Joseph Murphy

Freshmen Kaylor Buse and Pat Vialva Jr. have stepped in as varsity starters for their teams.

Freshmen are rookies— players who are in their first year at a given level. All professional leagues have a dedicated Rookie of the Year Award to recognize the rookies’ performance over the course of a season, because it can prove challenging to be thrusted into the spotlight while inexperienced. 

For West Linn basketball, a couple players are in a similar position: new to the spotlight of high school basketball. Kaylor Buse and Pat Vialva Jr., freshmen, have made their impact known as first-year high school players.

Averaging 14 points per game (PPG), four rebounds per game (RPG), three steals per game (SPG), and two assists per game (APG), Buse has made her impact as a 5-foot-10-inch forward ball-handler. The womens basketball team has controlled a top ten OSAA ranking for the majority of the year, thanks in part to Buse’s performance.

Meanwhile, Vialva has helped the mens team keep afloat, as he has joined a team that retained four of their players from last year’s state runner-up squad. Throughout the season, Vialva has averaged 13.5 PPG, 2.2 RPG, and 1.9 SPG. The mens team is ranked 19th in state, according to OSAA.

Both of these freshmen have also entered into leadership roles as first-year players. The average West Linn basketball fan can see Buse pointing and communicating with her teammates as she dribbles the ball up the floor. Same with Vialva.

“I think you just have to go out there and play your best game and always be ready,” Buse said. “I like playing with the ‘West Linn’ on my chest, [like] everyone’s out to get you, everyone wants to take you down. [I aim] to always be ready mentally and physically-wise.”

Repping the school colors, Vialva and Buse have already had their share of memories. They both expect to make these kinds of memories at West Linn for the rest of this year, not to mention the next three years.

So far, one of Vialva’s favorite memories was the game he had against the Lakeridge Pacers, which was played on Jan. 26, away from home. Vialva scored 28 points. 

“The student section was all over us,” Vialva said. “But when they started talking, it made me [play] better. I wanted to step up my game. I was all over the place at Lakeridge, I’m going to be honest.”

However, Vialva’s freshman year hasn’t been without its challenges.

“I’ve learned that every game is not going to go my way,” Vialva said. “I’m not going to have the most points, not going to have the most assists, not going to get [much] stops. I just want to keep my head up this season and stay strong.”

To get to this point, both of these freshmen have played basketball since a young age. Vialva started playing as a three-year-old and Buse was on her first basketball team in kindergarten.

“[I started playing basketball] because of my dad,” Vialva said. “He played semi-pro. It was very fun, very competitive. Of course, he always topped me every day. Sometimes, I’d be able to set him up here and there but it was very competitive. I remember that we had a laundry basket, and I’d shoot in the laundry basket. I beat [my dad] on that for sure.”

Having a dad as a basketball coach, Buse experienced similar values with her dad with basketball, compared to Vialva. Right now, Buse’s dad serves as an assistant coach for Head Coach Brooke Cates.

“[Dads]  teach you a lot, even throughout life,” Buse said. “You can always trust them. They’re always there for you.”

Buse’s namesake is more than just a dad coaching her daughter on the same team. Buse also has a twin, Kyla Buse, freshman, that’s on the varsity team. During West Linn’s first ever Homecoming, Buse’s great Aunt, Barbara Fitzpatrick, was the Homecoming queen. Off West A Street past the bridge, there is a street dedicated to the Buse family tree, “Buse Street.” 

“It means a lot,” Buse said. “I take a lot of pride [in that]. I’m just trying to be a good student for everyone, be a good person. It means a lot [since] my dad is on the coaching staff.”

For the rest of the year, these freshmen have differing goals. With the womens team being ranked in the top ten in the state, and the mens team outside of the top 15, expectations are different between Vialva and Buse.

“I’m just focusing on just being there [in the present], being where my feet are, and being there for my teammates,” Buse said. “During my layups I have had some rough patches, so I want to improve that. [I also want to improve on] being consistent with my shot. I think this season is our season. Our motto for the whole season is ‘this is for the seniors’. [We] just want to go out there every single day and play for them, so we can get to the Chiles Center.”

“I [want to improve] my leadership for sure,” Vialva said. “[I also want] to make sure I get my teammates open and create space.”

Eventually, Buse and Vialva will be in different positions. Three years from now, both will be seniors with years varsity experience under their wing, with similar mentalities.

“I take defense with a lot of pride, just to see that one stop,” Buse said. “I feel like the defense initially falls into [our] offense super nicely.”

“My mentality is to beat the person in front of me,” Vialva said. “Make my other teammates better when I play and put on a show for the crowd.”