Crabtree overcomes injury, earns opportunity at Columbia Basin College

NEWPORT – Newport senior Emma Crabtree knows what it means to fight through adversity.

After suffering a torn PCL, torn MCL and fractured knee last October, Crabtree was told her senior basketball season at Newport High School might be over before it ever really began. Instead of walking away, she used the setback as motivation and worked her way back onto the court before the season ended.

“What a stud,” Newport coach Thad Trepanier said. “Emma has been putting in hundreds and hundreds of hours in order for her to be in the spot that she’s in. She had two choices, give it up or use it as motivation. And she didn’t give it up.”

Crabtree will continue her basketball career next season at Columbia Basin College, where she plans to pursue a degree in biology while playing for the Hawks.

Basketball has been a major part of Crabtree’s life throughout high school, but she said the sport shaped more than just her athletic ability.

“Basketball is so much more than the sport,” Crabtree said. “I have learned life-long lessons like perseverance and hard work.”

Although basketball became her primary focus, Crabtree also competed in soccer and track during high school. She said those sports helped make her a better overall athlete while also teaching her how to adapt to different teammates and environments.

Her favorite memories came both on and off the court, especially Newport’s annual summer basketball trips to the coast and the support she received from teammates during her injury recovery.

“Hurting my knee was a blessing in disguise,” Crabtree said. “I learned how to support and cheer on my team off the court. It also showed how supportive and caring my teammates are.”

Away from athletics, Crabtree balanced Running Start classes, work and sports while maintaining a 3.7 GPA.

“The biggest challenge was definitely time management,” she said. “Over the years, I learned how to write out a schedule for myself and stick to it.”

Trepanier said Crabtree played a major role in helping turn Newport’s girls basketball program around.

“She is one of the reasons this program has been turned around and the program will always be grateful for her,” he said. “Columbia Basin is getting a good one.”

Crabtree said she chose CBC because of the coaching staff, competitive atmosphere and opportunity to continue growing as both a player and person.

Long term, she hopes to transfer to a four-year school on a basketball scholarship before eventually attending veterinary school to become a marine veterinarian.

With the resilience she showed throughout her senior season, there is little doubt Crabtree has the work ethic and determination to succeed wherever life takes her next.

‘Emma has been putting in hundreds and hundreds of hours in order for her to be in the spot that she’s in.’

Thad Trepanier

Newport Basketball Coach