MaxPreps 2012 Preseason Xcellent 25 basketball preview: No. 7 Rainier Beach

Stocked with talented juniors and sophomores, Rainier Beach (Seattle) captured Washington's Class 3A state title last March by beating Metro League rival Seattle Prep in the final.

The attention immediately turned to 2012-13, where state tournament MVP MarQuis Davis – who poured in 30 points in the championship game – would headline Beach's bid for a seventh state title since 1988.

But the expectations were really raised in the fall when 6-foot-7 shooting guard Shaqquan Aaron – formerly of Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) – showed up at Rainier Beach on the first day of school. Aaron is regarded as the No. 11 overall prospect in the Class of 2014 player rankings.

The Vikings went from being a state power with hopes of breaking into the national rankings to a team with a huge target on its back.



"The guys have really welcomed him with open arms," coach Mike Bethea said of his team's reception of the former Southern California kid. "Just the way he gets along with everybody, you would think he grew up with these guys. They have been inseperable."

Aaron will join 6-6 senior Djuan Piper to give the Vikings perhaps the longest pair of wings in America.

Bethea shouldn't have any problems motivating his team. The basketball fraternity at Rainier Beach is a special one and many of the former players have been in the ear of the current Vikings. Lodrick and Rodrick Stewart (twin brothers who keyed Beach's back-to-back titles in 2002 and 2003), C.J. Giles and even Mr. Olympia bodybuilder Phil Heath check in regularly.

"They got the message through to them that the target on their back is going to be real big," Bethea said. "We have a saying about bleeding orange and blue and all those guys personify that. They call two or three times a week."

Beach's quest to repeat begins Dec. 4 with a home game against Metro League foe Ingraham.

Rainier Beach's last five years
2011-12 – 27-3 (Mike Bethea), Class 3A state champions
2010-11 – 17-7 (Mike Bethea)
2009-10 – 23-5 (Mike Bethea)
2008-09 – 18-11 (Mike Bethea)
2007-08 – 29-1 (Mike Bethea), Class 3A state champions



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Classification/Division:
WIAA Class 3A

Enrollment:
317

Head coach:
Mike Bethea (19th year as head coach, all at Rainier Beach)

Career record:
405-106, Class 3A state titles in 1998, 2002-03, 2008, 2012

Former Vikings playing college/pro basketball:
Doug Christie (Played in NBA from 1992 to 2007), Jamal Crawford (Los Angeles Clippers), Aaron Dotson (Utah), C.J. Giles (Bahrain Basketball Association), Michael Ladd (Washington State), Reggie Moore (led Pac-12 in assists at Washington State in 2011-12), Nate Robinson (Chicago Bulls), Hikeem Stewart (Washington), Lodrick Stewart (former USC standout), Rodrick Stewart (former USC, Kansas standout), Terrence Williams (Sacramento Kings)

Other notable alumni:
Phil Heath (bodybuilder, Mr. Olympia 2011-12), Alameda Ta'amu (Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle)



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Key returners:

MarQuis Davis (5-9, Sr., G), 2012 Class 3A state tournament MVP

Djuan Piper (6-6, Sr., G/F)

Will Dorsey (5-9, Sr., G)

Elijah Foster (6-6, Jr., F)



Naim Ladd (5-8, Jr., G)

Fuquan Niles (6-9, Sr., F)

Newcomers:

Shaqquan Aaron (6-7, Jr., G), No. 11 overall prospect in Class of 2014

Circle the date:
Metro League grudge matches against rivals like Franklin are always a big deal in Seattle, but fans are already anticipating Beach's showdown with Bothell at the King Holiday Hoopfest on Jan. 21. The Vikings will enter the season as the state's top-ranked 3A team while Bothell – led by UCLA commit Zach LaVine and 6-foot-8 junior Josh Martin – will be in the conversation for the No. 1 ranking in 4A.

Tournament time:
Rainier Beach will get its opportunity to make a major national statement in late December at the MaxPreps Holiday Classic. The field will be well-stocked in Palm Springs, Calif., including preseason national No. 2 Fort Bend Travis (Richmond, Texas), four-time defending Georgia AAAA state champ Miller Grove (Lithonia) and Loyola (Los Angeles).



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