Celebrating a beloved coach, Westview High Celebrate his life

Friday was a night to remember and honor a longtime basketball coach and community leader at Westview High School.

“Howie was basketball, and he was Westview basketball,” said Mike Wolf, the Westview High School boys basketball head coach.

Westview high alums and friends gathered in the upper gym on Friday night to honor their beloved coach, in Howie’s House.

“This is awesome because this is truly Howard’s House,” said Westview alum David Best. “Once they hear about the kind of person he was, they’ll understand why that’s up there.”

Howard McElroy Jr. led all levels of hoops in Rock Creek for 25 years, the youth program, freshman team, junior varsity, and three decades as a varsity assistant.

“For Howie, this was his community because basketball was common language that we all spoke,” said Wolf.

Howie died in June at the age of 57 after a lifelong battle with Sickle Cell Anemia. The Wilson High School and the University of Oregon graduate started at Westview alongside legendary leader Pat Coons who spent 22 years as steward of the Wildcat basketball program when the school opened its doors in 1994.

“The most important thing was his relationship building with kids and he believed in fundamentals. He wanted to be a part of something special. He was supportive of everything else that went on in the school, but he loved kids. He loved kids and they felt! They knew it! They loved playing for him,” said Coons.

The current Westview head coach, Mike Wolf is the school’s second coach ever at the 30-year-old Beaverton School District institution of the 6A Metro League.

“He loved the game, but I think he loved it because it connected him to these kids in ways that allowed him to be a mentor. He had only one daughter, so these were his sons,” said Wolf.

David Best is a proud Westview graduate who was coached by Howie in his formative years.

“I played for him in 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade and even when I was in college, he would call me up and ask me how the game went. As much as he helped for basketball, he made everybody that he coached a better person,” said Best.

Best’s own sons learned from him too. “Also was tough on you when needed to be tough. Throughout life it carries over into work and family so I couldn’t have had a better coach at that stage in my life,” Best said. “It was our program that he believed in and that’s really why he stayed with it for so long because he loved basketball but he loved kids, but he loved the program that was here at Westview,” said Coons.

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