King Showcase: Kittitas vs. Kentlake (5 Takeaways)

Nars Martinez

January 22, 2019 @ 01:31 PM

The ShoWare Center of Kent was home of the King Showcase and featured a matchup between two time State Champion Kittitas and hometown team Kentlake. The arena got a little more filled to see the Gonzaga signee, 6’1 G Brock Ravet, of Kittitas High School. Both teams came into the game with no player over 6’4, so the size and length on the floor was not necessarily imposing, but both teams competed. Kittitas (2B) ended up winning big over Eastlake (4A) thanks to 30 points from Ravet.   5 Takeaways: Brock Ravet is an underrated passer The Gonzaga signee is known for his basketball IQ and shooting ability, but he displayed elite ability to hit the open man with some flare as well. His ability to thread the needle and create opportunities is impressive. His ability to distribute will suit him well at the next level, as it is more difficult to score among the trees at the Division 1 level.   Kentlake plays with some fire The Falcons have multiple high energy players that love to compete. 2020 6’4 F Jaleel Walton is an undersized forward, but he has good athleticism and plays with an edge. He brings a shot blocking presence for Kentlake. 2020 5’9 G Jalen Taylor is a defensive-oriented player that looks to make aggressive plays on offense as well. 2019 G Michael Alor is listed at 5’9, but is probably closer to 5’6. He competes on every single possession, jumping for rebounds with much taller opponents. They do not possess a lot of offensive fire power, but they hung in tough with Kittitas for the first half, thanks to their hustle.   Kentlake Freshman Colin Eversole is a player to watch moving forward One player that I came away impressed with was 2022 6’4 W Colin Eversole. He competes for rebounds, possess decent length and fits right in at the varsity level. If he keep growing and expanding on his perimeter skills, then he will be a solid college prospect in time.   Kittitas plays an unselfish brand of basketball Brock Ravet is known for his scoring prowess, but as mentioned above, he moves the ball well. Playing unselfish basketball is contagious. 2019 6’2 F Caleb Harris is the recipient of many drop off and he finishes them at a good rate. They do a great job of running the floor and advancing the ball ahead on the break. Their drive and kicks for threes hit at a good percentage as well. When everyone is involved and they’re hitting open shots, it will be difficult for many 2B teams to compete with them.   Some small schools can compete with bigger schools The debate of small versus big schools happens every year. Unfortunately, we don't get too many great matchups between top small schools and upper half 3A/4A schools. Kentlake is in the bottom half of 4A, but Kittitas took it right to them. Lynden destroyed 3A contender O'Dea earlier this season and Kittitas' win gives more proof to the fact that smaller schools are deserving of more respect.