I got into contact with Mike Washington Jr. out of Oak Harbor HS to get his take on some of the top players competing in this year's 4A/3A state boys basketball tournaments. Washington is a 6'3" shooting guard and will be playing for the Princeton Tigers next season. He averaged 18.6 points per game this season and has played with and against several of these players throughout his high school career.
Here's his analysis:
Anrio Adams (Sr.), Rainier Beach HS, Guard, 6'3" Committed to Kansas
Anrio Adams 2011 RB2KU.wmv (via TeamAnrio5)
Adams is a freak athlete with a nice looking jumper. He is strong and can finish above the rim often. He's one of the toughest players I've had to guard throughout high school. He leads a nice looking Rainer Beach squad who has to be a favorite for the 3A title.
Ryan Shannon (Sr.), Mountlake Terrace HS, Forward, 6'8" Committed to Montana State
Ryan Shannon Dunk (via 89Ahansen)
Shannon is an underrated big man with range out to the three point stripe. He is very tough to guard down low and pulls in double doubles every night. Sticking with my Wesco roots, Shannon leads a very talented and disciplined Mountlake Terrace team who in my opinion, could very well upset Beach in the first round if they get going early.
Darien Nelson-Henry (Sr.), Lake Washington HS, Forward, 6'10" Committed to Pennsylvania
Darien Nelson-Henry '12, Lake Washington Senior at the 2011 Holiday Classic at Torrey Pines (via SportsOnTheSide)
A seven-footer (6' 11" but we always gave him the extra inch) who has a huge body. There is not y player in the tournament that can size up with him. He's gotten a lot quicker and more active this year and is a threat on both offense and defense.
Sekou Wiggs (Sr.), O'Dea, Guard, 6'2" Offers: Cal Poly, Cal State Northridge, UC Irvine, Hawaii, Idaho, Portland St., San Francisco
Sekou Wiggs College Recruiting Video (via SeattleSportsVideos)
Wiggs is a wiry guard with bounce and range. He's the type of player that can come out and put up 30 points on any given night. He's a very active defender. Wiggs gets a lot of points in transition and by making solid cuts. O'Dea has been cruising lately and Seattle Prep will be in trouble if they can't stop the trio of Wiggs, Jalen Ward, and Dana Abe.
Mitch Brewe (Sr.), Seattle Prep, Forward, 6'8" Committed: UC Santa Barbara
Mitch Brewe's epic 3 to tie O'dea sending game to OT (via MatrixMatrixMatrix)
Brewe is one of the most skilled big men in the Northwest. He has a big body with a good mid-range jumper; he's also strong on the glass. Prep is ranked No. 1 heading into the tournament but have a tough first round matchup against O'Dea.
Mitch Penner (Sr.), Kennedy Catholic, Forward, 6'5" Committed: Seattle Pacific University
Kennedy Catholic Forward #24 Mitchell Penner Highlights vs. Highline 1/7/11 (via ThaDrSean)
Penner has to be in the conversation for being one of the best scorer sin the tournament. He's a havoc to guard because of his ability to hit from outside and take his man off the dribble and finish at the rack. If he gets going, look out.
Zach Lavine (Jr.), Bothell HS, Guard, 6'0" Offers: Gonzaga, Oregon St., UCLA, Washington
Zach LaVine The BEST PG in the West Coast?? 2013 (via twillis2425)
Having grown about four to five inches since the beginning of his sophomore year, Zach has set himself apart from the rest in his class. He has range from just about anywhere on the court and can finish with contact. If Davis isn't careful he could have a field day on thursday. A much improved Bothell squad is playing their best basketball at the right time of the year.
Jordan Chatman (Sr.), Union HS, Guard, 6'4" Committed: BYU
Jordan Chatman Dunk (via hoopsmedia25)
Chatman is another big time scorer. He has a tight, quick handle and when he gets hot, he's a hassle to guard. His 6' 4" frame at guard gives him a lot of mis-matches as smaller guards end up having to guard him.
Tucker Haymond (Jr.), Garfield HS, Wing, 6'5" Offers: Western Michigan
Tucker Haymond pt.1 (via futurehoops)
I haven't played with Tucker for a while but from what I've heard, he's stepped up big time with the absence of Tony Wroten. He's very athletic and has a nice looking shot.
David Trimble (Sr.), Davis HS, Guard, 6'2"
David Trimble Jr. - Postgame interview (via zsportsmedia)
Trimble is a solid guard who doesn't do much wrong for his squad. He's in the stat sheet for just about every column in every game. He is the definition of a "true point guard" as he would say. Trimble directs the No. 1 ranked Davis Pirates who is the favorite for 4A.
You can follow Mike Washington on Twitter at @mwash13