Travel Diary - Seattle

At the risk of being the 122nd reporter to say it, "Oklahoma City has stolen Seattle's Thunder."
Fine, there, I said it.

It's tough to think of the NBA not playing in Seattle.  I grew up in the Northwest.  I had the X-Man's poster hanging in my room.  I once waited in line two hours to get Gary Payton's autograph, before he entered the draft and became a Sonic. 

It's frustrating to think that all us basketball fans in the great northwest will not be able to watch Kevin Durrant become an NBA superstar while wearing the Sonics' Green and Yellow. It will no doubt leave a hole. And there is no guarantee that it will ever be filled, at least not with a NBA team.
But basketball has not left the Northwest.

I can assure you with first hand knowledge of the situation, basketball is alive and well in the Puget Sound. If you enjoyed watching Shawn Kemp, let me suggest you take in a Kentwood High School basketball game. 

In doing so, you will have the opportunity to watch Josh Smith.

Despite Josh's 6-foot-9, 280-pound frame, he has great hands and great footwork.  Taking in one of his Seattle Rotary AAU games, I was struck by his power. While he doesn't have to use it to be effective you can tell it is there, and is no doubt intimidating.  
At one point I told his mother he reminded me of a Volcano, just waiting to explode. 

As if on cue, Josh threw down two dunks that would have had Bill Walton talking for weeks, which incidentally, is who one of his coaches, former NBA coach, Tom Newell compares him to.

Personally I saw a little bit of Amare Stoudemire's game, but I get the feeling that Josh Smith's style will be the measuring stick before too long.
Just south on I-5 is Tacoma, and Bellarmine Prep. The small Catholic school is big on education, community and pride. But stick your head inside the rustic gym and you are bound to see one of the most exciting brands of basketball being played.

In the backcourt for Bellarmine are two of the country's top guards.  If Sonics fans had Gary Payton and
Ray Allen at the same time, they might have been treated to a show comparable to what Abdul Gaddy and Avery Bradley put on when they take the floor. Lightning quick and as smooth as a Starbucks White Chocolate Mocha, this dynamic duo have a sixth sense of knowing where each other are on the court. 

Each have there own skill set, but get them together and it's obvious they are going to have a good time. 
And the competition? Well, they will they will find themselves on the losing end of the game.
From Spencer Hawes and Marvin Williams, to Brandon Roy and Martell Webster, the NBA is full of players who hailed from the Northwest. How good has the talent in the Northwest been? Try, seven first round picks since 2005, not bad. And the current group of players might be the best ever to come out of the Evergreen State. 

Alas, the NBA has left Seattle, but basketball has not. Just ask anyone who has had the pleasure of watching Josh, Abdul, or Avery. They will tell you, "Basketball is alive and well here."

-- Jerome A. Butler is a producer for the television shows Sports Stars of Tomorrow and Future Phenoms and a PrepTicket Staff member

Date of Article: Wed Jul 23, 2008 11:55 am