Depth down the line
So much for suspense.
Freeman earned a berth in the State 1A boys basketball tournament Saturday, 10 days before the tournament tips off in Yakima’s SunDome. While most teams are battling down to the wire to gain a state berth, the Scotties already have their reservations made and their travel plans set.
“It’s good to have it all wrapped up,” Freeman coach Mike Thacker said. “But at the same time, I’d almost rather be playing. I think that keeps you sharp.”
A change in the state playoff system sends two teams directly from the District 7 1A tournament – a fancy name for the Northeast A League tournament – without having to play in a regional tourney. In years past, the Northeast A would play off with the Caribou Trail League in a regional tournament.
“The Caribou Trail League pulled out and we figured we were going to be left with just one state berth,” Thacker said. “But the rules say that the second-place team in a district tournament must have a chance to earn a state berth, and we notified the Caribou Trail League folks that we intended to appeal under that rule, but they didn’t care.”
Following the appeal, state playoff allocations gave the NEA two state berths this season, with Freeman and Colfax claiming state berths in both boys and girls basketball. Next year, the league will have one berth.
For Thacker and the Freeman boys, it’s a seventh straight trip to state in quest of a sixth consecutive trophy – a reasonable expectation for the No. 2-ranked team in the state according to the latest Associated Press poll.
“I’ve heard it said that you win championships with seniors, and I tend to believe that,” Thacker said. “We’ve got seven seniors on this team, and they’re all quality athletes and quality basketball players.”
Two players on the Scotties’ roster already have earned regional honors for their athletic prowess. Senior post Dan Sanders earned the Ray Flaherty Award from Inland Northwest Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame. Senior guard Kevin Hatch was named junior athlete of the year at the 27th Annual Spokane Regional Sports Commission’s Sports Awards Luncheon. Both awards were for football, where the two led Freeman to the State 1A championship game.
Both players were integral in helping Freeman reach last year’s semifinal round in Yakima, where the Scotties, with just one senior on the squad, fell to eventual champion Brewster.
Thacker calls this year’s squad the deepest of any team he’s taken to state.
“I’m playing 10 kids a game,” he said. “The kid with the least amount of minutes per game is still averaging seven or eight minutes per game. I told the kids that, since this team was so deep, they couldn’t count their playing time based on any single game – or any two or three or five games. They were going to have to play the season and then look back to see their playing time.”
Seniors Malcolm Soelberg, the team’s leading scorer (16 points per game), point guard Jason Bailey and Sanders each played significant minutes in the past two state tournaments. Seniors Jordan Carrell, Shane Lewis and Bryan Riggs are veterans of last year’s tournament squad.
One surprise element on the squad has been the emergence of 6-foot-5 freshman DeAngelo Casto, who has averaged just less than seven points per game and, with a 7-foot wingspan, added a shot-blocking threat inside.
Freeman experience powered the Scotties to a 20-2 record, with only a seeding game with Colfax on Friday at West Valley (with a possible second game Saturday if Colfax upsets the Scotties) before the state tournament tips off Wednesday.
Freeman’s only two losses occurred on the road, against Lakeside-Nine Mile Falls and at Pullman, while several members of the team were in the state football playoffs.
“Any time kids have the chance to play in a state championship like that, it’s a plus,” Thacker said. “That was great experience for them, and I think it was a positive for us.”