By Nathan Joyce
MaxPreps.com
The state of Washington can match any in the country in terms of quality of basketball prospects.
And this year, those players are showing they can score with the best of them.
The state has seen some high-scoring games in the early going this year, making the state look like as thought it's made up of NBA teams.
Capital beat White River 114-98 two week ago. The Cougars helped themselves by making 22 of 25 free throws.
Topping that game is an early December contest in which Bellarmine Prep beat Narrows League rival Mount Tahoma 111-110 in three overtimes. Avery Bradley led Prep with 52 points in that game.
And the most recent high-scoring affair, Pacific-bound Terrell Smith scored 44 points as Federal Way, ranked near the top of every state poll, blasted Kent-Meridian 119-47.
Smith, a 6-5 guard, has topped 30 points three times and averages better than 30 points per game this season. Smith also scored 26 points as Federal Way beat Mount Rainier 99-80. Mount Rainier was involved in its own triple-digit win when it beat Tyee 100-46 behind the 31 points of Alfie Miller.
Booster Clubs: Stipend Limits Could be on Horizon
The revelation that Bellevue football coach Butch Goncharoff, who has guided the football program to Class 3A state championships five of the last six years, was paid $55,000 by the school's booster club may lead to some rule changes.
The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association's executive board approved an amendment that would require that all extra stipends and gifts for high school coaches be approved by a district school board.
The amendment would have to be approved by the WIAA's general assembly in the spring. The WIAA, the state's governing body of high school sports, created the amendment because of what it called an "overwhelming response" by schools in the state to regulate stipends. Reports of other large stipends haven't been widely reported around the state.
Swimming: Walla Walla's Jones Volunteers
Walla Walla swimmer Carla Jones signed a letter of intent to compete for Tennessee. Jones won the 500 freestyle at the Class 4A state meet last month.
She's not the only state product swimming off to a Division I program.
Erin Holmes of Kamiakin of the Tri-Cities signed with Maryland. Holmes was second in the 500 free at the Class 3A state meet.
Madison Rousell of South Kitsap in Port Orchard signed with UNLV. Rousell has won four state titles.
Basketball: Gray Closing in on West Sound Mark
Steven Gray, Bainbridge's All-State 6-4 guard is just 24 points away from breaking the career scoring record for the West Puget Sound area.
Gray, who committed to Gonzaga before his junior season, has scored 1,936 points for the Spartans, ranked No. 2 in the state. The area record is 1,959 by Sequim's Ryan Kaps, set from 1985-89. Kaps played collegiately at Washington and Weber State.
The state record 2,851 set by Lance Den Boer of Sunnyside Christian in 2003.