Cameron Ware is a lot of things, but perhaps the thing he is most is unselfish. He’s not the type of person to take credit and will gladly credit others before himself. But we need to give credit where credit is due, and we need to take a moment to appreciate the achievements that this man is having at Umatilla High School.

Coach Ware is in his second season coaching the Umatilla High School girls’ basketball team. Under his leadership, the Lady Bulldogs have won 30 games in the past two years. Those are unthinkable numbers compared to where this program was just a few short years ago. While there were plenty of good memories, there were also a lot of tough years for Umatilla High School. Other than the 2018-2019 team who finished 14-14, the girls’ program was averaging around 5 wins per season. From January 21, 2014, to November 13, 2015, the Umatilla girls went almost 2 years without a win. The program has come a long way since then!

(Coach Cameron Ware is having a historic season for the Umatilla Girls Varsity Basketball program. Statistically this is the greatest season ever since the girls basketball program started.)

The Umatilla High School girls’ basketball team began to change in a positive direction when Brian Morris took over the program a few years ago. Coach Morris had a few good years, and then Umatilla went through a few different coaches before Coach Cameron Ware took over during the 2022-2023 season. In his first year, the girls finished 13-8 with the first winning record in Umatilla girls’ basketball history. This season the Umatilla Lady Bulldogs are 17-3 and are having a history-making season.

Ware credits that to the team. “You know this group of girls, I give all the credit to them. They believe in the program, they believe in what Umatilla High School is doing from academics to athletic teams, they know what they are building here at Umatilla High School. That’s due to the positive leadership of Principal Fraizer, Patrick Todd, Deta Brunson just to name a few,” says Coach Ware.

(Cameron Ware coaching at a recent Umatilla Girls Varsity Basketball game.)

There are too many people to name who are having a positive impact at Umatilla High School, but all of the success that Coach Ware is having is a direct result of what the school is achieving. The program had a 96% graduation rate in 2023. Those are amazing numbers. Even more amazing is the amount of support the community is giving. From power washing the stadium to new football goal posts, paint, locker rooms, and more, there are so many people behind the scenes making it happen.

That has allowed Coach Ware the ability to go to work. Players like Seniors Emalee Duncan, Trinity Brennan have been true leaders for years at Umatilla High. Then you have players like Herva Brutus, a sophomore who is a joy to coach and is averaging 15.6 points per game. It is a total team effort that is going in. “I am just so happy for our girls to be having success. At the end of the day, I show up and coach but it’s the girls who put in all the hard work,” says Coach Ware.

The hard work that this group is putting in is not going un-noticed. We applaud everything that Umatilla High School is doing but especially coach Ware and Patrick Todd this year for the boys and girls basketball programs respectively.

Congratulations to the entire Umatilla High School athletics department, coach Ware, and his girls for their historic season. The work is now only just beginning! The district tournament is right around the corner.