Lake Roosevelt Raiders Play State B In Principal’s Memory

For the first time in 30 years, both the girls and boys teams from Lake Roosevelt High School took to the court at the State B Tourney at the Spokane Arena. This year they played for more than just their fans from Coulee Dam; they played for their longtime principal who recently passed away.

From their ?Mean People Suck? shirts down to their shoes, it?s not hard to see the Lake Roosevelt Raiders and their fans are grieving over the loss of Principal Steve Breeze,
who died three weeks ago after a long bout of cancer.
Breeze was 59 years old and died just two days after getting married,
according to The Star Online in Grand Coulee.

?A great honorable man with the integrity of nobody you?ve ever known,? Lake Roosevelt School Secretary Debbie Vangeystel said.

Parents and students said they could feel Mr. Breeze?s presence on the court and in the stands Thursday.

?He?s definitely looking down on this right now, so unbelievably proud,? Vangeystel said. ?It?s been since ?79 that both our boys and girls made it to State.?

Breeze, an Eastern Washington University graduate, played basketball in college and headed to Coulee Dam in 1992, where he went on to coach the Raiders for several years.

?Loved basketball, loved everything about the game,? Vangeystel said, adding that it was no mistake this was the first time in more than three decades that both the boys and girls made it to State.

?The day after he died we had our last home game and just really in his honor and played their hearts out and here we are,? she said.

For the Raiders, this trip to State has as much to do with the community healing as it does with their teams winning.

?It?s just about being together, being a squad and being a team and our community comes together as one,? cheerleader Lindsey Rosco said.