The West Central District Boys Basketball Tournament is a meat-grinder every year. But this season, the depth in the district is even a little more ridiculous than in years past — if that is even possible.
The district, which includes the entire South Puget Sound League and the Narrows League, currently has an unbelievable seven teams listed in the Seattle Times’ Class 4A state boys basketball rankings, including No. 1 Federal Way, No. 2 Kentwood and No. 3 Decatur. The district tournament should also include double-digit win teams like Curtis (14-4), Lincoln (11-4), Kentridge (10-6), Foss (12-4), Central Kitsap (12-4), Mount Tahoma (11-4), Auburn (11-4), Puyallup (15-3), Wilson (13-4) and Rogers (11-5).
“I would say that top to bottom the (West Central District) is really good. There are no bad teams that are going to get in,” said Decatur head coach Kevin Olson. “It is hard to compare different years and diffucult to say the top teams this year aren’t as good as the top teams in previous years. But I do know that this year’s tournament will be full of hard-fought games. There just are not any teams like Ferris from the past two seasons. There is a lot of parity in the 4A league.”
Todd Beamer first-year head coach Brent Brilhante sees the same thing as Olson regarding the lack of a truly dominant team in the state, as well as the West Central District.
Brilhante’s Titans are currently smack-dab in the middle of the postseason, sitting 8-5 and in a tie for fourth place in the South Division.
“I think both sides of the SPSL and the Narrows are very deep,” he said. “The top teams in each division are very good teams, but I don’t see a team that is unbeatable.”
The lack of a truly dominant team at districts this year should make the 16-team tournament even more interesting than the past. Even the No. 1-ranked Federal Way Eagles have lost two SPSL North games this season to Kentwood and Kentridge. This year, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA), the governing body of high school sports in the state, has allocated the West Central District six berths into the Class 4A State Boys Basketball Championships. A fact that might make this year’s district tournament even more nerve-racking than the state tournament, because teams will be fighting tooth and nail just to get to the Tacoma Dome.
“I don’t think anyone has the ability to play loose in the state tournament,” Brilhante said. “These are still kids, and getting there is a huge accomplishment. They deserve to feel a little nervous. This is something they will remember for the rest of their life.”
The first round of the West Central District Tournament, which will kick off Feb. 19, should be a big-time barometer of how things will go. The eight highest-seeded teams will host the opening round, while the rest of tournament will take place at Puyallup, Mount Tahoma, Auburn and Foss high schools.
“The draw has somewhat of an effect, but this year will be interesting,” Brilhante said. “I think a lot of the lower-seeded teams can play with any of the top-seeded teams. I don’t see any guarentee picks this year.”
“We matched up with Federal Way (last year) in the first round of districts, and both of us made it to the state semifinals,” Olson said. “So it just depends on whether your team makes it through to state as to whether you will think that the draw really matters. Obviously, one scenario might be easier than another for a given team, but the bottom line is you’ve got to win tough games to get through, no matter where you fit into the bracket.”
And the Gators, along with Federal Way, have won plenty of those “tough” games in the last two years, which should give those two teams an advantage over the some of the younger teams in the 2009 tournament.
“I think if you have a team with guys that have been their before, they are used to the atmosphere and the surroundings, they know what to expect and can just go out there and play,” Olson said.
