After an improved but underwhelming season on the hardwood for the Pam Pack this past year, a change in leadership was made for the 2019-20 season. Washington has hired former Ocracoke High School basketball coach, David Allewalt, to take over the head coaching duties after nine years with the Dolphins.

Allewalt took over the Ocracoke basketball program in 2010 after an abysmal 2-16 season prior to his arrival. Fast forward a few years to 2017-18, Allewalt improved the team’s record to 21-4 that propelled them into a conference tournament championship. In 2018-19, the Dolphins finished 15-9 as regular season conference champs for a second year in a row with an 11-1 conference record.

Former Pam Pack head basketball coach Lane Raper improved the basketball team from his first year into his second, according to Washington Athletic Director, Jon Blank.

“Coach Raper did a great job of improving our team discipline and toughness, and it showed from one win the year before to six last year with a young squad,” Blank said. “Coach Raper has decided he’d like to focus on baseball. Basketball was a good experience, but he’d like to hand it over to coach Allewalt.”

Coach Raper has been helping baseball coach Kevin Leggett on the diamond for the past five years. Coach Raper was coaching three sports for the Pam Pack last season. “I was coaching three sports last year to help the school out,” Raper said. “When I found out coach Allewalt was interested in the job I felt with his basketball resume and success it was the right decision to step aside. Helping coach Leggett with baseball is important to me as we have been working together for five years.”

The Pam Pack played Ocracoke in the season home opener this past basketball season. It was at that time, Allewalt expressed interest in the position at Washington if the opportunity ever came available, according to Blank.

After Ocracoke played the Pam Pack with a limited roster, they kept the communication open, and Allewalt got to know coach Blank and Raper.

“At one point we looked at keeping coach Raper as head coach and have coach Allewalt as an assistant, but coach Raper noticed the expertise level that (Allewalt) has and decided it would be best for the kids and the program if Allewalt was named head coach and was able to take over immediately,” Blank said.

Coach Allewalt has since been wrapping up his tenure at Ocracoke, driving back and forth to Washington as he tries to get settled in with his Pam Pack bunch. The Washington basketball team has a scrimmage today at 6 p.m. at the high school while also working out the younger group of players before tip-off.

Many of the Pam Pack basketball players are participating in summer leagues throughout the area, but the Washington group will be together for the first time under its new head coach in this evening’s scrimmage. A one-on-one interview with coach Allewalt will be published later this week.