Times' male athlete of the year, city: Erik Bond, Seattle Prep

Erik Bond almost missed receiving the final award of his high-school athletic career.

The basketball standout had just finished high-jumping 6 feet 8 at the Class 3A state track meet, a jump good enough for second place behind Rainier Beach's Phillipe Cook, who cleared 6-10.

Bond was in his car starting north to Seattle when his cell phone rang. It was his mother.

"Come back here," Louie Bond said from Lincoln Bowl, where the meet was held. "You have to stand on the podium and get your medal."

Bond turned the car around and a few minutes later accepted the medal at midfield.

"I didn't know about the ceremony," he confessed.

Bond knows a lot more about basketball ceremonies. The 6-foot-7 forward was a four-year starter and led Seattle Prep to the 2000 3A title. Prep finished sixth-first-fourth his last three years.

Bond is Prep's all-time leading scorer with 1,894 career points, which ranks No. 27 on the all-time state scoring list that includes athletes from small schools. He was a two-time all-state and Star Times selection. He was an All-Metro pick three years and MVP of the 2000 state tournament.

He also is The Times' high-school City male athlete of the year, something he owes to returning to high-jumping this spring after two years away from it. Athletes usually must play a minimum of two sports to merit consideration by The Times.

Bond, whose favorite course this year was calculus, graduates from Seattle Prep tonight with a B-plus average. He will begin his college career at California next month, with summer conditioning and a summer class so his academic load will be lessened during the season.

Described by Seattle Prep Coach Chris Miller as a "once-in-a-lifetime player for a coach," Bond concentrated more on basketball than track this spring but still managed to excel as a jumper. One thing that enticed him out for track was a chance to topple Prep's school high-jump record of 6-4.

Bond wants to be ready for college basketball and his schedule proves it. Last Thursday, he scrimmaged against college and NBA players at the Pro Club in Redmond, stopped by his family's Green Lake home, then was off for a fitness session at a Queen Anne gym.

His biggest thrill in high-school sports? The 2000 basketball state championship game, in which Prep upset Mount Vernon, 52-50.

"I remember with 4 seconds to go Mike (McCutcheon) made the free throws that put us up by four points and we knew they were out of timeouts," Bond said. "We knew we had it won."

Later that night at the school's annual fund-raising auction, two ecstatic bidders paid $10,000 each for basketballs autographed by the team. It was a night Prep won't forget, and Bond did a lot to make it happen.