Mike Vlahovich: Salad days greet this crop of GSL girls
Is this the light bulb that flares brightest just before burning out, or is it simply the Greater Spokane League beacon that continues to shine over Washington girls basketball?
Eight GSL players who have made oral commitments to various Division I colleges sent me scurrying to Spokane Stars girls basketball coach Ron Adams to find out if there’d been that many before.
Adams has affected local girls basketball as a clinician and coach of his nationally acclaimed traveling team. “This is the most,” he said. “The other years are not even remotely close.”
That is saying something. Beginning in 1981, with Shadle Park’s second-place state finish, the GSL has produced 14 state-team finalists, including nine champions. Since 1988, when Shadle’s Highlanders won the first GSL title, the league has come to expect a title contender almost annually.
Spokane has had more than its share of college standouts since then.
But Adams is right. Until this year, the most GSL signees from one class were four, in 1985 and 1995.
Things have reached a crescendo this decade as major colleges have clamored to snap up GSL talent. Emily Westerberg (2003), Reagan Pariseau (2004) and Briann January (2005) are at NCAA qualifier Arizona State. Adriane Ferguson (2003) is at WSU, Brynn Kelly (2003) at Davidson. Jami Bjorklund (2005) and Heather Bowman (2006) at Gonzaga University have followed suit.
University’s Angie Bjorklund is the most high-profile of the lot with her decision last year to become a Tennessee Volunteer. Future UW Husky Katelan Redmon is the other big-ticket item heading this year’s incredible numbers game.
Others in the Class of 2007 who will go on to play in college are Nikki Nelson, who played last year at Mead (New Mexico) and is now back at Chewelah; Lyndi Siedensticker, Lewis and Clark (Montana State); Jenna Galloway, Ferris (Northern Arizona), Tara Cronin, Gonzaga Prep (University of Portland), Mead’s Kelli Valentine and Shadle Park’s Lexi Bishop (both Portland State).
The haul doesn’t surprise G-Prep coach Mike Arte. “College coaches ask, ‘Where’s the talent in the GSL?’ ” he said. “It’s still there. It’s spread out more over the league. I’m happy for all of them. They all deserve to go D-I.”
But still, it makes you wonder as you glance through last year’s program to see what the future holds. Is this the GSL’s defining moment? Is it a brilliant flash of light before the bulb inevitably goes dark?
Adams doesn’t think so, although he added by way of caveat that there have never been numbers like this.
He said that Lexie Pedersen from Shadle and Brittany Kennedy at LC will be recruited out of next year’s class. After that it may be a year or two, but his camp has huge numbers among eighth- and ninth-graders who show promise. He predicts that many of the latter will show up on GSL rosters this upcoming season.
“This is a pretty darn good class,” he said. “You don’t know how they will develop between then and now. There will be no Angie for a long, long time and we won’t be as famous. But there are good ninth-graders all over the region who are pretty strong.”
GSL girls basketball has spoiled us for so long, it’s difficult to anticipate anything less than to be the best.