City rankings: Tumwater/Olympia/Lacey-Top guns
There are some of the top players in the state that come from these three cities in Thurston county. There’s also some teams that will be looking to make a deep post-season run in 2023. Olympia returns almost the entirety…
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Continue ReadingThere are some of the top players in the state that come from these three cities in Thurston county. There’s also some teams that will be looking to make a deep post-season run in 2023. Olympia returns almost the entirety of its team that placed 4th in class 4A last year. Tumwater returns its two best players from a season ago and will be among the favorites to compete for a 2A title next season. Timberline has the best player and was a state 3A tournament qualifying team last season. These are my top 12 players from all schools, all ages in these cities in order.
He just announced that he has narrowed down his college choices to seven, with Washington State being the only in state school on the list. Cincinnati, UNLV, Oregon State, Nevada, Saint Mary’s, and Richmond are the other six still in the running. Whoever gets him will be getting a 6’4 scoring machine, athlete, who can do it all. He has the versatility to play either guard spot, and he will be ready to contribute the minute he steps on campus. As great a player as he is, I believe he has the potential to make some big gains in the next couple of years. As it stands, he will be a player of the year candidate for all classifications in his senior season at Timberline in 2023.
Another one with several college offers, including Vermont, Southern Illinois, Eastern Washington and Lehigh to name a few. Olympia has a lot of talent but none are as important as he is to his team. In fact, not many players in the entire state are more important to their teams. He’s one of the better shooters in the state but his effect on games comes from all over the stat sheet, just as his scoring comes from all levels. He is excellent at dictating the pace of the game. He reads and attacks with the best of them. He was also named the Prephoops Hustle Region MVP after his South Sound Roots Academy team won it (see article photo). That team also included Brewer, Engholm, Juergens, and Carlson, who are all listed here.
Highlights
I have written about him on several occasions, most recently in my toughest players in the state article. He’s well known as one of the best shooters in the state, but he does far more than just shoot it. He’s a much better athlete than you might think, something he’s worked hard on. Putting on some weight and muscle in the off-season. He is set to have a monster season and I expect that his attention from college coaches will start expanding in a big way. Tumwater should be a threat to play for a 2A title next season and he is the biggest reason why. Great player, and great leader.
Highlights
At 6’8, he’s a true big for Olympia. He can affect the game on both ends of the floor. He’s also in my toughest players article, he can get it done on defense with his shot blocking and physical play. On offense, he has both a back to the basket game-nice jump hook, as well as being able to shoot the three and put it on the floor with a couple dribbles to get himself to the basket. Olympia will need his size to go along with a host of athletic guard/wing type players on a team that will be among the best in 4A next season.
Highlights
He will be a great complimentary scorer to Brewer next season for Tumwater. He will no doubt benefit from Brewer’s ability to find the open man when he draws a crowd from the defense. With his exceptional athletic ability, he is excellent in the open floor as well as getting into the paint and being able to finish above the rim. He has shown a nice shooting touch as well and will knock down open shots. His high energy type play will make a big difference in the stat column, where he excels, making things happen.
Mason Juergens
Mason Juergens
He’s currently preparing for football, where he has attracted a lot of interest as an all state wide receiver. He is very highly regarded on the gridiron but he is also a huge piece of Olympia basketball. He is a tough guard who can fill it up from deep. He ran the point most of the time for Olympia in the half court allowing Gerrits to play off the ball. You can’t leave him open or he is going to make you pay. He is a disruptor on defense getting his hands on balls and creating turnovers. With an unselfish style of play, Olympia has a lot of weapons to make another deep run.
Darell Gipson
Darell Gipson
He gives Timberline some size and is a skilled player who can score in the paint. He showed great upside last season and had some big games. He will be counted on even more this season with the departure of Miles Gurske Miles Gurske 6’0″ | PG Rainier Beach | 2023 State WA to Rainier Beach. He should benefit from Hicks’ ability to find the open man and get some easy buckets. His skill set shows great potential for a big season.
Wesley Bjornsgard
Wesley Bjornsgard
He’s versatile, and uses his size well on the perimeter to get himself to the spots where he can shoot over people, or get all the way to the basket. He is the go to player for Capital and has had a good off-season. His ability to knock down shots will be a huge part of what Capital does. Look for a break out season for him this year.
He provides Olympia with yet another weapon. He played a key role last year as a sophomore. A good athlete who fits perfectly in their wide open system of sharing the ball. He’s got all the tools to be a great player. That should translate into him being a good role player once again next season, and one of the top players for Olympia in 2024.
A ton of talent here, if he was playing for a team without so many weapons in classes above, he would be a big time scorer. He showed that ability during the off-season. He has a good mid range game and knows how to score the basketball. He got meaningful minutes as a freshman and should fill an even bigger role as a kid who has all the potential to be the next star in Olympia.
He should step up into a bigger role this season and might surprise some people with the improvements he’s made. He had a good off-season, he’s a capable scorer and rebounder, and can provide quality minutes for a very good team helping them to reach that next level.
Thad TenKley
Thad TenKley
He led North Thurston in scoring and rebounding last season. He scored around 13PPG and had some monster rebounding games. He’s also had a nice off-season and is primed for a huge year as the featured player for North Thurston.