REDMOND MUSTANGS
• Coach: Jeff Larson, 8th season
• Last season: 7-7 4A Kingco Crest Division, 11-12 overall
• Turnout: 50
TOP RETURNERS
• Sr. Jason Harrington, forward: Returning first-team all-Kingco player will be a floor leader.
• Sr. Conner Floan, forward: Big post presence at 6-7, has worked tremendously on his conditioning in the offseason.
• Sr. Leslie Ellis, guard: Returning starter and great ball handler will be running the Mustang backcourt.
• Sr. Peter Hendron, forward: Versatile returning starter also has a nice perimeter jump shot.
KEY NEWCOMERS
• Jr. Kyle Sawtell, guard: Transfer from King’s School (Shoreline), he has a strong basketball I.Q. and led his previous team in scoring as a sophomore.
• Soph. Ryan Thomson, guard: Strong ball handling skills and very mature for a sophomore, will be key part of Mustangs’ future.
KEY GAMES
• Tuesday, Dec. 13 at home vs. Skyline, 7:30 p.m.: Early-season matchup against the big, talented and experienced Spartans will show the Mustangs what they’re made of, and areas they need to improve on.
• Friday, Jan. 20 at home vs. Eastlake, 8 p.m.: The annual Mustangs-Wolves home rivalry matchup is always a sellout crowd, and this year’s game should be another good one.
DID YOU KNOW?
Galen Squiers, a 2007 Redmond graduate and older brother of Andrew Squiers, is currently a senior and playing basketball for St. Martin’s University.
THE OVERLAKE SCHOOL OWLS
• Coach: Justin Prohn, 2nd season
• Last season: 3-9 in 1A Emerald City League, 6-15 overall
• Turnout: 31
TOP RETURNERS
• Sr. Dean Poplawski, guard: Led league in scoring last year at 21.6 ppg, team captain and fourth-year varsity player looks to end his Owl career with a bang.
• Sr. Cameron Lui, guard: Impact guard and third-year letterman has improved steadily every year.
• Sr. Jackson Umberger, wing: Hard worker and most improved player set to have a breakout senior season.
• Soph. Will Spencer, post: Key post player will look to develop further as a player off a good freshman year.
• Jr. Israel Hilerio, guard: Only junior in the varsity program is a very strong defender.
• Srs. Daniel Johnson, guard; Luke Marcoe, post: Pair of upperclassmen add experience and depth.
KEY NEWCOMERS
• Sr. Jacob Gilles, post: Strong post presence will be a key role player for the Owls.
• Soph. Rob Neir, guard: Good ball handler and court vision, will be a leader in future years.
• Sr. Kevin Sample, wing: Much improved player will be a big contributor off the bench.
KEY GAME
• Friday, Dec. 16 at Bellevue Christian, 8 p.m.: The Vikings return most of their team and are always well-coached. This will be a tough test on the road for Overlake heading into the holiday break against the favorite to win the Emerald City League title.
DID YOU KNOW?
Owl senior Dean Poplawski is likely to earn a Varsity letter for every sports season of his high school career (barring injury), and he is currently just 250 points shy of the exclusive 1,000-point club at The Overlake School.
COACH’S CORNER
“Experienced group and great group of kids. Should be an interesting season for us. We like the effort and attitude they demonstrated over the last two weeks. We have no expectations and plan on playing one game at a time this season. We should be a fun team to watch.” – Justin Prohn, Owls’ head coach
THE BEAR CREEK SCHOOL GRIZZLIES
• Coach: Scott Moe, 6th season
• Last season: 12-0 Sea-Tac 2B League, 23-5 overall, third at 2B state tournament
• Turnout: 25
TOP RETURNERS
• Sr. Erik Domas, forward: Big post player has a monster inside game that will help replace graduated Ryan Strandin.
• Sr. Lucas Fernandez, forward: Aggressive down low and a great athlete, will lead by example and through experience.
• Sr. Garrett Benson, guard: Team’s only senior guard looks to step up into leadership role.
• Jr. Gabe Rongve, guard: Very quick, defensive wizard, always a threat to steal and create turnovers.
• Soph. Luke Blankenbeckler, guard: Pure shooting guard will be firing up some threes for the Grizzlies this year.
• Soph. Jesse Leuenberger, guard: Versatile player and very fast, can also shoot well.
KEY NEWCOMERS
• Soph, Collin Feight, guard: Moving up from JV, he will play a big role this year and in the future of the program.
KEY GAME
• Tuesday, Feb. 7 at home vs. Chief Leschi, 8 p.m.: This final regular-season game against the always-tough Warriors will serve as a tune-up for a postseason run.
DID YOU KNOW?
In the past five years, head coach Scott Moe and the Grizzlies have amassed a record of 109-20 (.845) including three state-tournament appearances. The team has won four consecutive Sea-Tac 2B titles.
COACH’S CORNER
“We graduated two all-state players (Lucas Peterson and Ryan Strandin), had a great summer and are expecting great things.” – Scott Moe, Grizzlies’ head coach
