Unified basketball had its last game of the season this February, and with it, we say goodbye to the class of 2026. 14 seniors are leaving this year: J.D Greene, Ryan Williams, Cayden Whisman, Avery Eckley, Sophia Lopez, Parker Drake, Chip Zeman, Alejandro Leon-Pena, Grant Hydes, Roman Kealoha, Dani DuBois, Kylie Weisgerber, Brianna Lee, and Shalin Taksali.
Even with so many players graduating, the team didn’t have any trouble remembering its favorite moments. “My favorite moment was when JD made the game-winning shot in soccer,” said Cayden, a Wilsonville senior. He said everything changed after that. “After that game, it felt like this team was a part of a family. The senior night was also an important moment.”
Fletcher Peterson felt the same way. “The coolest moment for me was the senior night, seeing everyone come to the game and the seniors get honored for it.” Marlee Metzler shared that same sense of connection, saying, “Getting to meet everyone and be a team together was my favorite part.”
Some players focused on their best performances. Tavin Agee said, “My buzzer beater. The one against Tualatin at the end of the first quarter.” Chase Parsons added, “My favorite moment was being able to spread happiness with the team and pass them the ball, and everyone scoring on the team.” Those plays stuck with them all season.
Not every favorite moment happened during a game. Kylie said, “My favorite moment of this year was all of the bus rides we took together and listening to music and all just hanging out with each other.” Sophia agreed, saying, “My favorite moment from this year was singing and dancing to K-pop Demon Hunters with Anna.” Those little moments mattered just as much.
Some memories were just plain wholesome. McKenzie Darby said, “I’d say my favorite memory would have to be when Brooklyn saw her Nana and ran over to her. Then she came back and ran over again.” Roman’s favorite memories also happened off the court. “My favorite unified moment was either watching the Blazers game together or watching Chip make a shot.”
Ryan remembered a moment of support, too. “My favorite moment was when I got my dad to buy Chip cookies, and we had the entire cheer team and Coach Gunther come over to give him support.” JD took a step back and talked about what Unified meant to him. “Honestly, just being out here… this was the best sports thing ever.”
And then there were the chaotic moments. One of the biggest came when head coach Jared’s birthday fell on a game day. “If we were talking about one specific memory, I think it was the time on my birthday during soccer when J.D. smashed cupcakes in my face.” His face stayed stained green for about a week after that.
Some players kept it simple. When Brooklyn was asked about her best memory, she just said, “6-7.” Parker’s favorite memory was “Taking Madison’s soul!” There is no context for this. All we know is that somewhere out there, a soulless Madison is wandering around. And Robenson kept it classic: his favorite moment was “Playing basketball!”
Even though many seniors played their last game this season, there will always be incoming freshmen ready to take their spots. Unified continues because there are always players who depend on the community it creates, and teammates who show up for each other on and off the court.