In Tacoma, there will be no shortage of talented basketball players, good coaching or high expectations for the 2008-09 season.
Bellarmine Prep
Coming off the most successful season in school history, the Bellarmine Lions are poised for another run at the state title in March.
“We’ll have a lot of confidence coming into this season after last year’s third-place finish. I expect great things from this team this year too,” said Lions coach Bernie Salazar.
The success of this year’s Lions squad begins and ends with Abdul Gaddy. The multi-talented point guard, who signed a letter of intent with the Huskies, will have a veteran supporting cast to bolster Bellarmine’s fortunes this season.
Most of the load in the frontcourt for the Lions will be carried by center Brandon Taft and forward Jordan Cain. Both possess workmanlike attitudes to go along with solid rebounding skills and some low-post scoring to keep the Lions’ opponents honest. Teaming with Gaddy in the backcourt will be Romece Barnes and Donald Gaddy, Abdul’s younger brother, who can play both guard positions. There isn’t enough space in this preview to describe the talents of Abdul Gaddy, whose exploits are known to the many who have followed high school basketball in this city over many years and he should more than add to that legend this year.
“We’ll have our hands full this year in the Bay Division with a very talented Central Kitsap team and the league as a whole should be very good too,” Salazar said.
With a Narrows-League title, a runner up at district and a third-place finish at state last year, Bellarmine is primed for another run at the Tacoma Dome next March.
Foss High School
The pieces are in place to give Foss fans a reason to be more than just optimistic. With the resignation of coach Scott Sonntag, new coach Mike Cocke inherits a team that will be great in the backcourt led by returning all-league guard LaQuam Thompson.
“We have two very large shoes to fill with the losses of both Nick Edwards and TeAire Bell but if the current group of guys can keep their focus and take it one game at a time, we should have a great season,” Cocke said.
The Falcons’ hopes in the frontcourt ride on the large shoulders of Jonathan Payne, who was injured most of last year. He can take opposing low post players off the block and drain threes, along with the ability to score down low.
Foss’s strength lies in its very deep backcourt. Thompson and Julian Cruell man the point for the Falcons, while both DeAndre Sutton and DeMari Lewis provide the outside shooting to break up all the zones that are thrown at them.
When asked about his thoughts on this year, Thompson had this answer: “We want at least the same results as last year, we expect to go to state and maybe take it a little bit further this year. We more than have the talent to do it.”
To test the Falcons early, Foss lined up a game with two-time defending Oregon State 5A champion Jefferson High of Portland on Dec. 19 at the Dalesky Black Gym. “This should more than be a good test for us, and hopefully get us ready for another great year,” Cocke said.
Lincoln High School
Coming off of a Bridge Division championship, a runner-up spot in the league title game, and the championship run at the West Central District and a fourth-place finish at state, the Lincoln Abes are ready to continue their tradition of textbook offense and suffocating defense that has made them a fixture in Tacoma high school basketball for the past 40 years.
“We have some shoes to fill, but we also have many of the pieces in place to make us a league contender this year. And hopefully we can also make some noise again at both district and state,” said Lincoln coach Aubrey Shelton.
With the losses of Dom Faugautau, leading scorer Caleb Shelton, and starting point guard Ryan Rogers, the Abes will need several players to step up and deliver and the pieces seem to be in place. The frontcourt will be manned by Bennett Okeze, David Smith, and DeMonte Cooley.
The backcourt consists of long-range bomber Terrill Smith, hard nosed Denzell Dansby and the lightning quick Russell, who is equally adept at sticking the pull-up jumper or blowing by his opponent into the paint.
When asked about his thoughts on the upcoming season, Russell had this to say: “I want to become a better point guard and lead us to state again and also improve my overall game as we hopefully have another big run again this year in the postseason.” With their depth in the backcourt and their overall team quickness, the Abes seem to be on the verge of another successful season.
Stadium High School
Close but no cigar - that pretty much describes the season for the Stadium Tigers last year, as they lost close games down the stretch that just fell out of their grasp.
“With the experience of last season, this group of players should have a better idea of what it takes to compete,” said Stadium coach David Jones. The Tigers will bring back a solid group of players that could elevate them upward in the division. Leading this group of returning players is second-team all-league center Zach Meikle, who gives the Tigers both an inside and outside presence, and he will have help from forward Ricky Fujita on the inside. Stadium will be solid in the backcourt with returning starters Kalvin Alverdes and Ian Badillo, who give the Tigers a few options on the offensive end and leadership.
Two players that are expected to give Stadium a boost off the bench this year are guards Nate Henley and Chase Hillis.
“The one factor last year that hurt us was our lack of experience in tight games. This year that should change,” said Jones, who is cautiously optimistic about this year’s version of the Tigers.
“We should get a lot more wins this year and should both my scoring average along with my rebounds and hopefully get us to the postseason this year,” Meikle said.
“If they play together and maintain good chemistry, we can go far with both district and state both being possibilities this year,” Jones said. “That being said, we have to play hard, smart and intelligent throughout the entire season.”
Wilson High School
Change is the byword of the off-season in Narrows League circles and the Wilson Rams were no exception. With the hiring of new coach Dave Alwert there was a buzz around the campus on Tacoma’s West End that had both players and parents excited about the upcoming season.
“My style of play that I’ll try to get this team to emulate is centered around my coaching mentors, Roy Williams and Dick Bennett - hopefully the kids will respond to it as we try to change the mentality around here.”
Alwert’s cupboard is definitely not bare with returning starters Jordan Coby and Desmond Trufant to go with transfer Demetrius Smith to give the Rams a good nucleus.
“We initially will be a small team upfront, but they have good athleticism and smarts to go along with good basketball ability,” Alwert said about Kyle Peart and Xavier Cooper.
More help should come from guards Mike Hope and David McMichael. A staple of this program will be its depth.
“We hope to go 10 deep and try to play to our strengths as well as our opponents’ weaknesses, the coaches are passionate about the game and kids and the players character and confidence is growing everyday,” Alwert said.
“I came here because of coach Alwert,” Smith said. “I like his style of play and he’ll get the team to play hard. There are a lot of talented players here that about to start something good.”
