BOYS BASKETBALL PREVIEW: Kentridge ready to challenge for SPSL North supremacy

A change is taking place on the South Puget Sound League North Division boys basketball scene this winter. A change that very well could play into the hands of Kentridge High coach Dave Jamison.

“There’s definitely a change (happening),” he said. “There really aren’t that many big guys (in the league).”

Gone is Federal Way, which has won or shared each of the last two North Division titles much thanks to the versatility of 6-foot-7 standout Cole Dickerson.

Gone is Kentwood star Josh Smith, who at 6-10 and 300 pounds single-handedly changed the flow — and most times, the outcome — of any game he played.

And while Federal Way and Kentwood’s Smith have left, Mount Rainier, which played in the Class 3A Seamount League, enters. Mount Rainier, a program marked by athleticism and up-tempo play, has qualified for state in three of the last four years.

“It’s going to be a pretty athletic league, a lot of 6-2, 6-3 guys,” Jamison noted.

With that in mind, this year’s SPSL North could be a guard-dominated league. And no team in the league — and potentially none in the state — has a better one than Kentridge’s Gary Bell, a senior guard who will play next year at Gonzaga University. Bell averaged 22.6 points, 5.35 rebounds and 3.75 assists per game in league last year. He also set a new league record by torching Auburn Riverside for 55 points in double-overtime loss last December.

“I personally think he’s the most complete, skilled player in the state,” said first-year Kentwood coach Brian Davis.

Kentlake’s Ron Charrier echoes those same sentiments.

“He can win a game by himself,” he said.

This winter, however, it’s not all about Bell at Kentridge High. In fact, it might be more about everyone else, especially those underneath the hoop doing the dirty work.

“Gary could score 30 to 35 points a game easy,” Jamison said. “But he’s more concerned about us winning.”

And the key to winning likely will come underneath the hoop.

“That’s the big question,” Jamison noted. “If we can match rebounding, we should be in most of our games.”

The Chargers also need to find an immediate No. 2 scorer behind Bell. When Kentridge took third at state two years ago, that role belonged to the ultra-athletic Shaquielle McKissic. Last year, sharpshooting Craig Rasmussen assumed that role.

This season?

All indications are pointing to Brendan Westendorf, an unheralded forward who has the athletic tools to do just about anything on the court. A 6-foot-4 senior, Westendorf averaged 8.45 points per game last year, when he was typically the team’s third option. More importantly, he averaged a team-high 6.15 rebounds per game a year.

“He’s a good shooter, a basketball junkie,” Jamison said of Westendorf, whose adept at playing inside or outside. “Just really smooth.”

Which, in the SPSL North, could be the name of the game this winter.

CHARGERS: AT A GLANCE

• COACH: Dave Jamison, 11th year.

• LAST YEAR: 10-6 in league (3rd), 14-10 overall.

• TOP RETURNERS: Gary Bell, sr., guard; Brendan Westendorf, sr., forward; Denzel Daniels, sr., guard; Caleb Smith, jr., post; Roddy Hanson, jr., guard.

• TOP NEWCOMERS: Kevin Brown, sr., post; Nate Tabisula, jr., guard; Da’Lorian Sampson, jr., guard; Chris Garcia, jr., guard.

• UP AND COMING: Jawan Stepney, fr., guard; Joe Wainhouse, fr., post.

• STRENGTH: Guard play, leadership, defense.

• WEAKNESS: Inside game, rebounding.

• LAST STATE APPEARANCE: 2009.

• OUTLOOK: Behind Bell and Westendorf, the Chargers have one of the most potent 1-2 punches in the league. Bell, the early favorite to win league MVP honors, is good enough to take over games by himself. If Kentridge can establish an inside presence, there’s no reason it can’t win the SPSL North title. Auburn remains the favorite, but the Chargers should be right there come the end of the season.