That life started June 1 when 39 teams showed up in

the Mountlake Terrace High School parking lot suited up

and ready to hoop.

The Summer League Basketball Program started five

years ago with just 18 teams and has grown now to 39 and

includes schools such as Seattle Prep, Glacier Peak, and

even Roosevelt High School. The summer league is not

all fun and games though; the basketball program raises a

lot of revenue from this month-long event, for things like

summer camp at Washington State University, basketballs,

and anything the program needs.

One benefit of the summer league is that it is a great

team builder.

Coach Nalin Sood said, “The summer league builds program

unity. A lot of work is put in to make each game

happen.”

The summer league is not just fun and games. Every year

at the end of summer, there is a tournament. Summer

league is everyday with teams alternating every other day.

According to Sood, “Coaches are tired but players are

not. 16 and 17 are your peak years of energy; fatigue is

not a factor.”

Basketball is a team game but there are always players

who need to fill their role in order for a team to win

and those people include “everyone,” according to Sood.

“Last year, [ Jacob] Champoux stepped up and really carried

the team. Last year’s team had good character,” Sood

said. “Seniors need to show character and commitment in

order for this year’s team to leave a mark on the Mountlake

Terrace Basketball program.”

If practice makes perfect, then the Hawks and other

participating schools are sure to be neck and neck in next

year’s standings.

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worm”. That maxim rings true in the world of

college recruiting, where young athletes are baited

with scholarships based on potential and hype.

Coach Sood shared his opinion on premature

recruiting saying that, “It has been an issue for years.

LeBron James was getting offers in 8th grade. Damon

Bailey, at Indiana in the ’80s, Bobby Knight would

show up at his door.”

In 2009, the NCAA lowered the recruitment age

of “recruitable” boys basketball prospects from 9th

grade, to 7th grade. The purpose of this new rule is

to create a wider range of boys to choose from as to

keep overzealous coaches from overstepping bounds.

This means that they can be recruited by schools but

with a limited number of phone calls, text messages

and visits.

Before the ruling, 9th graders and on were defined

as prospective athletes. College coaches worked tirelessly

trying to lure young talented athletes to their

schools. Coaches began offering scholarships to middle

school athletes left and right.

Finally, the NCAA felt something had to be done to

prevent these athletes from making premature decisions

regarding their future.

“I remember being an 8th grader and Coach Ottmar

coming to Brier Terrace,” Sood said. “[I’d] remember

seeing those kids coming up to Terrace.”

These student athletes are not fully matured as

individuals, both physically and mentally. DePaul

University recently offered 14-year old Jahlil Okafor

a basketball scholarship.

At 6 feet 7 inches tall, and an ending height expectancy

of 7 feet 3 inches, Okafor still has four years

until graduation day, so DePaul’s premature offer is

unrealistic at this point, if not illegal.

But what happens if he improves dramatically in

high school and wants to play for a top collegiate program?

What if this whole basketball thing does not

play out for Okafor? All of these questions are why

recruiting young athletes could end up having a negative

effect on the athletes themselves.

Okafor is not the only basketball player who hasn’t

reached high school to be recruited. Perry Dozier Jr.,

a diminutive 5’ 6” point guard, is the top-ranked prospect

for the class of 2015.

“There is a difference between

identifying a guy and recruiting

him,” Sood said. “Giving an 8th

grader [scholarship] offers just

sickens me.”

In a few years, recruiters might

enter a kindergarten classroom

and begin seeking out the tallest

and fastest kids. The point here

is, Dozier might be a standout right now but who

knows what will happen between now and the time

he graduates from high school.

Although these recruiting practices are more prevalent

in men’s basketball than in any other sport, they

have trickled their way into the women’s game.

Despite the criticism of recruiting down to middle

school, many college coaches and recruiters believe

that it is simply a sign of the times. Schools such

as Arizona, Arizona State, Southern California,

Kentucky and Maryland are now attempting to lure

middle schoolers.

College recruiters now use a variety of tactics to

track down future stars: elite camps pitting the best

against the best, AAU teams traveling cross-country,

and recruiting websites ranking the cream of the

crop.

Apparently, it’s never too early to start young.

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The men’s baseball team is poised to make a run in the WIAA State 4A Playoffs. If they expect to advance to a championship, they are going to need their top performers to continue producing at a high level.

Senior shortstop/pitcher Andrew Woeck, senior pitcher Aaron Brooks, and senior third baseman Chris Raunio led the young, inexperienced Hawks to a 2nd place finish in WesCo South.

Their leadership has put the Hawks in a position to make some noise. Woeck is having a stellar season offensively and defensively. He is absolutely tearing opponents up with his fastball, which has resulted in 93 strikeouts.

His success on the mound has become his opponent’s worst nightmare. Woeck said, “I try to mix up my pitches and change things up. I throw hard but throwing hard isn’t always enough. “ On the other side of the ball, Woeck has been efficient, leading the team with a .362 batting average.

In addition, he has come up clutch with some big hits including a home run in a 1-0 victory over Jackson earlier in the season. Woeck said, “We’re a young team… Me and our other cocaptain Chris [Raunio] have kept the team working hard.”

While Woeck has been a fantastic, starting pitcher Brooks has been just as good. Brooks has a 6-1 record and owns an ERA of 1.31. His outstanding pitching has been key to Terrace’s run so far.

Brooks worked hard over the off-season to prepare himself for Gonzaga, who offered him a full scholarship. “I had workouts three times a week, conditioning with the coaches.” Brooks said. “It matured me a lot and helped me prepare for college baseball.”

As one of two returning varsity players, the other being Woeck, Brooks has provided the team with valuable experience that may help in the long run.

Raunio is another player who has many years of experience in baseball and tennis. Raunio, who was a participant at state for tennis, has tasted success and knows that the baseball team has come a long way to get back to state. “I think everyone on our team would be disappointed if we didn’t go to state, because we all know our team’s potential, and we all feel like we belong in the state playoffs.”

The senior captain has contributed to the team’s success on and off the field. Although he posts modest statistics, his power of encouragement should not be overlooked. Coach Andrew Watters said, “Raunio provides the team great leadership.”

Woeck stymied Marysville, 7-0, earning the Hawks a trip to state, while Brooks pitched shutout of Monroe, 4-0

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Here is a brief summary of the first round of the 2010 NBA Playoffs:

Joakim Noah of the Chicago Bulls insulted the entire city of Cleveland before his Bulls got knocked out of the play-offs after only winning one game in the series. Derrick Rose played very well, and so did Noah for that matter, but Lebron James continued to dominate even with an elbow injury which forced him to shoot free-throws left-handed.

Denver Nuggets’ coach George Karl, who was diagnosed with throat cancer earlier this year, had to watch from his living room as his team struggled and eventually got knocked out by the injury-plagued Utah Jazz.

The Milwaukee Bucks took a 3-2 series lead on the favored Atlanta Hawks even with two of the better players injured but were blown-out in the final two games and eliminated.

The Mavericks, considered by many to have the best shot at beating the Lakers to the championship series, got beat by the San Antonio Spurs who perhaps showed that they deserve some hype.

Orlando dominated every game against Charlotte, winning the series 4-0. Dwight Howard was not a huge force due to foul trouble, but Orlando is good enough without him.

Boston beat Miami 4-1 in what would have been Dwyane Wade’s last season playing for the Miami Heat. He is now a free-agent. Fans also got to see Celtics forward Kevin Garnett suspended for a game, which Boston won anyway.

After losing game one and two in Los Angeles, The Thunder won game three at home and held Kobe Bryant to 12 points in game four, which they won 110-89. However, the Lakers came back to win games 5 and 6 to knock Oklahoma City out of the play-offs.

In a hard-fought battle between two western conference teams, the Suns prevailed behind the leadership of veteran point-guard Steve Nash and the inside presence of Amare Stoudamire. Brandon Roy tried coming back from knee-surgery to help his team, but never made much of an impact.

Jock Talk: Q: Who will take home the trophy?

Aaron Brooks (senior): “I want Phoenix to win because they almost never do and they are the underdogs in my opinion.”

Cristine Lotz (junior): “I wanted Oklahoma City to move on, but that didn’t work out. So the Suns because I love [Steve} Nash and I’m tired of all the hype about the Lakers and the Cavs.”

Le’Trey Benson (sophomore): “Lakers. The championships will be tough but they will take it all.”

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Because of problems, which include travel costs, missed school time and poor attendance at consolation-round games, the WIAA Executive Board has decided, starting in the 2010-2011 school year, the state basketball tournament format will be reconstructed. Only eight slots will remain, from the original format of 16 slots. The classification groupings for this next year will most likely be 4A and 3A in Tacoma, 2A and 1A in Yakima, and 2B and 1B in Spokane. This new format eliminates the fifth-eighth place game at state. The first round begins February 25-26, where eight teams will continue on in the hope of becoming state champions. Second, third, and fourth rounds will be held March 3-6.

Sports Medicine to WesCo Competition

Sports Medicine is off to the WesCo Sports Medicine Competition, Wednesday May 19 at Stanwood High School. The class has done well in past years bringing home 2nd place finishes, including last year. This years sports medics hope to take 1st, adviser Shannon Ripley said. “Our toughest competition will be Stanwood, whom we annihilated last year, but they took 4th at state just a few weeks ago.” This year’s senior competitors are Ciara Rink, Jake Howell, Nami Nassersharif, and Sean Otto. The sole junior competitor is Sara Taylor.

Women’s golf off to Districts

Women’s golf has had a season to remember. “Even without the girls who went to state last year, we’ve done really well,” Lizzie Haworth said. “The majority of the team will make it to districts this year.” Haworth recalls Coach Hart speaking to the team at Lynnwood Golf Course after the May 5 match, that last year he couldn’t have been prouder of the team, but now he believes this is the proudest he’s ever been of the team.

Last Wednesday’s match against Lynnwood and Glacier Peak went without a hitch. “All of varsity broke their PR in one match and we won,” Haworth said. The Hawks earned the following marks: Lizzie Straus 27, Kendall Collins 24, Mary Boxley 20, Lizzie Haworth 20, and Michele Hairell 15. Collectively the Hawks earned 106 points, Lynnwood earned 97, and Glacier Peak ended with 94 points at the league match.

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Q: How long have you been playing baseball?

A: I have been playing for 14 years.

Q: What is the best aspect of your game?

A: I think my knowledge, and my ability to not make mental errors.

Q: How does it feel to be in the playoffs and what is it going to take to keep advancing?

A: It feels great to be in the playoffs. We weren’t expected to compete very well this year, but we have done a great job coming together as a team to win games.

Q: You are a co-captain this year; how do feel your leadership has influenced the team?

A: We have a lot of younger players on the team, so I think Andrew [Woeck] and I have done a good job of getting them ready to play varsity baseball, and helping them focus at times during the season.

Q: At this point, is the team more focused on “enjoying the ride” or trying to reach state?

A: Our goal is definitely to reach state. We have 7 seniors on this team so we want to finish off our high school careers on a good note. I think everyone on our team would be disappointed if we didn’t go to state, because we all know our teams potential, and we all feel like we belong in the state playoffs.

Q: How did you prepare in the offseason for this spring?

A: I spent time at the field with some of the other players taking extra groundballs, and I spent time in the batting cage working on my swing.

Q: Any plans for college athletics?

A: I don’t think I’ll play baseball in college, but I might play intramural tennis.

Q: What interests do you have outside of baseball?

A: I enjoy tennis, all sports, and reading.

Q: Favorite baseball player?

A: Derek Jeter.

Q: Which are you better at: tennis or baseball?

A: I think I’m better at baseball because I’ve been playing it longer, but compared to the competition, I’m probably better at tennis.

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Senior Andrew Woeck pitches a fastball after relieving starting pitcher Senior Aaron Brooks.

Senior Andrew Woeck pitches the final strike against Kamiak DH Blake Collins to end the game with the Hawks emerging victorious with a score of 4-3.

Senior C Keegan Volpone strides across home plate after a solid double from Sophomore left fielder Austin Johnson.

Sophomore 1B Alex Hatch scrambles for the ball and catches it to attain an out against Kamiak.

Senior CF Ryan Fickle makes it safely back to first base after Kamiak pitcher Andrew Groves attempted to get him out for leading off.

Junior OF/P Conner Eddy slides into home after a successful hit from sophomore 3B/2B Josh Fitch.

Sophomore 1B Alex Hatch narrowly makes the catch to get out Kamiak senior Jake Sortor.

Senior starting pitcher Aaron Brooks hurtles a fastball at Kamiak.

A portion of the team stands proudly with the 4A District 1 championship trophy.

Players dogpile Senior Andrew Woeck after he pitched the final strike to win the game.

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Andrew Woeck has had an outstanding year for the Men’s Baseball Team, which is now one win away from a berth in the state playoffs.  They play on Tuesday, April 25^th, 2010, against Marysville-Pilchuck at MTHS.  Despite the team’s busy schedule, I had the opportunity to sit down with Woeck and ask him a variety of questions.

Q: First off, how many years have you been playing baseball?

A: Since I was five.  I’m 18 now, so 13 years.

Q: What is the best aspect of your game?

A: I’m extremely competitive.

Q: You’ve piled up many strikeouts this year, how have you been able to do that?

A: I try to mix up my pitches and change things up.  I throw hard but throwing hard isn’t always enough.

Q: As a captain, how do you think your leadership has impacted the team?

A: We’re a young team… Me and our other co-captain Chris [Raunio] have kept the team working hard.

Q: How did you prepare in the offseason for this spring?

A: I don’t really have an offseason because I play year-round.  But I’ve been in the weight room, getting my arm stronger.

Q: Any plans for baseball beyond high school?

A: I’ve gotten lots of offers.  There’s a possibility of getting drafted …For sure though, I’ll be going to Western Nevada.

Q: What interests do you have outside of baseball?

A: I love playing basketball, football, lots of other sports, and fishing.

Q: Who is your favorite baseball player, and who do you try to emulate?

A: Favorite baseball player would be [Los Angeles Angels outfielder] Vladimir Guerrero.  He’s a hard worker.  But because I’m a pitcher, I try to play like [San Francisco Giants pitcher] Tim Lincecum.

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