Flashback: Brian Schwabe Mercer Island, Class of 1985

Sport: Basketball

High-school rewind: The 6-foot-9 center helped Mercer Island win its first boys basketball state championship his senior year, piling up 21 points and 13 rebounds in a 47-28 victory over Curtis of Tacoma. That capped a 28-1 season for a team that was the first in the state to earn a No. 1 ranking nationally. Schwabe and teammate Quin Snyder, who went on to play at Duke, were considered two of the best players to come out of Washington.

After high school: Started as a freshman at Northwestern and went on to play four seasons over five years, sitting out as a sophomore with a broken foot, and was an academic All-American. Schwabe played professionally for one season in Switzerland and had a second season cut short when he elected to come home to spend time with his ill stepfather, Larry Smith.

After athletics: Schwabe, who got his bachelor's degree in political science and master's in communications, moved to Japan for five years to work for a trading company. He also lived in Hong Kong and New York, and moved back to the Seattle area in 1998. He currently works for a biotech company.

Personal: Schwabe, 37, is single and lives in Bellevue. He enjoys spending time with his two older brothers, who still live in the area, and their seven children. He learned to ski in Switzerland and also enjoys snowboarding. He also plays recreational basketball.

Fast forward: With a job that brings him in contact with cancer patients, Schwabe said he tries to live life to the fullest. "You learn to appreciate life a little more," he said. He also has an appreciation for his basketball experience at Mercer Island. "It was a good time, very memorable," Schwabe said. Most memorable was winning that elusive state championship after the school had come up short in three other championship tries in 1981, '82 and '84. "We finally got the monkey off Mercer Island's back," Schwabe said.

— Sandy Ringer