A Nod to Noah: CHS basketball jerseys display tribute to talented alumni

CASHMERE- The number two will take on special meaning this basketball season at Cashmere High School, as players don jerseys bearing patches honoring former standout Noah Phillips, who passed away in a mountaineering accident in August.

Phillips, being involved in boys’ basketball during his time as a student, played on the varsity team for all four years and made the state tournament team. After graduation, he moved on to compete for Everett Community College. As well as being an excellent basketball player, his coaches say Phillips demonstrated what it meant to have good sportsmanship under all conditions. 

“I give him and some of his teammates a lot of credit for building the foundation of our program, as far as how we handle ourselves on and off the floor,” basketball and volleyball coach Levi Heyen said. He coached Phillips throughout high school and spoke about the positive example that he presented as a basketball player as well as successful student.

In recognition of Phillips’ integrity and impact on the community, Heyen assembled a project in his honor. This year’s boys’ basketball team will wear jerseys displaying #2 patches, the same number worn by Phillips. 

“The more people [that] see that number, they’ll ask, ‘what is that all about?’. And it’s our opportunity to talk about Noah and tell his story,” Heyen said.

After receiving the donated patches from BSN, a supplier of much of the equipment for the team, the FCCLA club at CHS took the opportunity of sewing and ironing on the numbers to each jersey in preparation for the season. Eight members of the club received community service for their time as they helped to start the process of telling Phillips’ story. 

Boys’ basketball home games take place at Cashmere High School. The first game of the season was December 6 at Brewster High School. The athletes at CHS benefit from community attendance at the games, as tickets, concessions, and applause all go back to the students. Community members are encouraged to come and see the new jerseys in honor of Noah Phillips and enjoy a fast-paced game of high school basketball.

Jada Wood is an intern for Ward Media and a junior (Class of 2026) at Cashmere High School.