The 17th annual Northwest Shootout, which pits the best basketball players (boys and girls) from Washington versus Oregon, is Saturday at the University of Portland.
You can see the rosters here. Washington swept the series the last two years.
Oregon's boys have won 10 of the 16 meetings, but the Washington girls have won nine of the 16.
2. Steele highlights Hall class: Blanchet product Joe Steele, who helped Washington win the 1978 Rose Bowl, leads the 2010 Washington Interscholastic Hall of Fame class. Also named to the class is Tom Gorman (Seattle Prep, 1964), who won three tennis titles; Jeanne Eggart Helfer (Walla Walla, 1977), who won a state javelin title and three state basketball titles; and Rick Noji (Fanklin, 1985), who set the state high jump title at 7 feet, 4 inches. You can see the whole class here.
3. Hairston returns to sideline at O'Dea: Al Hairston is making his return to the sidelines, replacing the late Phil Lumpkin. Hairston, who is the Seattle school districts athletic director, won five state titles at Garfield (Seattle) from 1980 to 1991. He won eight titles in the rugged Metro League. Lumpkin, who won five state titles at O'Dea, was found dead in his apartment before the season. Jerry Carr coached the season on an interim basis. 
Joshua Smith, Kentwood
File photo by Dennis Lee
4. Smith shines at All-American game: Kentwood's Joshua Smith, who won a state title and was named state player of the year, scored 10 points and hauled in six rebounds and helped the West to a 107-104 win over the East in the McDonald's All-American Game in Columbus, Ohio. The 6-foot-9 Smith has signed with UCLA.
5. Football all-star game on horizon: The rosters for the annual East-West All-State Football Game have been released. The game is June 26 at the Everett Memorial Stadium. You can see the rosters here.
Top five performers
1. Maddie Meyers, Northwest track and field: The sophomore won the mile at the prestigious Arcadia Invitational in Los Angeles. She won the race in 4 minutes, 50.72 seconds.
2. Drew Vettleson, Central Kitsap (Silverdale): The Oregon State-bound senior, one of the top prospects in the state, fanned 15 in a recent no-hitter.
3. Austin Denton, Marysville-Pilchuck (Marysville): Denton, who was 4 for 7, had a bases-clearing double in the 16th inning to give the Tomahawks a 7-4 win over Monroe.
4. Brent Campbell Ballard (Seattle): Had three goals and two assists as his team beat Blanchet 5-0.
5. Erika Smyth Kentlake (Kent): Smyth went 4 for 5 and stole five bases as Kentlake beat Kent-Meridian 15-0.
Upcoming events
There's some must-see softball down south in the Vancouver area. Wednesday, Kelso (5-0), the defending Class 4A state champs, faces Union (7-0), the top-ranked Class 3A team in the state.
Recruiting news
North Thurston (Lacey) third baseman Casey Mets is hoping to play baseball at the Air Force Academy, possibly as a walk-on. ... Kingston guard Roy Swearingen will play football at NAIA Waldorf College in Forest City, Iowa. He's the fifth player from the county to play at Waldorf. ... Olympic bowler Liza Ambrose, who finished fourth at the Class 3A/2A state tournament, has a scholarship to NAIA William Penn.
Nate's notes
Earlier I mentioned Rick Noji, who set the state high jump record in 1984 at 7-4. Incredible. To me, there is no more impressive event in all of sports than the high jump. How an athlete can walk up to a bar, and for the best that bar is above their head, and say, 'I’m going to put my whole body above that bar,' blows my mind.
Washington has some of the nation’s top high jumpers this year, led by defending Class 4A state champ Kasen Williams. The Skyline junior, who is the state’s top receiving prospect, is tied for the state’s best mark at 6-11 along with Mead (Spokane)'s A.J. Maricich. With a handful of jumpers capable of hitting 7 feet, this will be the event to watch at the state meet.
Nathan Joyce has been a sportswriter in Washington for 12 years. He works at the Kitsap Sun in Bremerton.
