Way Too Early 3A Top 10
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Alright, now we get to go over the gauntlet that is 3A hoops. There were a ton of teams worthy of a look in this rendition of the Way Too Early Top 10, but I had to narrow it down…
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Continue ReadingAlright, now we get to go over the gauntlet that is 3A hoops. There were a ton of teams worthy of a look in this rendition of the Way Too Early Top 10, but I had to narrow it down to at least a manageable number of teams. So, once again, I’ve split these rankings up into three tiers and made my best educated guess on how this season will play out. Without further ado, here are my preseason 3A Top 10 rankings with a handful of teams that are also worth watching.
Tier 1 – Title Favorites
1. O’Dea 2022-23 Record (21-9), return 7/12 varsity players
Even with losing two D1 commits (Miles Clark, Mason Williams), and another high major recruit in Miles Goodman, the Irish stand in a pretty good spot with a deep and well-rounded roster. They have two of the top sophomores in the state in Doni Burkett Doni Burkett 6'2" | PG O'Dea | 2026 State WA and Brian Webster Brian Webster 6'3" | SG O'Dea | 2026 State WA who both have the potential for huge impacts. In the backcourt, they have a pair of seniors, BJ Shannon and Noel Davis Noel Davis 5'11" | PG O'Dea | 2024 State WA , who can push the pace and play smart basketball. Then they have the length and athleticism on the wings and in the frontcourt with Breylon Webb Breylon Webb 6'7" | SF O'Dea | 2025 State WA , Malcolm Clark Malcolm Clark 6'7" | SF O'Dea | 2024 State WA , Pawlose Aschalew Pawlose Aschalew 6'5" | SF West Seattle | 2024 State WA , and Patrick Galvin Jr. Patrick Galvin Jr. 6'4" | SF O'Dea | 2024 State WA . They finished second at last year’s state tournament and boast one of the most complete and talented rosters across the entire state heading into 2023-24.
2. Garfield 2022-23 Record (25-2), return 3/12 varsity players
It is a little misleading to say they only return three varsity players because they also picked up a number of high-impact transfers. Ishe Kanhukamwe Ishe Kanhukamwe 5'9" | PG Garfield | 2024 State WA , Jamari Harris Jamari Harris 6'5" | SG Garfield | 2024 State WA , Ajayi Simmons Ajayi Simmons 6'7" | SF Garfield | 2024 State WA , and Candon Bible Candon Bible 5'10" | PG Federal Way | 2024 State WA will all come in and have big roles right away. Pair that with one of the top 2025s in the nation in Legend Smiley Legend Smiley 6'5" | SG Garfield | 2025 State #98 Nation WA , and you have a squad ready to compete yet again for the 3A title. It would not be all that surprising to see a rematch of last season’s title game when all is said and done this winter.
3. Eastside Catholic 2022-23 Record (20-10), return 10/14 varsity players
The final team in Tier 1, Eastside Catholic showed last year they have the players to beat the best in the state, knocking off both Garfield and O’Dea twice in the 2022-23 season. Even though they eventually had a disappointing ending to their state tournament, the Crusaders are in a good position to repeat their late-season success and make a run at a state title. Big man and high major recruit Jacob Cofie Jacob Cofie 6'10" | PF Eastside Catholic | 2024 State #97 Nation WA will anchor the team on both sides of the ball, while senior Nate Krohn Nate Krohn 6'4" | SG Eastside Catholic | 2024 State WA will be a Swiss army knife and fill a multitude of roles. They also have a stable of guards ready to score, dish, and defend. Then comes their 6-foot-10 sophomore, Yeabsera Aklog Yeabsera Aklog 6'10" | PF Eastside Catholic | 2026 State WA , and 6-foot-6 freshman, Achilles Reyna Achilles Reyna 6'6" | PF Eastside Catholic | 2027 State WA , who look ready to come in and make an immediate impact, possibly pushing them over the top and on their way to a title.
Tier 2 – Contenders
4. Mt Spokane 2022-23 Record (25-2), return 7/10 varsity players
Mt Spokane had an incredible run in 2022-23 and entered the 3A tournament as the top seed. They came up short of the title game but still have enough leftover to make another run in the winter. They lose an important player in Maverick Sanders but still have Ryan Lafferty Ryan Lafferty 6'5" | CG Mt Spokane | 2024 State #320 Nation WA who can take games over, and plenty of other players who play their role exceptionally well.
5. Mountlake Terrace 2022-23 Record (19-8), return 9/12 varsity players
Terrace proved to be a tough out no matter who they played last season and return nearly every key guy from last season’s team. Headed by 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 , this team has a ton of guys with grit and toughness that allows them to win the close games and blowout teams that can’t match their style of play.
6. Rainier Beach 2022-23 Record (14-9), return 6/11 varsity players
Beach had an up-and-down season last year that ended with one of their worst games of the year in a second-round loss at the state tournament to Shorecrest. However, they have some really talented players returning with Ryan Mpouli Ryan Mpouli 6'4" | SG Rainier Beach | 2024 CO and Kaden Powers Kaden Powers 6'5" | SG Rainier Beach | 2025 State #380 Nation WA , and added transfer Katrelle Harmon Katrelle Harmon 6'3" | PG BFL Prep | 2026 WA to the roster. Darius Wilcher Darius Wilcher 6'3" | SG Rainier Beach | 2024 State WA and Jeremiah White Jeremiah White 6'5" | SF Rainier Beach | 2025 State WA are two more guys who can really help, and now you start to see a team that could make a lot of noise next season.
7. Auburn 2022-23 Record (21-8), return 6/12 varsity players
There was a lot of senior leadership that graduated in June, but Auburn will get a key guy back this season after having to play out the end of last year without their league MVP ( Jaylen Petty Jaylen Petty 5'11" | PG Auburn | 2025 State WA ). With Petty back, the growth of Carter Hansen Carter Hansen 5'8" | PG Auburn | 2025 State WA beside him, and Luvens Valcin Luvens Valcin 6'2" | SG Auburn | 2024 State WA leading the squad, this Auburn team should still be a problem in the 3A and it wouldn’t be surprising to see them repeat the kind of season they had last year.
8. Auburn Mountainview 2022-23 Record (15-10), return 9/13 varsity players
Here is a team that has been on a steady ascent for the last couple of seasons. They return a lot of guys including all-league players like Mande Wanlemvo Mande Wanlemvo 6'5" | SF Auburn Mountainview | 2024 State WA and Caleb Bowden Caleb Bowden 6'3" | SG Auburn Mountainview | 2024 State WA . New starting point guard Sebastian Arius Sebastian Arius 6'5" | CG Auburn Mountainview | 2025 State WA made huge strides as a player this summer and they’ve added in another talented guard with Lucas McClendon Lucas McClendon 6'3" | SG Auburn Mountainview | 2025 State WA . Everything is in place for the Lions to take another step forward this season and challenge Auburn for an SPSL championship.
9. Bellevue 2022-23 Record (25-5), return 4/12 varsity players
This is another team that looks to lose a lot of players from last year but they also added a key guy in Marco Varani Marco Varani 6'7" | SG Bellevue | 2026 State #328 Nation WA . Varani, plus Bryce Smith Bryce Smith 6'1" | PG Bellevue | 2025 State WA , Nick Norrah Nick Norrah 6'2" | SG Bellevue | 2026 State WA , and Hogan Hansen Hogan Hansen 6'7" | PF Bellevue | 2024 WA is a pretty solid top four. They also have some younger players ready to step up and should be in for another solid season.
10. North Central 2022-23 Record (8-11), return 9/12 varsity players
This last spot was tough to choose, especially since I’m leaving out plenty of teams who had great seasons in 2022-23 and also bring back a lot of guys. However, it’s hard to ignore the potential and the level of talent present over at North Central. They went from 6-16 in 2021-22, to 8-11 last year, and based on the summer I saw from guys like Jacori Ervin Jacori Ervin 6'11" | PF Phhoenix Prep | 2025 AZ , Eli Williams Eli Williams 6'4" | PG North Central | 2024 State WA , Gelonni “JuJu” Ervin Gelonni “JuJu” Ervin 6'8" | SF North Central | 2025 State #274 Nation WA , and Makai Daniels Makai Daniels 6'6" | SF North Central | 2025 State WA , they definitely have the talent to make another push forward.
Tier 3 – The Bubble
North Thurston 2022-23 Record (18-9), return 7/12 varsity players
The Rams made a big leap last season and should be able to compete for an SSC title this winter with the long, versatile Ray Adams Ray Adams 6'7" | SF North Thurston | 2024 State WA leading the way. They have some good depth in the backcourt with some shifty guards, and another athletic frontcourt player with Conner Seward Conner Seward 6'4" | SF North Thurston | 2025 State WA who should make a bigger impact this season.
Gig Harbor 2022-23 Record (21-4), return 6/12 varsity players
They lost one of the best duos to ever put on a Tides jersey with both Will Landram and Luke Browne graduating last June, but the next group of players coming through is a good one. The younger Browne, Cole Browne Cole Browne 6'3" | SG Gig Harbor | 2025 State WA , has the game to take over right away and be this team’s main creator. They also have a super-talented sophomore forward named Michael Masini Michael Masini 6'8" | SF Gig Harbor | 2026 State WA who will be a force to deal with.
Cheney 2022-23 Record (6-14), return 8/12 varsity players
One player doesn’t often swing a team’s chances from 6-14 to potential state-playoff team, but Evan Stinson Evan Stinson 6'7" | SF Cheney | 2024 State #223 Nation WA is just that good. He missed a big chunk of last season with injury but came back this summer to have an awesome few months of ball. The players around him have gotten better too and guys like Carter Ittner Carter Ittner 6'2" | CG Cheney | 2025 State WA , Mason Stinson Mason Stinson 6'1" | CG Cheney | 2026 State WA , and Liam Carver Liam Carver 6'5" | PF Cheney | 2025 State WA all looked really solid when they played at the June D1 Event. Look for Cheney to make one of the bigger turnarounds this season.
Seattle Prep 2022-23 Record (7-18), return 8/13 varsity players
Another team looking to make a huge swing from last season to this one is Seattle Prep. They were a young team that relied heavily on 2023 Christian King, and when he went down with injury their hopes dimmed. But they have a number of talented kids ready to step up and see if they can compete with the best this season. Some names to watch include Nirvaan Misra Nirvaan Misra 6'4" | CG Seattle Prep | 2025 State WA , Beckham King Beckham King 6'8" | SG Seattle Prep | 2025 State WA , Niko Christofilis Niko Christofilis 6'1" | CG Seattle Prep | 2026 State WA , and Nick Schanno Nick Schanno 6'5" | SF Seattle Prep | 2025 State WA .
Nathan Hale 2022-23 Record (20-3), return 7/14 varsity players
One of the best surprises of 2022-23 was the Nathan Hale Raiders. They do lose a couple of key guys from a year ago but still have some superb talent in the backcourt with guys like Ismail Guyo Ismail Guyo 6'4" | PG Nathan Hale | 2026 State WA , Rio Valdez Rio Valdez 5'10" | CG Nathan Hale | 2024 WA , and Adrian Peev Adrian Peev 5'9" | PG Nathan Hale | 2024 State WA . Look for Hale to put together another solid season this winter and try to take it a step further in 2023-24.
Marysville Getchell 2022-23 Record (16-9), return 8/12 varsity players
In the highly competitive Wesco, Marysville Getchell placed fifth in the conference last year as one of seven teams with 15-plus wins. They lose some depth from last year but still have a strong group of guys led by all-league players Arion Palacol Arion Palacol 5'11" | PG Marysville Getchell | 2025 State WA and Shawn Etheridge Shawn Etheridge 5'10" | PG Marysville Getchell | 2024 State WA . They have a shot at winning the league this season and should have some great league games lined up.
Teams that just missed the cut
Stanwood 2022-23 Record (16-7), return 6/12 varsity players
Spanaway Lake 2022-23 Record (8-11), return 6/12 varsity players
Mt Vernon 2022-23 Record (18-7), return 8/12 varsity players
Todd Beamer 2022-23 Record (16-8), return 10/12 varsity players
Mercer Island 2022-23 Record (12-10), return 8/12 varsity players
Timberline 2022-23 Record (18-7), return 6/12 varsity players
Everett 2022-23 Record (15-11), return 8/12 varsity players
Walla Walla 2022-23 Record (13-13), return 9/12 varsity players
Cleveland 2022-23 Record (8-11), return 7/11 varsity players
Mt Tahoma 2022-23 Record (9-11), return 6/11 varsity players
Kelso 2022-23 Record (13-10), return 6/12 varsity players
Arlington 2022-23 Record (19-6), return 7/12 varsity players