks the first for Seqouyah Middle School athletics.
The team included Jayde Christopher, Chaise Cole, Maddy Colson, Sydnee Flores, Megan Huff, Adayshia Johnson, Alexis Kropi, Teresiah Mwangi, Megan Rasussen, Na Reshauna Rigmaiden and Khaidja Rivon.
