3A Bold Predictions

<p>Where do I even start with the 3A? There are so many teams that could bust out and surprise us this season and a lot of new faces to get to know. Who will survive the Metro this year? Which teams will take the biggest step forward and be ready for that late-season push? What transfers will come up biggest for their new school? Who will emerge that we aren't even talking about? </p>   <p>With the landscape continuously shifting and new classes rolling in to take over, this feels like a great time to toss out some bold predictions for the 3A in the coming year. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><em>North Central and Cheney will double their wins in 2022-23</em></h2>   <p>North Central finished 2022-23 at 8-11. And Cheney only managed six wins on the season, finishing with a record of 6-14. That being said, things are looking up for the two schools and they could be the ones to start shaking things up in the Greater Spokane League this season. Both schools boast some of the top-ranked players in the state. North Central has a number of players including the Ervin brothers ([player_tooltip player_id='1450562' first='Jacori' last='Ervin'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1450982' first='Gelonni' last='“JuJu” Ervin']) and standout point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1450604' first='Eli' last='Williams']. For Cheney, their star power comes with Wazzu commit [player_tooltip player_id='1450485' first='Evan' last='Stinson'], the 6-foot-7 guard/forward who does a little bit of everything for the Blackhawks. </p>   <p>But both teams have more than just a few big names that will help them make big jumps this winter. At Cheney, they have a couple of players that stood out against some top schools west of the mountains this summer (<strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2173108' first='Mason' last='Stinson']</strong>, [player_tooltip player_id='1863254' first='Carter' last='Ittner'], <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2173003' first='Liam' last='Carver']</strong>), and look like a much tougher team heading into 2023-24. For North Central, the help comes from guys like [player_tooltip player_id='1696645' first='Makai' last='Daniels'], <strong>Darius Stamps</strong>, and <strong>Trevelle Jones</strong>. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><em>Spanaway Lake will win the PCL</em></h2>   <p>The SWAY boys were 5-7 in league play last season but return a really strong top six and looked like a team ready to make moves from what I saw in summer league. [player_tooltip player_id='1837765' first='AJ' last='Manning-Blanks'], [player_tooltip player_id='1984465' first='Jabari' last='Preston'], [player_tooltip player_id='2156624' first='Khalil' last='Graham'], [player_tooltip player_id='2021599' first='Key'Andre' last='White'], <strong>Sean Rector</strong>, and [player_tooltip player_id='1685502' first='Darius' last='Alexander'] should all be key names for them that bring pace, length, high motors, athleticism, and shooting to the table. The defending champs, Lincoln, lose a lot of key guys. Mt Tahoma and Stadium should be teams to watch as well, but I have a feeling this could be the Sentinels year.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><em>[player_tooltip player_id='1984467' first='Cole' last='Browne'] will be SSC MVP</em></h2>   <p>What I saw of Browne this summer was truly eye-opening. He has a really smooth offensive game, equipped with patience, poise, and the ability to score from all over. He still has to contend with guys like [player_tooltip player_id='1463068' first='Ray' last='Adams'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1485586' first='Kenyon' last='Simmons'] for the title of MVP, but it looks like he'll be handed the keys to the team, and Gig Harbor should be a good one. He has two massive frontcourt guys ([player_tooltip player_id='1601813' first='Michael' last='Masini'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1612262' first='Luke' last='Allison']) who can set solid picks, draw attention in the two-man game, and give him plenty of options to dump the ball off to. While MVP of the league might be a little lofty, Browne definitely has the skill to be an all-league guy and one of the top names in the SSC.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><em>Mountlake Terrace will go undefeated in the Wesco</em></h2>   <p>The Hawks started last season 4-4. After that, they went 14-1 in the regular season before losing three close games in the state tournament to end the year (Eastside Catholic and O'Dea by two, Bellevue by four). Measuring losses is a tricky game but this Mountlake Terrace team proved to be one of the grittiest teams in the state last year and they return all but three varsity players. The Wesco was highly competitive last season and while it should still be a tough road through, the Hawks have all the guys to do it. [player_tooltip player_id='1450563' first='Jaxon' last='Dubiel'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1450489' first='Zaveon' last='Jones'] set the tone for physical, reactive, and aggressive play on both ends, and every single player on that roster seems to buy in with all they've got. They got on a roll after a slow start last season, I think they avoid the bumps in the beginning and have a chance to go undefeated in league play in 2023-24.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><em>The State Title game will be a rematch of the 4th/6th place game last year</em></h2>   <p>Bellevue and Eastside Catholic squared off last year for their final game of the 2022-23 state tournament with Bellevue coming out on top, 67-55. And while there are a number of teams from the Metro League that have just as good a chance to make the coveted title game, the Eastside Catholic Crusaders have something others don't - the top-ranked senior in the state, [player_tooltip player_id='1450484' first='Jacob' last='Cofie']. That doesn't guarantee anything, but their blend of size and versatility up front, along with their deep pool of guards to play from give the Crusaders a great shot at making the championship game.</p>   <p>In Bellevue's case, I think this is a team that will get on a roll early and build momentum throughout the course of the long year. This is a team that finished fourth in last year's tournament but should be even better with some of the additions and growth their roster has made. There's a healthy blend of skill, size, and toughness that could help this team out in close games at the end of the year. They've added back [player_tooltip player_id='1451019' first='Marco' last='Varani'] after a year at BFL prep. They have frontcourt help with [player_tooltip player_id='1984504' first='Taylor' last='Mwale'] coming over from Kennedy. And they have one of the top incoming freshmen in the state with [player_tooltip player_id='2140825' first='Jimmie' last='Haywood III']. This is going to be a team to watch all season long.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><em>[player_tooltip player_id='1450985' first='Legend' last='Smiley'] will repeat as the 3A Tournament MVP</em></h2>   <p>I know what I just wrote - Eastside Catholic and Belleuve in the championship game - but what's written above is hardly set in stone. I'm hedging my bets with this one, and with [player_tooltip player_id='1450985' first='Legend' last='Smiley'] and Garfield, it's more than just a roll of the di. Smiley, a steadily rising 2025 recruit stepped up on the biggest stage last season to help lead the Bulldogs to a state title. Now back for his junior season, the 6-foot-5 guard is even better than before and has a chance to be one of the next big names out of Washington. Winning back-to-back 3A titles and state tournament MVPs before his senior season would be quite the start to his story.</p>

Where do I even start with the 3A? There are so many teams that could bust out and surprise us this season and a lot of new faces to get to know. Who will survive the Metro this year? Which teams will take the biggest step forward and be ready for that late-season push? What transfers will come up biggest for their new school? Who will emerge that we aren't even talking about?