As the high school football season approaches, all eyes in the state of Washington are on nationally-ranked Skyline of Sammamish. The Spartans are riding a 28-game win streak and feature Brigham Young verbal Jake Heaps at quarterback and super junior Kasen Williams at wide receiver.
But a pair of blue chip basketball prospects from the Evergreen State grabbed some of Skyline’s preseason headlines this week with stunning announcements reported by Puget Sound prep guru Sandy Ringer of the Seattle Times.
Tony Wroten Jr., Garfield (Seattle, Wash.)
Photo by Jim Redman
Kentwood senior Josh Smith and Garfield junior Tony Wroten Jr. – blue chip hoopsters in their respective classes – will both play football for the first time in their high school careers this fall.
Smith, a 6-foot-9, 275-pound post pegged as the No. 6 prospect in the class of 2010 by MaxPreps – will play offensive tackle for the Conquerors after posting 24 points and 14 rebounds per game as a junior for the school’s basketball team.
“It’s his senior year,” Smith’s father, Ernest, told the Seattle Times. “I told him to go for it.”
Wroten has been on the radar since junior high for his exploits on the hardwood, but is expected to give wide receiver and defensive back a go for the Bulldogs on the gridiron.
“This is like Christmas morning in August,” Garfield head coach Anthony Allen told Ringer.
The Times also reported that the two schools are close to locking down an arrangement that will showcase Smith vs. Wroten in an ESPN-televised basketball game in December.
MARSHALL COUNTY HOOPFEST
The Marshall County Hoopfest – one of the nation’s premier early-season hoops festivals – has announced its lineup for Dec. 3-5 at Marshall County High School’s Reed Conder Gymnasium in Benton, Ky.
Among the out-of-state participants are defending national champion Findlay Prep of Nevada, Virginia’s Oak Hill Academy, Indiana’s Bowman Academy, Mississippi’s Calloway High School and North Carolina’s Christ School.
Kentucky squads include defending state champion Holmes of Covington, Lexington Catholic and Jeffersontown of Louisville.
Complete lineup;
Ricardo Johnson (33) and Elijah Pittman (24), Holmes (Covington, Ky.)
Photo by Wayne Litmer
5 p.m. – Marshall County (Benton, Ky.) vs. Massac County (Metropolis, Ill.), Girls
6:30 p.m. – Marshall County (Benton, Ky.) vs. Massac County (Metropolis, Ill.)
8 p.m. – Graves County (Mayfield, Ky.) vs. Muhlenberg County (Greenville, Ky.)
Friday, Dec. 4
5 p.m. – Marshall County (Benton, Ky.) vs. McLean County (Calhoun, Ky.), Girls
6:30 p.m. – Christian County (Hopkinsville, Ky.) vs. Althoff Catholic (Belleville, Ill.)
8 p.m. – South Laurel (London, Ky.) vs. Bowman Academy (Gary, Ind.)
9:30 p.m. – Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) vs. Christ School (Arden, N.C.)
Saturday, Dec. 5
Noon – Paducah Tilghman (Paducah, Ky.) vs. Perry County Central (Hazard, Ky.)
1:30 p.m. – Lexington Catholic (Lexington, Ky.) vs. Warren Central (Bowling Green, Ky.)
3 p.m. – Jeffersontown (Louisville, Ky.) vs. South Laurel (London, Ky.)
4:30 p.m. – Christ School (Arden, N.C.) vs. St. Patrick (Biloxi, Miss.)
6:30 p.m. – Holmes (Covington, Ky.) vs. Bowman Academy (Gary, Ind.)
8:00 p.m. – Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) vs. Calloway (Jackson, Miss.)
9:30 p.m. – Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) vs. Our Savior New American (Centereach, N.Y.)
CITY-SUBURBAN SHOWDOWN
The lineup for the McDonald’s City-Suburban Showdown, scheduled for Feb. 20, 2010 at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, Ill., was also finalized this week.
The event will feature a tripleheader for the first time. Chicago Catholic school programs Mount Carmel and St. Patrick will open the festivities at 4:30 p.m. Both teams feature Top 100 talents from the class of 2011 with Mount Carmel guard Tracy Abrams and St. Patrick wing Jacob Williams.
Always-tough Simeon faces De La Salle in the second game. Dayton verbal commitment Brandon Spearman is the headliner for Simeon, while De La Salle’s 6-8 Michael Shaw is regarded as one of Illinois’ top juniors.
The 8:30 p.m. finale is a rematch of last season’s 4A championship game pitting Waukegan and Whitney Young. Waukegan is led Illinois commitment Jereme Richmond (No. 29 nationally in class of 2010). Whitney Young will be deep and talented once again in defense of its state title with guard Ahmad Starks (5-9, Sr., Oregon State verbal), Anthony Johnson (6-4, Sr., Purdue verbal), Samuel Thompson (6-6, Jr.), Jermaine Morgan (6-8, So.) and highly-touted 6-8 freshman Thomas Hamilton Jr. (6-8).
ALSO
Miller School (Charlottesville, Va.) standout Mychal Parker gave Maryland its third Top 100 commitment in the class of 2010 Thursday. Parker, a 6-6 wing ranked No. 62 nationally by MaxPreps, helped Miller to a 26-3 record a year ago. A little over half of MaxPreps.com’s Top 100 rising senior (54) have made verbal commitments. … Pennsylvania Class AAAA second team All-State selection Evan Pierce has committed to Wagner College. Pierce averaged over 20 points per game as a junior at Mt. Lebanon High School in Pittsburgh, Pa.
