3A Bold Predictions
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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…
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Continue ReadingWhere 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?
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.
North Central and Cheney will double their wins in 2022-23
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 ( Jacori Ervin Jacori Ervin 6'11" | PF North Central | 2025 AZ and Gelonni “JuJu” Ervin Gelonni “JuJu” Ervin 6'8" | SF North Central | 2025 State #274 Nation WA ) and standout point guard Eli Williams Eli Williams 6'4" | PG North Central | 2024 State WA . For Cheney, their star power comes with Wazzu commit Evan Stinson Evan Stinson 6'7" | SF Cheney | 2024 State #223 Nation WA , the 6-foot-7 guard/forward who does a little bit of everything for the Blackhawks.
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 ( Mason Stinson Mason Stinson 6'1" | CG Cheney | 2026 State WA , Carter Ittner Carter Ittner 6'2" | CG Cheney | 2025 State WA , Liam Carver Liam Carver 6'5" | PF Cheney | 2025 State WA ), and look like a much tougher team heading into 2023-24. For North Central, the help comes from guys like Makai Daniels Makai Daniels 6'6" | SF North Central | 2025 State WA , Darius Stamps, and Trevelle Jones.
Spanaway Lake will win the PCL
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. AJ Manning-Blanks AJ Manning-Blanks 5'11" | PG Spanaway Lake | 2024 State WA , Jabari Preston Jabari Preston 6'2" | SG Spanaway Lake | 2025 State WA , Khalil Graham Khalil Graham 6'3" | SF Spanaway Lake | 2024 WA , Key’Andre White Key’Andre White 6'3" | SF Spanaway Lake | 2026 State WA , Sean Rector, and Darius Alexander Darius Alexander 5'6" | PG Spanaway Lake | 2026 State WA 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.
Cole Browne Cole Browne 6'3" | SG Gig Harbor | 2025 State WA will be SSC MVP
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 Ray Adams Ray Adams 6'7" | SF North Thurston | 2024 State WA and Kenyon Simmons Kenyon Simmons 6'3" | SG Timberline | 2025 State WA 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 ( Michael Masini Michael Masini 6'8" | SF Gig Harbor | 2026 State WA and Luke Allison Luke Allison 6'8" | PF Gig Harbor | 2024 State WA ) 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.
Mountlake Terrace will go undefeated in the Wesco
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. Jaxon Dubiel Jaxon Dubiel 6'3" | CG Mountlake Terrace | 2024 State WA and Zaveon Jones Zaveon Jones 6'2" | SF Mountlake Terrace | 2024 State WA 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.
The State Title game will be a rematch of the 4th/6th place game last year
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, Jacob Cofie Jacob Cofie 6'10" | PF Eastside Catholic | 2024 State #97 Nation WA . 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.
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 Marco Varani Marco Varani 6'7" | SG Bellevue | 2026 State #328 Nation WA after a year at BFL prep. They have frontcourt help with Taylor Mwale Taylor Mwale 6'4" | SF Bellevue | 2025 State WA coming over from Kennedy. And they have one of the top incoming freshmen in the state with Jimmie Haywood III Jimmie Haywood III 6'3" | CG Bellevue | 2027 State WA . This is going to be a team to watch all season long.
Legend Smiley Legend Smiley 6'5" | SG Garfield | 2025 State #98 Nation WA will repeat as the 3A Tournament MVP
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 Legend Smiley Legend Smiley 6'5" | SG Garfield | 2025 State #98 Nation WA 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.