By Nathan Joyce
Maxpreps.com
Basketball: Hawes Headlines Romar's U-18 Squad
Spencer Hawes will make a trip to San Antonio before he lands on the University of Washington campus next fall.
The 7-foot Hawes, one of the top basketball prospects in the nation, landed a spot on the Team USA Under-18 squad.
Hawes is one of 12 players to make the team, which was finalized Monday.
The team will compete in the FIBA Americas U-18 Championship for Men, which begins Wednesday in San Antonio. The US opens against Uruguay. The top four finishers at the FIBA Americas U-18 Championship automatically qualify for next year's U-19 World Championship.
The United States is 25-1 all-time in the junior qualifiers, having won the gold medal in 1990, 1994 and 1998. Team USA settled for bronze in 2002.
The US team is coached by University of Washington men's basketball coach Lorenzo Romar. Hawes, who could have been a lottery pick in this week's NBA draft had it not been for the change in draft rules, will play for Romar at Washington.
Making the team caps a huge senior season for the big man. Hawes led Seattle Prep to the Class 3A state championship and was the consensus state player of the year.
Joining the Seattle big man on the U-18 squad will be Jerryd Bayless (St. Mary's, Ariz.), Michael Beasley (Oak Hill Academy, Va.), Chris Allen (Meadowcreek, Ga.), Johnny Flynn (Niagara Falls, N.Y.), Donte Greene (Towson Catholic, Md.), Taylor King (Mater Dei, Calif.), Stanley Robinson (Huffman, Ala.), Kyle Singler (South Medford, Ore.), Nolan Smith (Oak Hill Academy, Va.), DaJuan Summers (McDonogh School, Md.), and Lance Thomas (St. Benedict's, N.J.).
Baseball: Snider a Rich Man
Travis Snider, the 14th pick in baseball's amateur draft, signed with the Toronto Blue Jays a day after his high school graduation.
Snider, the Class 4A state player of the year who guided Jackson of Mill Creek to an undefeated season and a state title, picked the Blue Jays over a scholarship to Arizona State.
Snider, who hit .500 with 11 home runs, received a $1.7 million signing bonus.
Snider is supposed to start his career with Toronto's rookie league team in Pulaski, Va.
His first purchases with that money? He bought his mother a townhouse and himself a black Cadillac Escalade.
Athletics: Another High School Stadium Sponsor?
Although the professional stadiums in Washington have sold their naming rights - Qwest Field (Seahawks), Safeco Field (Mariners), KeyArena (Sonics) - high school venues with corporate names are rare.
Though it looks like that might be changing.
The Shoreline School District has approved selling the naming rights to Shoreline Stadium.
Shoreline isn't the first school to sell naming rights. Sumner sold the name of its stadium and now goes by Sunset Chev Field after the local auto dealership.
District athletic director Don Dalziel told the Seattle Times a sponsorship deal would add revenue to pay for district athletic programs. He said administrators now also have the green light to explore other revenue possibilities such as signage at baseball fields.
Extra Points
Quarterback Jake Gelakoska, a senior to be at Jackson, committed to play for Oregon State. The 6-foot-4, 215-pounder was a first-team All-WesCo South Division selection last year as a junior after passing for 1,938 yards and 17 touchdowns.Bob Lucey, who has been a highly successful football coach at Curtis of University Place near Tacoma for the last 30 years, has decided this will be his last season. Lucey is 119-114 with four state titles. He is 21st on the state's all-time win list.