Bill Bakamus as been the head coach at Mark Morris High School for 18 seasons. He has been a head coach for 28 seasons with eight years spent at Toledo High School, and one at Coulee-Hartline High School. During his tenure as the Monarch boss, his program has become one of the most respected in Washington. The Monarch basketball dynasty has consecutive records that all fans, players, and coaches should be proud of. For the last decade, Mark Morris has won 10 league championships with an incredible 112-9 record. In the post season, the team has played in the last 11 District Championship contests winning five. The Monarchs have qualified for state 11 consecutive years, and for the last 10 straight seasons the Monarchs have won 20 plus games.
The standards and expectations are certainly high in the Monarch program. “As a coaching staff, we have been blessed to have dedicated players, parents, and coaches who work together to make Mark Morris basketball a special experience. Winning games are a byproduct of the time, commitment, and endless hours of work by everybody in our program. It certainly makes our job easier when there is an endless amount of enthusiasm that our players bring to the table” explains Coach Bill Bakamus.
Running the floor has been a Coach Bakamus coached trademark. His teams always play with strong fundamentals, discipline, and stressing unselfish play and mental toughness.
During the season you count on the Monarchs doing their part as community members. The team works for the local Humane Society Auction and helps deliver Christmas trees for the Festival of Trees event. The birthday parties that they donate to local auctions are also very popular events. His players have been very receptive to help local groups with their causes.
Bill has taught Math and P.E. throughout his years as an educator. He is a University of Puget Sound graduate, and completed his Master’s degree at Portland State.
During his high school days at Morton, Bill excelled in three sports, and holds many of the school’s basketball records, including scoring 54 points in a single game. As a college athlete, he was a Captain and Inspirational award winner for the UPS basketball and baseball teams.
His daughters, Katrina, 22, and Rachel, 20, are both ex-Monarchs. Rem, 16, is currently a junior at Mark Morris, and a member of the MM squad.
Coach Bakamus‘ biggest victory is winning over his wife Cathy. They have been married for 25 years.
Coach Bakamus is involved at the state level as the Northwest Shootout coordinator. He recently received one of the highest coaching honors in the state. He will be inducted into the Washington State Coaches Association Hall of Fame this July. A well deserved honor, for an extremely dedicated coach.
