
For four seasons, Quinn Brewe was the face of Meadowdale Mavericks girls’ basketball, fighting through injuries to help the Mavs to four straight 3A state tournament trophy finishes at the Tacoma Dome, including a state championship her senior year in 2004. The Meadowdale grad is an inductee in the Snohomish County Sports Hall of Fame as a member of that 2003-2004 Mavericks’ championship team and is an inspiration to many Mavericks who have taken to the basketball court in her footsteps.
After Brewe — now Quinn Manning — graduated from Meadowdale, she played collegiate basketball at both Seattle Pacific and Seattle University, then stepped away from the sport to marry and begin a family.
Despite her storied history playing there and the memories made during her prep career, Manning hasn’t been back to the Stable — the name for the Meadowdale High School gymnasium — for a high school basketball game since her final game there in February 2004.
That will change this week.
Manning returns to the Stable Saturday, Feb. 1, but when she does the Meadowdale alum won’t be wearing the Mavs’ school colors of blue, grey and white. Instead, Manning will be donning the green and purple of rival Edmonds-Woodway High School.
Manning is now in her second year as head coach of EWHS girls basketball, leading the Warriors’ varsity squad to a 9-7 overall record after the team had gone 20-50 over the previous four seasons.
While E-W was the rival for Manning during her playing days in the early 2000s, it is now home — and she speaks glowingly of her current experiences there and the Warriors she now coaches each day.
“I have the best kids; I have the best kids — the nicest, most sincere,” Manning said. “They want to do well, they’re listening and they’re trying. And the effort is there. And we’re learning how to play basketball better.”
Ever since she took the head coaching job at E-W in 2023, Manning has known that she would eventually have to lead her Warrior squad into her old stomping grounds for a matchup with the Mavericks. That day finally comes on Saturday.
“I love that gym,” Manning said, speaking about the Stable. “So many good things happened for me in the gym. But I’m going to pour all my energy and focus into my kids and get them prepared as best as I can to give Meadowdale a run for their money.”
When pressed, Manning did spend some time reminiscing about her high school days at Meadowdale and the special place that the Stable has in her heart.
“It’s the atmosphere, going down those steps into a tight gym,” Manning said. “And we didn’t lose there when I was there.”
“(But) mostly when I think of that gym I just think of all the sweat, tears poured into practice,” Manning continued. “All the hours and hours and hours I spent practicing in there, helping to refine my game and get me to the next level.”
Even with all the success she experienced during her high school career at Meadowdale and then her collegiate playing days at SPU and SU, Manning was content with making basketball just a footnote in her adult life once her college career ended in 2008.
“I kind of stepped back from basketball for a while; just did some private training and such,” Manning explained. “I got to watch my kids playing rec (recreation league youth basketball).”
It was when her daughter, Charlee, became eligible for high school feeder program (fifth through eighth grade) basketball that Manning — with the help of her husband Matt — decided to get back to basketball on a bigger scale.
“When my daughter got to fifth grade, Edmonds-Woodway no longer had a feeder program for girls,” Manning explained. “So my husband and I took it upon ourselves to reignite that. So now I am so happy to report that we have four teams, fifth through eighth grade — we’ve got a lot of talent coming up.”
It’s unusual for anyone other than the high school basketball coach to take on the role of feeder program founder or director, but Manning recognized the need and took on the challenge. “I wanted to serve the kids in our community,” she said. “Basketball has given so much to me.”
Two years into her time leading the regenerated E-W girls basketball feeder program, the head coach position at the high school opened up. Manning, now invested in the Edmonds-Woodway youth basketball community, applied for the Warriors’ coaching post and was quickly hired.
Now in her second year at EWHS, Manning readily pledges her allegiance to the high school and the girls’ basketball program there. “I’m going to be patient, building a program and looking toward the future,” she said.
Manning’s commitment to E-W is real. When the girls’ basketball head coaching job at Meadowdale was vacant prior to the start of the 2022-2023 season and again last year, Manning said she didn’t seek it, instead choosing to stay with the Edmonds-Woodway feeder program and the E-W head coaching position.
“I’m a woman of my word and I’m loyal; you got me and I committed to this Edmonds-Woodway thing,” Manning said.
While Manning is well-remembered for her heroics at Meadowdale by long-time Mavericks’ fans, are members of her current Edmonds-Woodway basketball squad aware that, as Quinn Brewe, she had a legendary career at Meadowdale in the early 2000s? After all, those playing at E-W now weren’t even born when Manning ruled at Meadowdale. Manning said, yes, they do know; and even if they weren’t aware, they certainly would learn of it when they enter the Stable on Saturday.
“My name’s on the wall a few times,” Manning said. “My kids will see it.”
Prep Basketball: Edmonds-Woodway at Meadowdale, Feb. 1
Tipoff for Saturday’s Edmonds-Woodway at Meadowdale girls’ basketball matchup is scheduled for 5:45 p.m. and is part of the schools’ annual Rubber Chicken Night of Warriors-Mavericks boys and girls basketball contests. The boys’ Warriors-Mavericks game will follow the girls’ game at approximately 7:30 p.m.
— Story and photos by Doug Petrowski
I’m so proud of you Quinn! These girls are very fortunate to have you as a coach and mentor, you’re amazing. Thank-you for giving back to the community XO