Seven of the eight newest members of the Douglas High basketball Hall of Fame pose with their plaques after being selected Saturday, following the Tigers’ win over Woodland Christian. Pictured from left are Julie Gingrich, Dave Pfaffenberger, Chris Downs, Mike Gransberry, Keith Olsen, Jessica Waggoner and Frank Pitts. Not pictured is Bridget Maestretti.
Photo by Ron Harpin.
Saturday afternoon, Douglas High School added a new class to its basketball Hall of Fame.
It was the first class inducted in six years.
Though weather forced an adjustment to the original plans, eight of the school’s newest Hall of Fame members gathered at half court to receive a heaping of praise.
The enshrined class featured players from boys and girls teams as well as a coach, whose influence is still being felt in the community
Dave Pfaffenberger, who coached from 2003 to 2018, was one of eight selected for the honor.
Pfaffenberger started coaching freshman before working his way up and spending 11 years as the Tiger girls head coach.
In the process, Pfaffenberger started Carson Valley Basketball Association, or the local AAU program.
“Hundreds of girls came through our program every year,” said Pfaffenberger. “There was nothing more rewarding than that.”
Alongside Pfaffenberger were Frank Pitts (Class of 1992), Mike Gransberry (’07), Keith Olsen (’07), Chris Downs (’11), Jessica Waggoner (’09), Bridget Maestretti (’08) and Julie Gingrich (’04).
“I’m extremely honored. I loved working at Douglas High School,” said Pfaffenberger. “Those seniors (Class of 2023) on that wall, I was coaching as third graders.”
Playing their way in
Seven of the eight honorees Saturday were players for the Tigers either in the 1990s or 2000s.
Jessica Waggoner, who graduated from Douglas High and went into the Army at West Point, traveled across the country to come back for the honor.
“It means a lot. … I hope it just motivates other kids to just keep going,” said Waggoner. “For me to come back here and know everybody it means a lot. So, obviously I made an impact on them like they did me.”
At Douglas High, Waggoner still holds the shot put and discus records.
Her longest throws in high school were 42 feet, six inches in the shot put and 153-9 in the discus.
Waggoner wasn’t the only multi-sport athlete to be selected into the Tiger basketball Hall of Fame.
Mike Gransberry joined the ranks after graduating from Douglas in 2007.
“I haven’t been here in probably 10 years. So, to come back it’s like home. It’s definitely a memory I will hold in my heart forever,” said Gransberry. “The players to come are blessed to be playing for Douglas High School.”
Gransberry didn’t lose a game while playing in seventh, eighth or ninth grade hoops.
As a sophomore, he jumped to the varsity ranks before going 23-9 as a senior, losing to eventual state champion, Galena, in the postseason.
Fellow inductee, Olsen, was also on those teams alongside Gransberry before he went on to play for the Wolf Pack.
Alongside Pfaffenberger, Maestretti and Gingrich both excelled in their time on the Tigers’ girls team.
Maestretti helped Douglas go 21-10 in her senior season.
For current Tiger boys coach Corey Thacker, who has been at the helm since 2007, the whole event was particularly remarkable.
“We have to thank Karen Lamb. She set it all up. She worked tirelessly to get this set up,” said Thacker. “It shows the community we have and the basketball depth in this community.”
Gransberry came back to coach alongside Thacker after his playing days.
“Frank Pitts was a big influence in our community,” added Thacker. “It’s awesome for our school.”