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The Great Northwest
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By Sean Marsh
7/23/05
Nate Robinson
In the late 80s and early 90s, a revolution occurred in the Great Northwest. With the outbreak of grunge bands such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains, the city of Seattle created a new style of music, and in the process made a name for itself.
Now about 15 years later, Seattle and the state of Washington is showcasing itself on an entirely different platform. The Great Northwest has gone from being the birthplace of grunge to a hotbed of hoops.
In the most recent NBA draft, two of the top six picks had roots in the Seattle area. Marvin Williams was only one year removed from dominating high school basketball in Bremerton, some 60 miles outside of Seattle. Martell Webster was drafted #6 by the Portland Trailblazers after graduating from Seattle Prep High School less than a month before the draft. Even little (in size only) Nate Robinson, the 5-9 guard from the University of Washington was drafted in the first round by the Phoenix Suns and quickly traded to the Knicks in the Quentin Richardson/Kurt Thomas deal.
According to most scouting services, six of the nation's top 150 high school players came out of the state of Washington. Three of those players committed to the University of Washington, although Martell Webster ended up choosing the NBA over the Dawgs.
The other two, Jon Brockman and Artem Wallace were ranked in the top 50 in most national scouting reports. The remaining three are in everybody's top 150 are all scheduled to attend top-notch basketball programs. Micah Downs (considered by some a top 20-30 prospect) will join another Seattle product and potential NBA first-rounder CJ Giles at Kansas, while Marcus Williams and Terrance Williams (no relation) will go to Arizona and Louisville, respectfully. In addition, incoming senior Spencer Hawes (Webster's former teammate at Seattle Prep) is suddenly in everybody's top five and has his choice of all the best programs in the nation.
Meanwhile, on the college front, the University of Washington and Gonzaga University have turned themselves into basketball powerhouses. Under Lorenzo Romar, the Huskies received their first ever #1 seed in the 2005 NCAA tournament. With recruiting classes like this year's, they should remain among the college hoops elite for years to come. In addition to the big-time recruits mentioned earlier, the Huskies also landed highly-touted Harvey Perry out of Brewster Academy in New Hampshire and super-quick guard Justin Dentmon out of Winchendon Academy in Massachusetts. Throw in Ryan Appelby, a transfer from the University of Florida, the Huskies have tremendous potential and should be among the elite in the Pac-10 throughout the decade.
Gonzaga, on the other hand, has turned itself from loveable underdog into a national powerhouse over the last ten years. Mark Few, one of the nation's finest coaches, elected to stay at Gonzaga in 2002 and is building a legacy in Spokane, Washington. They built a brand new, state-of-the-art arena, appropriately named the Kennel that sells out no matter who their opponent is. They have one of the top 10 players in the country in Adam Morrison and an up-and-coming point guard in Derek Raivio. These stars are expected to lead them back to the Big Dance for the 8th consecutive year.
So what does this mean? What's in the coffee in the Great Northwest that is turning Seattle into a basketball metropolis? Many believe that an emerging AAU system and some very good coaches have sparked an area that always had potential to churn out great basketball players. After all, former Washington natives Jason Terry, Michael Dickerson, Jamal Crawford, Doug Christie, Luke Ridnour, and Dan Dickau have all had their share of success in the NBA. But why does it seem that, in recent years, the Seattle area talent pool has expanded at a rate never before seen in the Northwest?
Jon Brockman
Is it the much-improved AAU programs in the area? Seattle's Friends of Hoop is now nationally recognized as one of the top AAU teams in the nation year in and year out. Of course, some of that success may be a result of having one of the top AAU coaches in the country in Jim Marsh. Marsh had a brief stint with the Trailblazers in the early 70s and also coached at the University of Utah for 8 years. But many believe success in AAU largely depends on who is out on the floor. It is quite possible that the success of Friends of Hoop has had a trickle-down effect on the entire Seattle area AAU program. More kids working harder to make the team and reap the benefits result in better secondary teams from the kids who just fall short of Friends of Hoop and so on.
Many people point to the population increase in the state of Washington. According to recent census information, Washington's population has more than doubled between 1960 and 2004.
The numbers would suggest that because there has been a population boom in the Northwest that there are bound to be more gifted athletes. But can numbers alone really transform a city from a virtual basketball wasteland to a hoops haven?
Then there is the success of professional teams and how that may translate into a greater love for the game, perhaps spawning a generation of basketball junkies. From 1992-1996 the Seattle Supersonics compiled an incredible 239-89 record. They made the Western Conference twice in four years and lost to the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls in six games in the '96 NBA Finals. In 1996, most of the studs of the 2005 class were around 8 or 9 years old. Could the success of their hometown team fuel their love for the game and ultimately be the springboard to their own success on the hardwood?
Whatever the case may be, the Northwest basketball scene seems to be growing and doesn't look to be slowing down anytime soon. With the high possibility of the aforementioned Bulldog Adam Morrison and Husky Brandon Roy as future NBA draft picks and the emergence of potential stars such as Spencer Hawes and Deangelo Jones, the state of Washington basketball is in great hands. While bands such as Pearl Jam and Nirvana still get massive play on the radio 15 years after their emergence, you have to wonder will the hoops scene in Seattle have that same kind of staying power? Whether or not it lasts is up for debate, but I think Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder would agree that basketball in the Great Northwest is most definitely "Alive."
The Great Northwest
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Sean Marsh
7/23/05
Nate Robinson
In the late 80s and early 90s, a revolution occurred in the Great Northwest. With the outbreak of grunge bands such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains, the city of Seattle created a new style of music, and in the process made a name for itself.
Now about 15 years later, Seattle and the state of Washington is showcasing itself on an entirely different platform. The Great Northwest has gone from being the birthplace of grunge to a hotbed of hoops.
In the most recent NBA draft, two of the top six picks had roots in the Seattle area. Marvin Williams was only one year removed from dominating high school basketball in Bremerton, some 60 miles outside of Seattle. Martell Webster was drafted #6 by the Portland Trailblazers after graduating from Seattle Prep High School less than a month before the draft. Even little (in size only) Nate Robinson, the 5-9 guard from the University of Washington was drafted in the first round by the Phoenix Suns and quickly traded to the Knicks in the Quentin Richardson/Kurt Thomas deal.
According to most scouting services, six of the nation's top 150 high school players came out of the state of Washington. Three of those players committed to the University of Washington, although Martell Webster ended up choosing the NBA over the Dawgs.
The other two, Jon Brockman and Artem Wallace were ranked in the top 50 in most national scouting reports. The remaining three are in everybody's top 150 are all scheduled to attend top-notch basketball programs. Micah Downs (considered by some a top 20-30 prospect) will join another Seattle product and potential NBA first-rounder CJ Giles at Kansas, while Marcus Williams and Terrance Williams (no relation) will go to Arizona and Louisville, respectfully. In addition, incoming senior Spencer Hawes (Webster's former teammate at Seattle Prep) is suddenly in everybody's top five and has his choice of all the best programs in the nation.
Meanwhile, on the college front, the University of Washington and Gonzaga University have turned themselves into basketball powerhouses. Under Lorenzo Romar, the Huskies received their first ever #1 seed in the 2005 NCAA tournament. With recruiting classes like this year's, they should remain among the college hoops elite for years to come. In addition to the big-time recruits mentioned earlier, the Huskies also landed highly-touted Harvey Perry out of Brewster Academy in New Hampshire and super-quick guard Justin Dentmon out of Winchendon Academy in Massachusetts. Throw in Ryan Appelby, a transfer from the University of Florida, the Huskies have tremendous potential and should be among the elite in the Pac-10 throughout the decade.
Gonzaga, on the other hand, has turned itself from loveable underdog into a national powerhouse over the last ten years. Mark Few, one of the nation's finest coaches, elected to stay at Gonzaga in 2002 and is building a legacy in Spokane, Washington. They built a brand new, state-of-the-art arena, appropriately named the Kennel that sells out no matter who their opponent is. They have one of the top 10 players in the country in Adam Morrison and an up-and-coming point guard in Derek Raivio. These stars are expected to lead them back to the Big Dance for the 8th consecutive year.
So what does this mean? What's in the coffee in the Great Northwest that is turning Seattle into a basketball metropolis? Many believe that an emerging AAU system and some very good coaches have sparked an area that always had potential to churn out great basketball players. After all, former Washington natives Jason Terry, Michael Dickerson, Jamal Crawford, Doug Christie, Luke Ridnour, and Dan Dickau have all had their share of success in the NBA. But why does it seem that, in recent years, the Seattle area talent pool has expanded at a rate never before seen in the Northwest?
Jon Brockman
Is it the much-improved AAU programs in the area? Seattle's Friends of Hoop is now nationally recognized as one of the top AAU teams in the nation year in and year out. Of course, some of that success may be a result of having one of the top AAU coaches in the country in Jim Marsh. Marsh had a brief stint with the Trailblazers in the early 70s and also coached at the University of Utah for 8 years. But many believe success in AAU largely depends on who is out on the floor. It is quite possible that the success of Friends of Hoop has had a trickle-down effect on the entire Seattle area AAU program. More kids working harder to make the team and reap the benefits result in better secondary teams from the kids who just fall short of Friends of Hoop and so on.
Many people point to the population increase in the state of Washington. According to recent census information, Washington's population has more than doubled between 1960 and 2004.
The numbers would suggest that because there has been a population boom in the Northwest that there are bound to be more gifted athletes. But can numbers alone really transform a city from a virtual basketball wasteland to a hoops haven?
Then there is the success of professional teams and how that may translate into a greater love for the game, perhaps spawning a generation of basketball junkies. From 1992-1996 the Seattle Supersonics compiled an incredible 239-89 record. They made the Western Conference twice in four years and lost to the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls in six games in the '96 NBA Finals. In 1996, most of the studs of the 2005 class were around 8 or 9 years old. Could the success of their hometown team fuel their love for the game and ultimately be the springboard to their own success on the hardwood?
Whatever the case may be, the Northwest basketball scene seems to be growing and doesn't look to be slowing down anytime soon. With the high possibility of the aforementioned Bulldog Adam Morrison and Husky Brandon Roy as future NBA draft picks and the emergence of potential stars such as Spencer Hawes and Deangelo Jones, the state of Washington basketball is in great hands. While bands such as Pearl Jam and Nirvana still get massive play on the radio 15 years after their emergence, you have to wonder will the hoops scene in Seattle have that same kind of staying power? Whether or not it lasts is up for debate, but I think Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder would agree that basketball in the Great Northwest is most definitely "Alive."
