BOYS BASKETBALL PREVIEW ’09: SPSL North deep and talented once again

It has been more than eight months since the final whistle blew on the Kentwood High boys basketball season.

To coach Michael Angelidis, however, it has felt like an eternity. While the offseason has provided plenty of optimism, especially with the return this season of UCLA-bound Josh Smith and standout guard Tre Tyler, it could not come to an end soon enough.

“We spent a lot of time after last season looking at what we could have done better,” Angelidis noted. “It was a hard offseason for all of us. It’s hard on the coaches, even harder on the head coach. It weighs on you and you wonder what you could have done better.”

Kentwood fell to Kentridge 51-41 to end last year at Auburn High in a winner-to-state, loser-out district playoff game. It was the second-straight year the Conquerors fell one game shy of the Class 4A state tournament. Compounding matters, however, was the fact that Kentwood entered the district tournament — considered by many the toughest in the state — ranked second in the state. In addition, Kentwood finished the regular season at 14-2 and shared the South Puget Sound League North Division title with Federal Way.

The Conquerors spent more than an hour in the locker room after the loss.

“We spent a lot of time immediately after we got knocked out just talking about the season,” Angelidis conceded. “What made is all so very hard was the reaction of our players after the game. That was a truly, truly devastated locker room.”

Of the 16 teams that advanced to the state tournament, Kentwood knocked off three (Federal Way, Kentridge and Curtis) during the season.

The Conquerors were the only team not to advance to the state tournament to have accomplished that feat.

Federal Way went on to win the title while Kentridge took third.

“Not getting to state wasn’t the only hard part. It was also the fact that we know we could have done something once we got there,” Angelidis said. “Everybody who saw us play knew that had we gotten to the state tournament, we would have been successful.”

That heartbreak could very well turn into elation this time around. The Conquerors only graduated one starter from last year’s team and return Smith, Tyler, forward Jason Boyce and guards Mikell Everette and Alec Wilson. Smith, a 6-10, 280-pound post and the two-time league MVP, averaged 24 points and 14 rebounds per game last year. Tyler, a three-year starter, averaged 11 points, three rebounds and three assists per game a year ago. Meanwhile, Wilson was the team’s deadliest 3-point shooter.

With so many key returners and Smith being in his final year, Angelidis doesn’t believe there’s necessarily any urgency with this group. However, there is a goal in mind.

“I don’t think there’s urgency in the sense that we have to do something specifically,” the coach said. “We certainly would like to get back to the state tournament, but that’s our goal every year and that hasn’t changed.”

RING THE BELL

There’s not a lot Kentridge High’s Gary Bell can’t do on the basketball court.

Shoot. Drive. Cut to the basket. Pass. Defend.

“He makes things look pretty easy,” said Kentridge coach Dave Jamison. “He’s just balanced.”

Which makes it pretty easy to explain why Bell, a junior, already has received offers to play at college from Gonzaga, California, Washington and Arizona State among others.

The time for deciding on a college, however, isn’t now, Bell insists.

“I’m not really leaning toward anybody. I’m just keeping my options open,” he said.

“Every day when I get home from school, there’s another letter in the mail.”

Bell, who averaged 18.9 points per game last year and who led Kentridge to a third-place finish at the state tournament, intends to make all his college visits before making a decision.

For the time being, however, he has other things in mind. Specifically, leading Kentridge back to the postseason and winning the SPSL North MVP, an honor that has been won by Kentwood big man Josh Smith the last two seasons.

“That’s one of my goals. I think I can outdo him this year,” laughed Bell, who is a teammate of Smith during the summer for Seattle Rotary Select. “This year, I just want to put my name more on the map.”

Bell will get that chance, too. Because while the Chargers are expected to be near the front of SPSL North once again, they did graduate key guards Shaquielle McKissic and Laron Daniels.

“He’ll probably have to score a little more this year,” Jamison said. “But we have other guys we’re expecting to do things.”

Those guys include returning starter Dylan Zylstra along with forwards Craig Rasmussen, Brendon Westendorf and Devin Topps. All three contributed big minutes last season and will be leaned upon this year.

“We’re not as stacked as last year,” Bell said. “But if we all just play defense, I think we’re going to do some big things.”

SURPRISE, SURPRISE

They have the athleticism and the numbers.

Now it’s a matter of putting it all together for the Kent-Meridian boys basketball team.

“I honestly think we’re going to surprise a lot of people,” said K-M coach Brian Lockhart. “This team is totally different than last year. I have five returners who will definitely contribute and I have several other guys I expect to make big-time contributions as well.”

Though the Royals won just one game last season (57-42 over Tahoma), reason for optimism is real. Leading the K-M rally is the fact that the Royals graduated just one starter from last year’s team (Marlowe Brim) and return enough talent to make a substantial step up in the loaded SPSL North.

The key to K-M’s success will be in its depth. The Royals go nine-players deep, Lockhart said, which will be a commodity when playing league heavyweights.

“We can legitimately go nine deep and not miss a beat,” Lockhart said. “We’re be able to interchange and that’s where we’ll be able to surprise some people.”

Leading the way for the Royals will be forward Barento Ahmed, who led the Royals last year in scoring with a 12-points-per-game average. K-M also should get a boost from Davonte Hoffman (6.4 ppg.), Jordan Thomas Walker (5.7 ppg.) and team leader Sid Verma (4.6 ppg.).

RUNNING GAME

In a league loaded with talented big men, Kentlake will have to take a different approach this season.

The Falcons don’t have a single player who stands bigger than 6-foot-4 and the majority of the team’s roster stands between 5-9 and 6-2.

That said, expect the Falcons to lean on their athleticism and speed this winter, especially with the return of guards Eric Smith (5 ppg.), Tyler Wright (4.6 ppg.) and Daniel Landram (8.9 ppg.).

All three showed flashes of brilliance last year and will be leaned up heavily this winter. Forward Mike Salazar looks to be the biggest beneficiary to the heavy guard rotation. Salazar was Kentlake’s second-leading scorer last year, averaging 10.9 points per game.