VIDEO Interview

SPOKANE, Wash. – Former Whitman College basketball players and their coach found themselves reliving old memories and plays at Hoopfest.

John Lamanna, the head coach of Whitman College Men's Basketball, expressed his enjoyment in seeing his former players back in action.

"I get to sit back and enjoy watching them play. And the thing that was fun is that I get to see them run some of the stuff that we ran in college," Lamanna said.

Even on the blacktop, former Whitman forward Jander Cline found it natural to rely on familiar plays. "Like I go right up to him and I'm like, Coach, did you see the action we were running? Like we were literally running Princeton, three on three Princeton," Cline said.

Grant Hunt, a former guard and 2025 graduate, described the enduring influence of Coach Lamanna's guidance. "It was still kind of like he was coaching on the sideline, sitting there. I could hear his voice louder than anybody else's. So it was, it was kind of like he was coaching," Hunt said.

Coach Lamanna appreciated the unique atmosphere of Hoopfest, noting the freedom it allows players. "The style of play is different, it's streetball and all that, there's not a lot of organization. But you get to see their talents just come to life," he said.

For Hunt and Cline, their relationship with Coach Lamanna extends beyond basketball. "Like seeing the guy, that like, brought me to university. It's always a cool thing. Imma say him everywhere I go. That's like a contact, friend, coach, mentor for the rest of my life. He's family to me," Hunt emphasized.

For Coach Lamanna, seeing his plays still out there competing is one of the best parts of coming back to Hoopfest. "It's just such a joy to watch them play," Lamanna stated.

Lamanna added that as long as his former players keep showing up, he'll be right there watching.