BELLEVUE WOLVERINES GIRLS BASKETBALL
COACHING STAFF
ROMELL WITHERSPOON
Varsity Head Coach
Having grown up in the heart of Seattle, Coach Witherspoon is a proud product of Rainier Beach High School. It was at ‘The Beach’ where Romell was a 2x State Champion in basketball, 1st Team All Metro in football and the ASB President outside of sports. For the past two seasons, he served as an assistant coach for the Rainier Beach High School boys basketball program which went to the 2022 3A state championships. Romell is all too familiar with being in a leadership role while finding ways to win. He intends to bring a culture of championship habits to Bellevue in his first year as the girls varsity head coach.
When Romell was young, his ultimate dream was to become a professional actor, not a professional athlete. With his dream in mind, he chose to attend the esteemed Savannah College of Art and Design and received his BFA in Media Performing Arts on a basketball scholarship. He then moved to New York City to actively pursue his dreams. As a result, he has been blessed enough to be cast as a lead in national commercials and guest star or co-star on several highly-rated television shows.
In 2017 Romell moved to Los Angeles where he was offered a position with the LA Lakers. He held a role in player engagement and provided inspirational leadership for the franchise as the team chaplain. Being able to learn the game from an NBA franchise gave him a competitive edge in terms of having valuable insight into the sport. The once-in-a-lifetime opportunity also led to him being a part of history, earning a world championship ring with the team!
Despite some major wins, nothing compares to the love for his family. Romell is confident that the majority of his accomplishments are because of his wife, Tiana Witherspoon, who just refuses to let him fail. He calls her the real ‘MVP’ of his life. Tiana and Romell have four children, Brandon, Mariah, Brayden, and Romell. Before being a coach or an inspirational speaker, he is a proud father and ever learning husband. His greatest success will be to ensure his children are equipped to adjust and adapt in an unpredictable world and for them to leave their mark in the world by changing the lives of those they encounter.
RODNEY DELGARDO
Assistant Varsity Head Coach
Coach Rodney Delgardo is in his first season with the Bellevue Wolverines girls program. He comes with 10 years of coaching experience, ranging from elementary to high school.
Rodney has coached at his alma mater, Rainier Beach High School, as the JV assistant, and was also the Mercer Island girls basketball fifth-grade head coach. He is currently the head coach for Fuego boys fifth-grade AAU basketball. He is also a trainer and player development coach on all levels.
Rodney was born and raised in Seattle. He graduated from Rainier Beach High School where he played basketball for the Vikings. After high school, he played two years at Spokane Community College and then earned a scholarship to play two more years at the College of Idaho. His primary focus now is giving back to the youth and serving his community. Basketball has always been a privilege to play, as well as to coach. Rodney feels he's had his time. His focus now is teaching life lessons of the game of basketball. He believes that if you can reach the person through genuine love of the sport, then coaching the player becomes easy, even under pressure.
ROD JENKINS
Junior Varsity Head Coach
Coach Rod Jenkins enters his first season with the Wolverines as the Head JV girls coach and assistant Varsity coach. He comes with 15 years of coaching experience from middle school to high school. Prior to Bellevue, Coach Rod served four seasons as the Varsity boys head coach at Eastside Preparatory School in Kirkland, Washington. During his four year span, he led Eastside Prep to a 23-16 record and the first Divisional Championship in school history.
Coach Rod was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, where he graduated from Inglewood High School. He played four years of Varsity Basketball and was a huge part of the team’s success in being state contenders all four seasons. After high school he attended Sacramento State but would finish his last two years at The Evergreen State College, making the national tournament his junior year. Coach Rod graduated with his BA in Criminal Justice from The Evergreen State College. He continued his education to get a master’s degree in Business Management and Human Resources.
Coach Rod is excited to share his coaching and playing experiences, along with his passion for the game, to help each student athlete maximize their potential. In the off-season, he coaches youth basketball and enjoys spending time with his family and watching his daughter play AAU ball.
Coach Puariea grew up in Clyde Hill, WA, and is a Bellevue High School graduate. From the age of five to present day, Benjamin has participated in Boys and Girls clubs and King County Recreation Sports Leagues. He coached the 2018 Bellevue High School Girls Badminton Kingco League Champions.
Benjamin graduated from Seattle University with a Communications Studies degree and works in the Bellevue High School Special Education Department.
BENJAMIN PUARIEA
JVC Coach