Mike Guinasso is the new girls basketball coach at Gig Harbor High School
Mike Guinasso knows he has some big shoes to fill, coming in as the new varsity coach for the Gig Harbor Tides girls basketball team. He’s taking the spot of Megan Murray, who recently stepped down to spend more time with her family.
He also has to come in and help the team find a way to replace the irreplaceable: Brynna Maxwell, the best player the team had seen in a while and helped lead Gig Harbor to a state championship in 2018.
Guinasso doesn’t let that get to him though. In fact, the biggest challenge for him is the travel time to his new job.
“I think it’s been really good so far. I’m commuting down from Seattle so that’s been the only rough part,” Guinasso said.
Navigating the perils of Seattle traffic with all its congestion and construction doesn’t seem to have dampened his enthusiasm for coming into this new role however, as he already is getting the team ready for the upcoming season.
“I’ve been really glad with what I’ve seen,” Guinasso said. “The girls have picked a lot up, so far, in the short amount of time I’ve had working with them.”
Guinasso has roots in the area, having attended O’Dea High School, where he graduated in 2010, before attending Shoreline Community College for two years. He also has coached for the last two years at Lake Washington for the JV girls basketball team.
He also is the founder of Rain City, a non-profit girls basketball program which he started in the fall of 2016. He is excited to bring that experience and especially aggressive defensive play to give the Tides the edge this upcoming season.
“A lot of trapping stuff and just get the ball out of hands because a lot of the teams we play, like I mentioned, aren’t as deep as us,” Guinasso said. “So if we can get the ball out of 1’s and 2’s hands and get it into number 3, 4, 5 on the other teams it’ll get a little better for us and a lot more steals.”
That doesn’t mean there aren’t some challenges the team will still have to overcome in developing this new style of play but they have a full summer to do just that in the hopes that it sets them up well for next year.
“In the start, like right now, we’ve had a little growing pains but once the games kinda hit, I’m hoping we’re in full swing and everyone’s in the right spot and we’re doing what we’re supposed to,” Guinasso said. “If we can execute, we’ll be a high above .500 team and then making playoffs, you win a couple games, put a couple wins together and you’re at the Tacoma Dome.”
That ambition is backed up by an emphasis on supporting his team and providing the most supportive team culture he can at Gig Harbor.
“One thing we talk about and I try and do is we’re always super positive and making it comfortable for the kids,” Guinasso said. “If the girls are comfortable playing, they’re going to play better.”
Comfort does not mean they won’t be challenged however, as there is also an emphasis on pushing them to be the best that they can be as athletes.
“One of my coaching styles is I try and throw a lot at them because I believe in them, I put a lot of faith in them and what they can learn,” Guinasso said.
What exactly does that mean? It means constantly changing things up and putting together new plays to keep opponents on their toes.
“Every timeout we’re going to draw up something new. For the most part, we’re not going to have a play you’ve seen coming out of a timeout,” Guinasso said. “We’ll run something new coming out of a timeout and sometimes it looks really awesome and makes me look really good. Other times, I take the blame for it. But so far they’ve done great.”