Rainier Beach Coach Mike Bethea Now Coaching the Sons of Former Players
As Rainier Beach chases another state title, Bethea’s program continues to shape generations of Seattle basketball.
BELLEVUE, Wash. – When you spend as many years as Rainier Beach coach Mike Bethea has at one school, it’s inevitable that, eventually, you’ll start working with the children of players you coached in the past.
In 2025, as Rainier Beach heads into the state playoffs as the favorite to win the Class 3A championship, Bethea is coaching four children of former players – Nyale Robinson, Micah Ili-Meneese, his brother Marques, and Knowledge Wright.
After winning a district title on Saturday night (the Vikings also won the Metro League title), Bethea was asked what it’s like to coach the kids of his kids (Bethea considers all of his to be part of his family).
“It means I’m old,” Bethea said with a laugh.
This isn’t the first time Bethea has coached the son of a former player. About a decade ago, he coached Gary Ladd Jr.’s son, Naim.
Wright, whose father, Dante, played for Bethea in the early 2000s, is a freshman who always knew he would play for the Vikings.
“I knew I was going to be a Beach Boy since I was 5, 6 years old,” Wright said.
He remembers going to games when he was younger and watching NBA star Dejounte Murray (known as "Baby Boy" in the Seattle basketball community) dunk “everything in sight.”
Now, it’s a surreal opportunity for Wright to walk the same halls as his father and play on the same court.
“Growing up in the same school, same everything, that’s dope,” Wright said.
The Ili-Meneese brothers (Micah is a sophomore, Marques is a junior) are the sons of former Viking Tremaine Meneese.
“It feels good to be one of those guys who follow in their father’s footsteps,” Marques said.
And then there’s Nyale Robinson, son of “Nate the Great.”
“I want to follow in his footsteps, making big shots and going far in state,” Nyale said. “He’s done it, and I want to be just like him.”
While Bethea didn’t coach Jerry Petty – former Garfield standout and now the head coach at Foster High School – he still considers Jaylen Petty part of this next generation of Viking legacy players.
One of the special things about basketball in Seattle is that the tradition is passed down, continuing to spread like a river that branches off into finger-esque streams. And with former local stars like Jamal Crawford and Will Conroy (Garfield) having children who are up-and-coming standouts, another generation is on the way.
While Bethea is still coaching championship teams, there is one thing he’s certain won’t happen.
“I just don’t want to be around coaching their grandkids,” he said with a laugh.