South King County all-area basketball teams

Sports reporter Ben Ray’s picks for a starting five and sixth player of the year awards in the region.

As the 2024-25 basketball season comes to a close, the Kent Reporter and its South King County sister newspapers would like to name the All-Region Team of South King County.

BOYS

• Jordan Agosto (Renton, Sr.): The Renton Redhawks had a lot of question marks heading into this season. The one place there wasn’t a question was at point guard. Agosto was tasked with leading Renton this season as the lone returner in the Redhawk starting five. Agosto was terrific for Renton this summer, including leading them to a KingCo title game, district title game and state tournament appearance. Whenever Head Coach Rashaad Powell needed a basket, Agosto was his guy.

• Sebastian Arius (Auburn Mountainview, Sr.): Sebastian, or “Bash” as he had been named by his teammates and coaching staff, was the 3A NPSL MVP and the motor that made the Lions go. Arius averaged 18 points per game this season, taking his team one game shy of the Tacoma Dome. Arius not only scored the ball well, but was a rebound shy of averaging a double-double per game, and averaged three assists and steals.

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• Carter Hansen (Auburn, Sr.): Coming into this season, there was a big hole on the Auburn Trojan roster. A number one scorer and leader was needed for the Trojans, who were bumping up to 4A. Carter Hansen was that answer. Hansen routinely made an impact on the offensive side of the floor all season, making big shot after big shot on a nightly basis. Hansen took on a different role at the state tournament, but showed his versatility on the basketball court. He averaged 12.6 points in the Tacoma Dome.

• Brayden McVey (Federal Way, Sr.): McVey finished his second season at Federal Way High School, after transferring from Thomas Jefferson High School, at the Tacoma Dome. McVey had grown into the leader of the Eagles this season. It took a lot from McVey to get over the hump, even in games where he didn’t look like he took over. In the Eagles’ loss to Lincoln inside the Tacoma Dome, McVey had 20 points and 12 rebounds. The lefty was needed in both wins over Auburn Mountainview, the team that Federal Way shared a NPSL league title with. When it came down to it, McVey secured his team a spot in the Tacoma Dome with a 15-point performance.

• Corey Tita (Kentwood, Sr.): Kentwood’s three-headed monster unfortunately will never suit up again for the green and black. But Corey Tita’s 2024-25 campaign was phenomenal. The 6’3” guard had three buzzer-beating shots on the year, two as game winners. Tita eclipsed the 1,000-point mark in his career and averaged just over 18 points per game while shooting 46%. Tita helped resurrect a Kentwood team that hadn’t made the state tournament since 2019, and got the Conks to the dance in back to back years.

• Sixth Man of the Year, Mason Chin (Liberty, Jr.): It’s hard to make more of an impact off the bench than Mason Chin did for Liberty. Chin averaged eight points a game for the Patriots while shooting an impressive 42% from beyond the arc. Chin played eight minutes in the Tacoma Dome against Bellevue. Over the course of the season, Chin shot 71% on two point shots and 82% from the charity stripe.

• Just missing the cut: Jackson Whitaker (Liberty, Jr.); Daniel Johnson (Auburn, Jr.); Kolven Posey (Auburn Mountainview, Jr.); Brandon Tagle (Kentwood, Jr.); Mason St. Louis (Kentwood, Sr.).

GIRLS

• Avery Hansen (Auburn, So.): To say Auburn wouldn’t be Auburn if Avery Hansen took a game off would be an understatement. Hansen is always on go. Her energy levels on defense and offense created this basketball monster inside the Bob Jones Gymnasium at Auburn High. Hansen was a big reason Auburn took home their first trophy since 1997 at the state tournament. She averaged 14.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.8 steals and 4.8 steals per game.

• Kaleesa Howard (Auburn, So.): Kaleesa Howard might be the best on-ball defender in the entire NPSL. Routinely, Howard was swiping away the ball from her opponents, leading to fast breaks and leading the Trojans to their second straight district title. Howard and Hansen work hand-in-hand for Auburn, and their chemistry goes back years as they grew up together. But on an individual level, Howard can handle her own. Inside the Tacoma Dome, she averaged 10.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3 assists and 1.8 steals per game.

• Maggee Schmitz (White River, So.): White River cruised to a 3A NPSL title this season in their first year at the 3A level since 2009. A big reason for that was the success of the 3A MVP Schmitz for the Hornets and why they found themselves as the number three seed in the state tournament. The Hornets ultimately fell short in the Tacoma Dome, but Schmitz in the 51-47 loss had 23 of those 47 points.

• Ella Whitaker (Liberty, Sr.): In her senior season, Ella Whitaker did about as much as one could on her own. She was named MVP of the KingCo Crest division, won the KingCo Tournament, and was given the number two seed in the District 2 Tournament. Whitaker dominated on offense as she led the all Patriots in scoring and rebounding. She took a team that had just one additional all league player (Addison Tran, 2nd team) and was one game away from the state tournament.

• Madelyn Shaw (Auburn Mountainview, Sr.): Shaw was instrumental in the state tournament run that the Auburn Mountainview Lions achieved this year. Shaw was top 5 in the NPSL in points per game (11.1), rebounds (8.7), steals (3.4) and blocks (1.2) per game. They say availability is the best ability, and that was also big for Shaw. She made an instant impact from the first whistle to the final horn. It is safe to say that without Shaw, the Lions would not have finished where they did.

• Sixth Woman of the Year, Kamryn Huttenlocker (Auburn, So.): As much as the starting five made an impact on the season, the Auburn Trojan bench did not let up when they had the opportunity. No one exemplified that more than Huttenlocker. She recorded minutes in every state game and even had a nine- and 14-point performance inside the Tacoma Dome. A player who had been in the rotation all season, she was pivotal on the would-be sixth best team in 4A in just its first season.

• Just missing the cut: Jerralyn Sevaaetasi (Decatur, Sr.); Jessica Ajayi (Kentwood, Sr.); C.K. Kandola (Auburn Riverside, So.); Raelyn Ofrancia (Kentridge, So.); Iyanna Waltar (Decatur, Sr.).