Anacortes Seahawks
Coach: Brett Senff, second year
League: Northwest Conference
Last year: 6-7 conference, 11-13 overall, district qualifier
Key returners: Mackenzie Larkin, sr., 6-5, wing/post; Ryan Hayes, sr., 6-2, post; Alec Mavar, sr., 5-10, guard; Luke Averill, sr., 6-4, post; Chris Stoneham, jr., 5-11, guard/wing.
Key newcomers: Corey Geffe, jr., 6-1, wing; Jackson Kirkpatrick, so., 5-9, guard; Emo Sortun, jr., 6-3, wing; Matt Welliver, fr., 5-7, guard; Shane Hardesey, so., 5-9, wing; Garrett Wilbur, so., 5-10, wing/post; Tyler Hayes, so., 5-7, guard; Mark Medalia, so., 6-2, post.
Outlook: The Seahawks have a healthy contingent of players back from the team that came within a win of reaching a second straight state tournament.
Leading the way are the Seahawks’ two leading scorers from a year ago, Larkin and Averill. Both seniors now, Larkin averaged 14.2 points per game and Averill chipped in 10.4.
Both are a little taller and more experienced.
“Those two, they play basketball seriously,” Senff said. “They’re serious about what they do, and they love to compete.”
Hayes and Mavar showed improvement in the summer, and should be solid support players. Stoneham showed a lot of speed and potential in the second half of last season.
The Seahawks will need some of the new youngsters to fill valuable roles. Kirkpatrick could be the starting point guard, and Geffe should see a lot of floor time as well.
Anacortes added Jason Mergenthaler to the coaching staff to work with the defense, a move Senff said has paid dividends already.
“We had a really good summer,” Senff said. “We had a great camp over at Gonzaga. The kids are learning a new style of defense. We’re going to ball pressure, try to deny the wings, just get after people. We’ll try to create an uncomfortable zone.”
The road to state became more difficult with a factor the Seahawks had no control over — student population.
Squalicum’s dropped below the 3A threshold, meaning the Storm, a Class 3A semifinalist with only one key departing senior, will now be in the Class 2A mix. Senff said he wouldn’t be surprised to see the Storm start the year as the state’s top-ranked Class 2A team.
Throw in Burlington-Edison and programs that always seem to be tough — Lynden and Sehome — and it’s a crowded field for state berths, even without factoring in the Cascade Conference team.
Still, Anacortes should be included in that mix.
“That’s our goal, especially after coming so close last year,” Senff said. “We’re looking to play hard as a team. This team is going to be fun, exciting, and get after it defensively.”
Burlington-Edison Tigers
Coach: Rick Skeen, ninth year
League: Northwest Conference
Last year: 12-1 conference, 24-3 overall, second in Class 2A state tournament.
Key returners: Colin Stewart, jr., 6-4, guard; Evan Coulter, jr., 5-11, guard; Joel Conijn, jr., 6-3, forward; Craig Babington, jr., 6-0, guard.
Key newcomers: Ian Capron, sr., 6-2, guard; Jordan Reed, soph., 6-3, guard; Tonio Bales, sr., 6-3, forward; Etienne Luiten, jr., 6-3, forward; Jeff Hayton, jr., 5-10, guard; Stetson Shearer, sr., 6-2, forward.
Outlook: It’s a changing of the guard, and to a guard-oriented squad, for the Tigers after coming an unkind rim away from winning the state title.
With inside presences Jake Anderson, Kolby Arendse and a host of other posts graduated, the strength shifts to the backcourt.
Coulter averaged 12.3 points per game, third best on the team, while running the point as a sophomore. Another sophomore, Stewart (7.4 ppg) started opposite Coulter, and will do so again this year. Reserve guard Babington proved valuable off the bench. The only forward back is Conijn, who saw a lot of action last year as well.
“We’re going to look a lot different than we looked last year,” Skeen said. “The four juniors that are returning played significant roles. I think Coulter has a chance to be a very good player. Conijn and Babington were big parts off our bench. Those four gained a lot of experience as sophomores.”
The remaining players’ job will likely be to play defense, rebound and try to make themselves as big on the floor as they can.
“Skill-wise, this is one of the most talented groups I’ve had, but there’s more to the game,” Skeen said. “The toughness, size, desire to win. That’s what we’re going to have to replace. This is a younger group that isn’t as physical. Hopefully they learned some of that from the older guys, but I’m thinking that’s the hardest part.”
The Tigers will get some additional company at the Class 2A level with Squalicum dropping down, making the field just to get to state as tough as the tournament itself.
“Last year we felt like we were the team with the bullseye on us,” Skeen said. “This year we hope to sneak up. Anacortes is very talented, they bring back enough from a team that was talented enough to play at the state tournament. Squalicum was third in the state for 3A and really only lost one piece, so they bring a lot of experience back. They would be a top 10 3A team and may be the top 2A team in state.”
Concrete Lions
Coach: Chad Dinkins, third year
League: Northwest 2B/1A League
Last year: 3-9 league, 4-17 overall
Key returners: Chris Smith, sr., 5-8, guard; Daniel Schoolland, sr., 6-2, guard/forward; Jordon DeZarn, sr., 6-0, forward; Kevin Williams, sr., 6-1, forward; Lukas Scherer, sr., 5-7, guard; Greg McIntosh, jr., 5-8, guard; Tyler Massingale, sr., 5-8, forward; Kyler Howell, soph., 5-9, guard; James Johnson, jr., 6-1, forward.
Key newcomer: Tyler Clark, fr., 5-9, guard.
Outlook: Slowly and steadily, the Lions have made progress and, with the entire varsity back, this could be the year for Concrete to break through.
“We went from being blown out to being in every game as sophomores to being competitive in all but four last year,” Dinkins said. “Now it’s time to get over the hump. We had a successful baseball season last year, then football, so we’re hoping that carries over. We’re looking to make the turn.”
The returning group is led by Smith (16.2 points per game), who is fully recovered after a neck sprain and mild concussion suffered during the football season. He and Schoolland (11.7 ppg) were the two top scorers on last year’s team.
Dinkins said Massingale has improved in the offseason and will battle for additional playing time.
“When you return everybody, you’re deeper and get more out of practice,” Dinkins said. “Kids have bought in to the system and know what’s going on.”
Dinkins said Darrington, Friday Harbor and La Conner remain the teams to beat in the Northwest 2B/1A League.
La Conner Braves
Coach: Scott Novak, 15th year
League: Northwest 2B/1A League
Last year: 11-1 league, 20-5 overall, state qualifier
Key returners: none.
Key newcomers: Jeremy Vander Lei, sr., 6-1, forward; Brandon Willey, jr., 5-9, guard; Erik Lindeman, jr., 5-8, guard; Mike Wilbur, fr., 5-8, guard; Connor Anderson, soph., 5-11, guard/forward; Max Alotrico, jr., 5-10, forward; D.J. Carr, soph., 6-0, forward; Landy James, fr., 5-10, guard/forward.
Outlook: The Braves have a huge rebuilding project ahead of them, with seven seniors graduated plus two potential leaders, Kyle and Galen McKnight, out at least a good portion of the season with injuries.
That leaves a returning group with exactly 46 varsity points to its credit.
“We have a brand new look,” Novak said. “We’re young and inexperienced at this point. We’re going to have some growing pains, but hopefully by the end of the season we’ll be there.”
Vander Lei has the most varsity experience, having played in more than half of the Braves’ games last year. Willey and Lindeman also saw limited minutes. Wilbur and James, both freshmen, could see a lot of minutes in the back court.
“We have several players who would normally getting JV experience who will be thrown in at the varsity level,” Novak said.
Galen McKnight’s injury in the summer deprived the Braves of their main returning contributor. McKnight averaged 7.8 points per game last season and likely would have been the team’s top option this year.
“That was devastating to us, in terms of challenging for the league title,” Novak said. “But that’s in the past. I would definitely say Friday Harbor would be the league favorite. Darrington and Concrete will be good. I’ll be disappointed if we come to that point and we won’t be in the mix.”
Mount Vernon Christian Hurricanes
Coach: Kevin VanderWal, first year
League: Northwest 2B/1A League
Last year: 1-10 league, 2-16 overall
Key returners: Andy Pritchard, sr., 5-10, guard; Derrick DeVries, sr., 6-3, forward; Jeffrey McClelland, jr., 5-10, guard; David Riley, sr., 5-10, guard; Cory Kuipers, soph., 6-2, forward; Mark Hogan, sr., 5-10, guard; Ben VanderKooy, sr., 6-3, forward; Mark deVries, sr., 6-2, wing; Cooper Blade, soph., 5-8, guard.
Key newcomers: Tyler Jones, jr., 6-0, forward.
Outlook: VanderWal takes over for Matt Hart, who left the program after four seasons. VanderWal, 24, is in his second year with the program — he was the middle school coach and assisted with the JV last season.
He inherits a nearly identical varsity to the one the Hurricanes featured last year. Hart said last year that this was going to be a two-year project,
“We’ve gained a year of experience,” VanderWal said. “It’s definitely a positive thing. We’re bigger, faster, and more importantly, we’re stronger.”
Pritchard was the leading scorer last year, averaging about 7.5 points per game.
The Hurricanes will be hard pressed to catch Darrington and Friday Harbor at the top of the Northwest 2B/1A League, but a few more wins should be up for grabs this year.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” VanderWal said. “We’ve got some good players, great attitude, and good people.”
Mount Vernon Bulldogs
Coach: Torey Swanson, eighth year
League: Northwest Conference
Last year: 9-4 conference, 17-7 overall, district qualifier
Key returners: Ray Walser, sr., 6-3, forward.
Key newcomers: David Taylor, sr., 6-1, guard; Michael Acode, jr., 5-11, guard/forward; Jake Weber, jr., 6-1, guard; Breyden Moore, sr., 5-11 guard; Maxx Denham, sr., 6-2, forward; Jordan Lee, sr., 6-2, guard.
Outlook: This will be a new look for a Bulldogs team that came up one point shy (in several overtimes) of reaching the state tournament last season.
Walser (5.3 points per game), a two-year varsity player, is the only holdover with significant varsity minutes. A good rebounder, defender and role player, he is the known commodity.
“With his experience, kids look to him automatically,” Swanson said. “He knows to play physically, he knows what it takes for 32 minutes. Through example, he’s one of the guys we’ll lean on. It’s going to be a different guy every night. We’re going to have to figure out who it is.”
This is a group that succeeded at the junior varsity level, going 20-0 last year. How that translates to varsity remains to be seen.
“It matters. They’ve had success and know how to win,” Swanson said. “It should be a confidence builder. Whether you can transfer a 20-0 JV season to varsity, they do know how to play together. They do have that in their back pocket. After that, it’s what they do with it.”
The Bulldogs will have the advantage of not having to face a tough Squalicum team in the playoffs, as the district champion Storm dropped to Class 2A. That leaves Ferndale and Sedro-Woolley, neither traditionally strong programs, as the Bulldogs’ only competition for seeding purposes.
“Every game we go into is going to be tough,” Swanson said. “Some are state caliber. It doesn’t hurt that Squalicum’s not there but, shoot, I don’t think we can look past December at this point. We have to start to build point by point.
“We looked pretty good at times, other times we didn’t look good. I think our No. 1 goal is to find some consistency, training mentally getting ready to play 32 minutes and not take a play off.”
Oak Harbor Wildcats
Coach: Mike Washington, third year
League: Western Conference North Division
Last year: 3-13 division, 5-16 overall
Key returners: Rashad Smith, jr., 6-4, forward; Beaux Haley, sr., 6-1, guard; Jay Stout, soph., 5-8, guard; Jimmy Edens, sr., 6-1, forward.
Key newcomers: Mike Washington Jr., fr., 6-2, guard; Denzel Hardin, soph., 5-8, guard; Aaron Boesch, soph., 6-4, forward; Zac Cole, sr., 6-4, forward; Josh Fikse, sr., 6-8, forward.
Outlook: The Wildcats may be the youngest team in the Western Conference, and may rely on sophomores and freshmen to try to turn the squad around after a tough season.
Smith and Stout are the only two players to appear in most of the Wildcats’ games last year, each averaging about three points per game.
After knowing that Rodrick Rumble (21.9 points per game last year) was going to be the focal point of the offense, there is no one who fits that description this season.
“We’re definitely going to be young, unknown. We’ll work hard,” Washington said. “It’s going to be a collective. We should have different leading scorers every night. Look for Mike, Denzel and Jay to put up some numbers for us. They’re very young.
Washington said he expects Stanwood and Snohomish to be in the hunt for the always tough North Division title, along with Arlington and Lake Stevens. The Wildcats will go as far as the youngsters take them.
We’ve got some talent, I really think we do,” Washington said. “We’re just young. Hopefully, we can surprise some people.
Stanwood Spartans
Coach: Zach Ward, second year
League: Western Conference North Division
Last year: 10-6 division, 13-11 overall, district qualifier
Key returners: Zack Johnson, jr., 6-3, post; Kale Schmidt, jr., 6-2, wing; Jordan Solvberg, sr., 6-3, wing; Kyle Hushagen, sr., 6-5, post; Eric Chabot, sr., 6-4, post; Caleb Orcutt, sr., 6-3, post.
Key newcomers: Drew Haugstad, jr., 5-11, wing; Kylan Asher, soph., 5-8, guard.
Outlook: The Spartans have a very solid group returning after coming within a game of the state tournament a year ago.
Leading the way will be Johnson, a two-year contributor, and Schmidt. Those two battled back and forth for the team’s scoring lead. Johnson averaged 12.7 points per game, Schmidt 11.9.
“You can’t put a price tag on how valuable that experience is,” Ward said. “Both have played some big games, and still have two years left. The other guys coming back got that experience, too.”
Joining them are a series of wings and posts that give the Spartans a lot of height all the way around.
Hushagen came on strong at the end of last season and could be a force underneath, and Ward said Chabot, who was felled by injury early last year, has been impressive.
Haugstad and Asher have fit well in the rotation as well.
“Both Kylan and Drew put a lot of time in in the offseason,” Ward said. “We’ve got a couple holes we’re concerned about filling, but they’re both prepared. We’re excited to give them a shot.”
The Spartans should be among those contending for a title in the ever-competitive Western Conference North Division.
“I think Snohomish, until they lose, you’ve got to knock those guys off,” Ward said. “Lake (Stevens) is good. Arlington’s really good. Arlington has a great senior class there. Marysville’s tough. With nobody playing a game yet, we’re just going off what they have back from last year, everybody’s got something different.”
“We just need to play a game. Two solid weeks of practice. We’re ready to go get some guys who don’t know what you’re running.”
Sedro-Woolley Cubs
Coach: Paul Bianchini, first year
League: Northwest Conference
Last year: 1-12 conference, 4-17 overall
Key returners: Taylor Pedroza, sr., 5-9, guard; David Janicki, sr., 5-7, guard; Justin Leber, sr., 6-7, post; Isaac Brown, soph., 6-0, forward; Levi Stewart, jr., 5-8, guard.
Key newcomers: Nico Redlich, jr., 6-3, forward; Jake Howland, sr., 5-10, guard; Anthony Kolvack, sr., 5-11, guard; Alex Schmidt, sr., 6-3, post.
Outlook: Bianchini returns to the sideline after a two-season absence. He was the head coach at Concrete High School from 1998-2006.
“I missed coaching. It’s kind of fun,” Bianchini said. “There are a lot of good coaches in the area, and it’s fun to get back in the swing of things with those guys. It’s something I missed.”
He inherits a team that has struggled the past few years and has struggled to find an inside presence.
“We’ve done a lot with them, and we’ve got a long way to go, but they’ve had some really great practices,” Bianchini said. “They’re learning a lot of new things, trying to focus on fundamentals. Right now we’re keeping it simple, but we’re trying to expedite the learning.”
Janicki (9.4 points per game), Pedroza (9.0) and Stewart (6.2) give the Cubs some scoring punch to help replace the graduated Ethan Brown. Like Brown, they’re all guards.
The inside factor could be Leber, a strong 6-7 post who could handle the rebounding and interior duties. Also helping out will be junior German exchange student Redlich.
“If our post guys keep working hard, they’re really going to help,” Bianchini said. “Justin, he’ll get a lot of minutes. He’s going to be in there game time, and we need him defensively. We can’t let teams score on us inside.
“Nico has got some good skills. He’s played a lot of basketball and is going to fill in nicely. He’s got the size, and can run the floor well. We need somebody like that.”
The Cubs will be hard pressed to compete with the upper echelon teams in the Northwest Conference, but Bianchini think his team will compete.
“This is one of the toughest leagues in the state,” Bianchini said. “It’s a tough league, but I’m always the optimist and I think we can finish up in the top with these guys. We’re going to be highly competitive and win a lot of games.
