Opening Week Games to Watch

The first games of the 2024-25 season kick off in just about a week for most teams, so I've gone through some of the opening week matchups to pinpoint a handful of key matchups to get the winter started. Check out some early-season matchups that should get us off to a quick start, boasting some of the top teams in the state facing off, as well as some key prospects with tough matchups.   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Seattle Prep @ Sammamish, Nov. 30th 2:30 PM</h3>   Sammamish hosts Seattle Prep in their first basketball contest as a member of the 3A since the 2011-12 season. The Redhawks finished last season just missing out on placing at the 2A tournament after winning their first two games and then losing the next two at the Sun Dome. They return half of their roster from last year, including Second-Team All-State Tournament selection and 2023-24 KingCo 2A First-Teamer [player_tooltip player_id='2173096' first='Rakin' last='Showki'].   Seattle Prep comes into the year after an 11-15 season in 2023-24 and an opening-round knockout loss at Districts. However, they have two of the top seniors in the state in [player_tooltip player_id='1485543' first='Beckham' last='King'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1631540' first='Nirvaan' last='Misra'], and should once again be a competitive team to watch in the Metro. This should be a great early-season KingCo/Metro matchup of two teams who should contend for playoff spots in District Two.   Players to Watch - Sammamish: [player_tooltip player_id='2173096' first='Rakin' last='Showki'], [player_tooltip player_id='1631542' first='Barry' last='Morrissette'], [player_tooltip player_id='2485550' first='Anthony' last='Boddie']; Seattle Prep: [player_tooltip player_id='1485543' first='Beckham' last='King'], [player_tooltip player_id='1631540' first='Nirvaan' last='Misra'], [player_tooltip player_id='1863191' first='Niko' last='Christofilis'], [player_tooltip player_id='1696695' first='Nick' last='Schanno'], [player_tooltip player_id='2140837' first='Kellen' last='Matt']   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Annie Wright @ Rainier Beach, Nov. 30th 5:30 PM</h3>   Both the Gators and the Vikings come into the season as a couple of favorites to win it all in their respective classifications, and both were state tournament runners-up last season. Annie Wright returns over three-quarters of their varsity players from last season, including recent Indiana State signee, [player_tooltip player_id='1450980' first='Martin' last='Kaupanger']. Now that Kaupanger has settled his recruitment he has one more hill to climb by capping his senior season with a state title.   Rainier Beach also has a pair of D-I bound seniors looking to claim that elusive state championship. Both [player_tooltip player_id='1850299' first='Kaden' last='Powers'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1451033' first='Jaylen' last='Petty'] recently signed on to play high-major basketball, Powers at Rutgers, and Petty at New Mexico. But they aren't the only high-powered prospects donning the orange and blue this winter. The Vikings are viewed by many as the most talented team in the state and gained a handful of transfers that should keep Beach as a perennial force for years to come.   Players to Watch - Annie Wright: [player_tooltip player_id='1450980' first='Martin' last='Kaupanger'], [player_tooltip player_id='1450983' first='Jeremiah' last='Harshman'], [player_tooltip player_id='1587998' first='Noah' last='Schow'], [player_tooltip player_id='1850302' first='Reggie' last='Lester']; Rainier Beach: [player_tooltip player_id='1850299' first='Kaden' last='Powers'], [player_tooltip player_id='1451033' first='Jaylen' last='Petty'], [player_tooltip player_id='2173760' first='Keaundre' last='Morris'], [player_tooltip player_id='2173099' first='Marques' last='Ili-Meneese'], [player_tooltip player_id='1451029' first='Nyale' last='Robinson'], [player_tooltip player_id='2375353' first='Maceo' last='Rivers'], [player_tooltip player_id='2140846' first='Micah' last='Ili-Meneese'], [player_tooltip player_id='2627284' first='Knowledge' last='Wright']   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Kamiak @ Bothell, Nov. 30th 7:30 PM</h3>   Both squads saw their 2023-24 seasons end in opening-round losses in Districts, but there are some really exciting prospects on both sides who showed up big last season and make this an intriguing early-season matchup. Kamiak has Wesco 4A First-Teamer [player_tooltip player_id='2021623' first='Maximus' last='Christiansen'], while Bothell has KingCo Honorable Mention [player_tooltip player_id='2196830' first='Jaylen' last='McLaughlin'], as well as Orem (Utah) transfer [player_tooltip player_id='2400280' first='Raider' last='Finau']. Christiansen exploded last season to emerge as a leader for the Knights and has a younger backcourt partner in sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2396318' first='Grady' last='Rohrich'] who will be a key contributor. Bothell stays current with the youth movement and is led by both McLaughlin and Finau. McLaughlin ended last season on a tear and should contend for first-team honors in the KingCo 4A this winter. Finau is a 6-foot-7 como forward who should add another dimension to Bothell on both ends of the floor and pair with McLaughlin to make Bothell a much more competitive team than a year ago.   Players to Watch - Kamiak: [player_tooltip player_id='2021623' first='Maximus' last='Christiansen'], [player_tooltip player_id='2396318' first='Grady' last='Rohrich'], [player_tooltip player_id='2021651' first='Aaron' last='Pierre']; Bothell: [player_tooltip player_id='2196830' first='Jaylen' last='McLaughlin'], [player_tooltip player_id='2400280' first='Raider' last='Finau'], Blake Skinner   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Lynden Chrisitan @ Archbishop Murphy, Nov. 30th 8:00 PM</h3>   The Lynden Christian Lyncs came up just a bucket short of another 1A title game appearance last season, eventually claiming third place in the 2023-24 season. And while the Lyncs graduated a prolific senior class last June, they still bring back a solid group of players who have been entrenched in winning basketball from the time they stepped on the floor at Lynden Christian. On the other side, Archbishop Murphy lines up a talented group who had an underwhelming 2023-24 season, going 7-16 in the Wesco 2A/3A. However, this group has had another year to grow and they have several guys at key spots who can make 2024-25 a much more successful year. This could be a much closer contest than last year's records would indicate and is an early-season matchup worth watching with high-level players on both sides.   Players to Watch - Lynden Christian: [player_tooltip player_id='1587970' first='Gannon' last='Dykstra'], [player_tooltip player_id='2392727' first='Dawson' last='Hintz'], [player_tooltip player_id='2205053' first='Luke' last='VanKooten'], [player_tooltip player_id='2457277' first='Kaden' last='Veldman'], [player_tooltip player_id='2021655' first='Boyce' last='Robertson']; Archbishop Murphy: [player_tooltip player_id='1451024' first='Mateen' last='Usui'], [player_tooltip player_id='2375378' first='Ira' last='Smith'], [player_tooltip player_id='2569410' first='Jordan' last='Rife']

The first games of the 2024-25 season kick off in just about a week for most teams, so I've gone through some of the opening week matchups to pinpoint a handful of key matchups to get the winter started. Check out some early-season matchups that should get us off to a quick start, boasting some of the top teams in the state facing off, as well as some key prospects with tough matchups.