Roy, Sizemore and Locker among Evergreen State standouts in the past 10 years.
Kellen Moore, Prosser
File photo by Richard Rector
1. Brandon Roy (Garfield, 2002): Roy keeps getting better and better. After his career at Garfield, where he flirted with going straight to the NBA, he went to Washington. As a senior, he averaged 20.2 points, earned All-American honors and led the Huskies to a second straight Sweet 16 showing at the NCAA tournament. The Portland Trail Blazers took him sixth in the 2006 NBA draft. He earned Rookie of the Year honors and has been a reserve for the last two All-Star Games.
2. Marvin Williams (Bremerton, 2004): Had as memorable an 18-month span as any athlete the state has ever known. He became the first player from Kitsap County to earn McDonald’s All-American honors. Williams went on to North Carolina where he and the Tar Heels won the NCAA title in 2005 as Williams gave UNC the lead with a left-handed tip-in with 1:28 remaining (and earned the cover EA Sport’s College Hoops 2K6). He left Carolina after his freshman season and was the second pick in the 2005 NBA draft, the highest any player from the state has been drafted. He’s averaged 12.3 points and 5.5 rebounds for the Hawks as they’ve gone from NBA doormat to contender.
3. Grady Sizemore (Cascade, 2000): Sizemore was a three-sport star at the Everett school. He was the Bruins’ career rushing leader when he graduated with 3,081 yards and he signed to play football at Washington. But he opted for baseball when the Montreal Expos took him in the third round of the 2000 draft. The Cleveland Indians acquired him in a trade in 2002, and he’s been a star. He’s made All-Star teams, competed in Home Run Derbies and hit .275 with 129 homers.
4. Nate Robinson (Rainier Beach, 2002): Though short (he’s listed at 5-foot-7), he’s accomplished a lot in a tall-person’s game thanks to his freakish athleticism. In high school, he led the Vikings to a state title averaging 18 points, seven rebounds and seven assists per game. He still holds the state record in the 110 high hurdles. But he went to the University of Washington on a football scholarship and played cornerback (and made a memorable interception in the Apple Cup as the Huskies upset No. 3 Washington State). He left the football team for the basketball team where he helped the Huskies to back-to-back Sweet 16 finishes at the NCAA tournament. He was first-round pick (No. 21) of the New York Knicks in 2005. He wrapped up the decade by winning the Slam Dunk Competition (dressing in green “KryptoNATE” colors to counter Dwight Howard’s Superman theme) in February.
5. Jonathan Stewart (Timberline, 2005): Stewart is the state’s career rushing leader (7,755 yards, 95 touchdowns) and was All-American after his senior. He went onto Oregon where he earned All-Pac-10 honors as a junior after rushing for 1,722 yards. The Carolina Panthers took him with the 13th pick of the 2008 NFL draft. He rushed for 836 yards and 10 touchdowns as a rookie and has been slowed by injuries this season.
6. Kellen Moore (Prosser, 2007): Rewrote the state record book for a quarterback. He passed for 4,600 yards as a junior and threw 67 touchdowns passes a senior. For his career, he passed for 11,367 yards, 173 touchdowns and 34 interceptions. He became a starter at Boise State as a redshirt freshman in 2008 and led the Broncos to an undefeated regular season (they lost to Texas Christian in the Poinsettia Bowl). He passed for 3,486 yards, 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. As a sophomore, he led the nation in quarterback rating (167.3) threw a school-record 39 touchdowns passes (to just three interceptions) and threw for 3,325 yards and led the Broncos to another 13-0 regular season.
7. Angie Bjorklund (University, 2007): The 6-footer out of Spokane earned All-American honors as a senior after averaging 25.8 points, 10.1 points and 5.4 assists for the Titans as they finished second at the state tournament. She went onto Tennessee where she was named Southeastern Conference Rookie of the Year as she started 30 games and averaged 8.4 points and 3.2 rebounds as the Vols won the NCAA title. As a sophomore, she was a second-team All-SEC pick after averaging 11.4 points per game.
8. Jake Locker (Ferndale, 2006): Locker led Ferndale to a Class 3A state football title in 2005 after passing for 1,603 yards and 25 touchdowns and rushing for 1,339 yards and 24 more TDs. He earned All-American honors before heading to Washington, where he’s been the key figure as the Huskies try to return to national prominence. After a junior season where he passed for 2,800 and 21 touchdowns, Locker is considered to be one of the top quarterback prospects in the NFL draft. Locker announced Monday he would return for his senior season.
9. Briann January (Lewis & Clark, 2005): January was All-State in basketball and a state champ in the high jump at the Spokane school. She went on to play Arizona State, where she earned Pac-10 defensive player of the year honors as a junior and senior. She is the school’s all-time assist leader. She was the sixth pick by the Indiana Fever in the 2009 WNBA draft and became the team’s starting point guard as a rookie and averaged 10.6 points and three assists per game.
10. Nathan Adrian (Bremerton, 2006): Set the state record in the 100 freestyle and won two state titles as a senior. He committed to California-Berkeley, where he still swims. He won a gold medal at the Beijing Olympics after swimming the prelims and semifinals 400 free relay. He also won the 50 and 100 free at the 2009 national championships. Considered one of the nation’s top up-and-coming swimmers.
