Local Ties Abound At State
Last week’s season-ending state basketball tournaments had a distinct Spokane flavor to them, the 11 local qualifiers notwithstanding.
Jim Thacker, who coached Walla Walla past Ferris to the State 4A championship in Tacoma, graduated from Central Valley High School in 1965.
He played for his father, the late Ray Thacker at CV, and went on to stellar collegiate careers at Spokane Falls and the University of Idaho.
His brother, Mike, had Freeman in the State 1A tournament a week earlier.
Jack Cleveland, coach of the East Valley-Yakima girls in the State 2A tournament, coached six years at University High School, placing at state in 1984 and ‘85.
He moved to the Yakima Valley area and had two State A-placing boys teams before switching to girls basketball.
East Valley eliminated Lakeside High of Nine Mile Falls on its way to fourth place at the State 2A tournament.
Former Rogers High School assistant coach Dexter Griffen coached Mariner High in Mukilteo to third place in the State 3A boys tournament in Seattle.
It was Griffen’s first year with the Marauders, who lost in the semifinals to O’Dea when 6-foot-7 man-child Teyo Johnson picked up three fouls in 17 seconds and fouled out.
The West Side experience, said Griffen, has been enlightening.
“With Rick Mergenthaler (at Rogers), I ran the offense, so we do a lot of the same stuff,” Griffen said.
The biggest difference, he said, is the exposure to basketball that western Washington players have.
“There are more opportunities for kids to play basketball,” said Griffen. “There are spring and fall leagues and kids have been together on AAU teams since fifth grade. A lot of schools are going to that.”
Both Johnson, who is being recruited both in basketball and football, and 6-4 Amon Gordon are juniors.
Johnson was spectacular at state, scoring 91 points in four games.
Mariner struggled early in the season, while adjusting to Griffen, said the new coach.
The Marauders lost five of their first 12 games. But they then won 11 straight and 14 of their last 16 to place in their first 3A tournament appearance.
Next year, the team becomes a 4A classification school.