31A High-School Basketball State Tournaments -- 3A Boys Scouting Report

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Mercer Island Islanders

Record: 23-3, KingCo champions, 2nd in Sea-King District.Head coach: Ed Pepple, 32nd year.Key players: Elliott Prasse-Freeman, 6-3, sr. (Harvard) 9 ppg; Josh Fisher, 6-3, sr. (Pepperdine), 14.1 ppg, 6.4 apg; Tyler Besecker, 6-6, sr. (Stanford), 16.2 ppg; Matt Logie, 6-3, sr. (Lehigh), 18.6 ppg.Miscellany: Loaded with four Division I players and seeking school's fourth basketball title. . . . Pepple has taken MI to state 20 times and placed 17 times, with three firsts. . . . Islanders lost to Olympia 52-50 in semifinals last year.Outlook: Could win it all.

Mount Vernon Bulldogs

Record: 23-0, Northwest League and Northwest District champions.Head coach: Mac Fraser, 13th year.Key players: Bryan Whitehead, 6-9, sr. (Washington State), 13 ppg, 8 rpg; Mark Campbell, 6-3, sr. (Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo) 13 ppg, 5 apg; Josh Maricich, 6-5, sr., 12 ppg, 5.5 rpg.Miscellany: Only undefeated 3A team. . . . Ranked No. 1 most of the season. . . . Bulldogs apply straitjacket full-court pressure. . . . Good offensive balance as Whitehead is inside threat and others can get hot from outside. . . . Player of future is sophomore sharpshooter Troy Devries, who averaged 9 ppg but can heat up.Outlook: It will be no surprise if No. 1 team lives up to its ranking and takes home championship trophy.

O'Dea Fighting Irish

Location: Seattle.Record: 22-4, Metro League champions, third in Sea-King District.Head coach: Phil Lumpkin, eighth season.Key players: Eddie Lincoln, 6-5, jr., 14 ppg, 8 rpg; Gene Woodard, 6-5, sr., 14 ppg, 8 rpg; Nate Burleson, 6-2, sr., 6 apg, 3 steals per game.Miscellany: Team lacks true star like last year's with Doug Wrenn, but plays smart and hard. . . . O'Dea led Mercer Island going into fourth quarter of district semifinal. . . . Irish are 2-0 against defending state champ Rainier Beach this year. . . . Lincoln has played big in some big games, hitting game-winner against Beach in Metro title game.Outlook: Gritty team that just might claw its way to title.

Rainier Beach Vikings

Location: Seattle.Record: 19-7, Metro League runners-up, Sea-King District champions.Head coach: Mike Bethea, fifth year.Key players: Jamal Crawford, 6-5, fifth-year sr., 22.6 ppg, 8 rpg, 7 apg, 3 steals per game; Tim Ellis, 6-4, jr., 14 ppg, 8 rpg; David Hudson, 6-0, jr., 11 ppg; Ricky Frazier, 5-8, jr., 10 ppg, 6 apg, 3 steals per game.Miscellany: Won it all last year on 10th anniversary of school's first championship in 1988 by beating Olympia 44-40. . . . Vikings lack strong inside game of last year. . . . Lethal team when three-point shots are dropping. . . . Athletic, quick team prone to streaks when it will take dumb shots.Outlook: District title win over Mercer Island shows they can win it all again.

Contenders

Mariner Marauders

Location: Mukilteo.Record: 18-6, WesCo champions, Northwest District runners-up.Head coach: Dexter Griffen, first year.Key players: Teyo Johnson, 6-7, jr., 17 ppg, 13 rpg; Amon Gordon, 6-4, jr., 12 ppg, 10 rpg; Tom Jenson, 6-5, sr., 11 ppg.Miscellany: Mariner played for state football title, losing to Capital. . . . Johnson, Gordon and starting guards Shane Keck and Robbie Salmond are football players. . . . Marauders had 11-game winning streak snapped by Mount Vernon 64-38 in district final. . . Played Mount Vernon closer in December, losing 52-49. . . . Marauders can be foul-prone. . . . . Lost to 4A Cascade 51-48 in King Holiday Hoopfest game.Outlook: Athletic, physical team that wins with inside play.

Bremerton Knights

Record: 21-1, Olympic League champions, West Central District champions.Head coach: Casey Lindberg, first year.Key players: Miah Davis, 6-0, sr., 20.5 ppg, 7 apg; Marshawn Thompson, 6-5, sr., 15.3 ppg; Angelo Lundy, 6-0, sr., 12.5 ppg.Miscellany: Knights lost opener to Stadium and haven't lost since. . . . They play in wacky Olympic League with 4A, 3A and 2A teams. . . . Mercer Island's Ed Pepple scouted them and had a one-word description: "Dangerous." . . . Davis had a 38-point game this season and hit five NBA-distance three-pointers in a row. Outlook: A mystery team with talent. They don't get full respect because their league is suspect. Might just have a trophy with them on that last ferry ride home.

Olympia Bears

Record: 18-4, Rivers North League champions, Southwest District champions. Head coach: John Kiley, 7th year. Key players: Matt DeBord, 6-4, sr., 13 ppg; Neal Swanson, 6-4, sr., 7 ppg, 5 apg; Nic Ammons, 6-6, sr., 8 ppg, 5 rpg; Sean McCliment, 6-2, sr., 8 ppg. Miscellany: Finished second in state last year but lost key players to graduation: Mark Bigelow (BYU) and Chris Juergens and Scott Ask (both UW football). . . . Kiley is savvy coach who is stockbroker by day. Outlook: Good, but not as good as last year. Bears will be underdogs in first round against O'Dea.

Might surprise

Eastside Catholic Crusaders

Location: Bellevue, Newport Hills. Record: 21-7, sixth in Metro League, No. 5 entry from Sea-King District. Head coach: Pat McCarthy, 4th year. Key players: Andrew Coates, 6-8, sr. (Penn), 9 ppg, 10 rpg; Rahim Tufts, jr., 6-1, 8 ppg; Ryan Marshall, 6-0, jr., 10 ppg.Miscellany: When this team clicks, its passing is fun to watch. . . . Deep team with a lot of interchangeable parts. . . . Second state appearance in school history. . . . Won six loser-out games to get to state. . . . Crusaders are in trouble if they face Rainier Beach in quarterfinals because Vikings seem to have their number - Crusaders are 0-3 against the city school with same orange and blue colors.Outlook: Intriguing team that could win a trophy.

Hanford Falcons

Location: Richland.Record: 19-8, third in Mid-Valley league, second in district, champions of Eastern Regional.Head coach: Paul Mayer, fourth year.Key players: Mike Birmingham, 6-1, sr., 11.2 ppg; Luke Gailey, 6-2, jr., 12.9 ppg.Miscellany: Balanced scoring. . . Run motion offense and are aggressive on defense. . . . Have won five of six postseason games, losing only district title to Ellensburg in overtime. Outlook: If any Eastern Washington team does anything, this should be the one.

Long shots

West Valley-Spokane Eagles

Record: 19-5, Border League champion, No. 3 in Eastern Washington regional.Head coach: Jamie Nilles, first year.Key players: Eric Deno, 5-10, sr., 16 ppg; Brad Groh, 6-3, sr., 15.5 ppg; Chris Gregg, 6-5, sr., 8 ppg, 8 rpg.Miscellany: Deno and Groh are good leapers and shooters. . . . Team has played together for two years. . . . Eagles won the Border League, a conference with four Washington schools and six Idaho schools.Outlook: Got tough draw with Mount Vernon in first round but might wind up in game for fifth place on Saturday.

Centralia Tigers

Record: 15-8, Rivers South champion, runner-up in Southwest District.Head coach: Ron Brown, 38th year.Key players: Jason Stumm, 6-2, sr., 14.5 ppg, 9.5 rpg; Kyle Donahue, 6-0, sr., 14 ppg; Calvin Armstrong, 6-6, jr., 8 ppg.Miscellany: Brown has 527 victories and ranks No. 4 on all-time state list. . . . He has won two state tites and coached future Husky and Sonic Detlef Schrempf on the 1981 team that won state championship. . . . Leading scorer Stumm is going to UW on baseball scholarship. He is a pitcher.Outlook: Hard-working team that could be back in Lewis County in two days.

Lynden Lions

Record: 16-8, second in Northwest League, tied for fourth in Northwest District.Head coach: Rod Turnbull, fourth year.Key players: Drew Langstraat, 6-5, sr., 15 ppg, 9 rpg; Cabe VanderYacht, 6-2, jr., 10 ppg, 3 steals per game.Miscellany: Solid team from community where every garage seems to have a basketball net. . . . The other high school in town, Lynden Christian, won both the boys and girls 1A state tournaments last week.Outlook: If Lions want to see a first-place trophy, they'll have to walk over to Lynden Christian.

Seattle Prep Panthers

Record: 16-11, third in Metro League, fourth in Sea-King District.Head coach: Chris Miller, eighth year.Key players: Erik Bond, 6-7, so., 19.8 ppg; Shea Robinson, 5-11, jr., 9.8 ppg, 7 apg.Miscellany: Prep was supposed to be a year away from state but team obviously can't read. . . . Miller says he's never had a team improve so much during a season in his eight years at Prep. . . . Miller is good schemer who can X and O his way to wins. . . . Bond will be all-state candidate starting next year. . . . Panthers got a big break when they couldn't be drawn to play Mercer Island or Mount Vernon in first round because Prep's girls team had a morning game.Outlook: Goal is to place and they might just do it.

Everett Seagulls

Record: 13-10, second in Western Conference, tied for third in Northwest District.Head coach: Roger Haug, 15th year.Key players: Zlatko Savovic, 6-3, sr., 20 ppg, 5 apg; John Richer, 6-1, jr., 12 ppg; Josh Daniels, 6-1, so., 8 ppg.Miscellany: This is the 40th Everett boys team to play in a state tournament. No other big school has more appearances. . . . Richer is son of the late Joe Richer, beloved golf and basketball coach who died last year. . . . Savovic and Richer are threats from beyond the arc.Outlook: Hard to get excited about a team with the worst record in the tournament.Franklin Pierce Cardinals

Location: Suburban Tacoma.Record: 15-9, finished in three-way tie for first in Pierce County League, second at West Central District.Head coach: Bruce Orness, eighth year.Key players: Derek Patsey, 6-5, sr., 13 ppg; Dan Lumpkin, 6-4, sr., 14 ppg; Eric Kimble, 5-10, so., came on strong and scored 28 against Washington.Miscellany: Deep team without a true go-to player. . . . Four Cardinals have scored 20 or more points in games this season. . . . Last trip to state was in 1986. . . . Coach Orness said, "I hope we don't get awestruck up there."Outlook: Not expected to last.

Ellensburg Bulldogs

Record: 21-3, won Mid-Valley League, won district, second in Eastern Regional.Head coach: Brian Hagbo, first year.Key players: Nate Standish, 6-1, jr., 12.4 ppg; Kyle Hazelwood, 6-2, sr., 10.4 ppg.Miscellany: Bulldogs lack a go-to guy and their league was below average this season. . . Seven different players have led the team in scoring. . . . Nate Standish's father, Dave, was on Ellensburg's 1972 state-championship team. . . . Balanced, cohesive team. . . . Hagbo coached at Clover Park for 10 years.Outlook: Could win opener against Everett but life gets a lot tougher after that.