Garfield's `Two Roys'

Ed Roy and Roy Dell Smiley share so many similarities they sometimes seem to merge into one.

Garfield's showpiece players both are seniors who often hang out together, are sons of former Bulldog players and share similar names that sometimes confuse fans.

But Roy and Smiley need no introduction to rival coaches or players.

Roy is the 6-foot-6 inside player with size 18 feet who averages 16 points and about six rebounds. Smiley, 6-4, is a guard-wing with a 17.9 point average and a reputation as one of the best one-on-one defenders in the state.

Today at 5 o'clock, they lead the state's top-ranked 4A team (10-0) against Mount Vernon (10-1), the state's second-ranked 3A team, in the televised finale of the King Holiday Hoopfest at KeyArena.

No one who watched the pair last year at the Hoopfest will forget them. They accounted for two the day's most spectacular plays in Garfield's 63-54 win over Rainier Beach and Jamal Crawford, now playing at Michigan.

Roy had a monster jam off a rebound, soaring high above the rim and crushing the ball through the hoop. Smiley made a Jordanesque reverse dunk that brought the crowd to its feet.

If Garfield earns an unprecedented 12th big-school state boys basketball title this season, "the two Roys," as they sometimes are called, will be major reasons. On a deep, talented Bulldog team that has yet to win by less than seven points, Roy and Smiley stand out.

Three years ago, however, even their coach at Garfield used to get them confused. Wayne Floyd says he botched their names when they were freshmen.

Smiley is considered the more outgoing of the pair. Asked if there was one thing he would like to improve about himself, he replied, "I'd like to be less lazy."

Roy's answer to the same self-improvement question: He wants a more even temperament and said he is working on it.

"I'm a nice person to be around but my attitude can change real quick," he said.

The two are chips off the old Bulldog block. Roy's father, a Metro transit driver, transferred to Garfield as a senior and played on the 1981-82 team. Smiley's father, now a commercial painter, was from the Class of '76. Both fathers have the same names as their sons.

The older Smiley continued his basketball on a state-championship team at Seattle Central Community College, then played at the University of Puget Sound.

"It's kind of amazing," the older Smiley said. "Everybody tells me, `He's just like you.' "

And just like the father, the son's name of Roy Dell often gets shortened to Roydel by teachers and reporters.

Roy and Smiley have been buddies since the eighth grade, when they hit it off on a summer basketball trip.

"We're tight," Roy said of their friendship. "Since the first day we met, we started clicking."

In an era when many 13-year-olds zero in on one sport and play it year-round, the Bulldog "Roys" represent a refreshing change.

Last fall, they took the bold step of turning out for football for the first time in high school.

They excelled and Ed Roy emerged from the season as a two-sport college prospect.

"He might be the sleeper of this year's recruiting class in the state," said one football recruiter.

Roy led the Bulldogs (2-7) in scoring with seven touchdowns as a wide receiver, catching 31 passes for 469 yards. He was voted second-team All-KingCo and also showed toughness and potential as a quick 210-pound defensive end.

This spring, Roy plans to continue his senior-year athletic odyssey and turn out for baseball.

He considers himself the best all-around athlete in the state and says the claim isn't cockiness but "just confidence."

Coach Floyd endorsed their decision to play football despite the injury risk. Floyd said it is providing basketball dividends.

"They are tougher and I think it helped them get over the hump they needed," the coach said. "Especially Ed. He's rebounding much tougher now."

Smiley was a deep threat who caught five TD passes and gained 444 yards on 23 receptions. He plans to concentrate on basketball in the future.

Neither player has accepted a scholarship, but a variety of schools from the Pac-10 to Big Sky level are interested. The players' appeal will shoot up if they pass the SAT test later this month.

The college that signs Smiley will get a student of the game.

"He understands basketball and he studies it," Floyd said. "I wish he'd study his books more like that. He knows the game and that's what makes him so coachable. He has the capacity to understand what we're trying to do. In fact, we call him `Coach Smiley' because he's always got his two cents in. He'll say, `If we do this, we might be able to do that.' "

Roy was an all-tournament selection when Garfield won the state big-school championship two years ago. Smiley also turned heads at the tournament. Last year, Garfield, citadel of high expectations, flamed out at state and even failed to win the KingCo championship.

For months after the team nose dived at state, Roy said he was asked "at least four times a day" what went wrong?

The obvious solution is to win state this year. Quality opponents such as Mount Vernon provide a barometer of whether the Bulldogs accomplish that goal. The final answer will come in March, and Roy and Smiley want to be hoisting the state trophy.

"Then I can go out a happy man," Roy said.