CCHS Basketball Team Leaves for Oregon Mission Trip

By now they should be somewhere north of Sacramento on I-5, the gray RV and two SUVs headed toward Oregon.

’s varsity girls basketball team, coaches and a few volunteers left the school Tuesday morning, headed north to play basketball and volunteer for about a week.

The trip, dubbed , follows the team’s 2010 cross-country mission trip that included stops in Nevada, Oklahoma, Georgia and Virginia. This year’s more modest journey will take the 11 players to the Oregon cities of Salem and Portland.

“It’s different because last year we were all so close,” said Shelby Hicks, a forward and guard who is one of only four seniors on the 2011-12 team. “This year we’re all new. I think this trip will bring us together as a team.”

The team will be volunteering with Union Gospel Mission of Salem, a homeless outreach group. The Cougars will also donate backpacks and 100 pairs of flip-flops to the group, said Natalie Rich, an outreach coordinator and self-described team mom.

In Portland, the players will volunteer with Albertina Kerr, an organization that helps the developmentally disabled.

The Cougars will also play pickup games with Oregon high schools and compete in the End of Trails Tournament while on the trip, Rich said.

“It’s going to help us to be stronger,” said point guard Milan James, a senior. “It’ll help us know we can play against the best players and know we can have confidence [this season].”

The team is still accepting donations and will hold fundraisers to help pay for the trip. Details are available on its website, http://www.coast2coastmissiontrip.com.