David Crisp doesn’t mind salty back-and-forth banter with other guards around college basketball, but the Washington point guard said he will abstain from the trash talk Friday night.
That’s because his cousin will be within earshot.
Back in 2011, Crisp and Ahmaad Rorie teamed up as ninth-graders to help Clover Park High School win the Class 2A state boys basketball crown in Yakima.
Now, they will play against each other — with Crisp leading the 9-3 Huskies in their final non-conference game, and Rorie pacing visiting Big Sky Conference contender Montana (7-4).
It will be the first time the two point guards have squared off as opponents in a meaningful basketball game.
“I don’t think it is going to be weird,” Crisp said. “It is going to be really fun.”
After Crisp and Rorie won that state basketball title, they returned together as sophomores to make Clover Park the favorite to repeat.
But early in the 2012 playoffs, Crisp broke his right foot, leaving Rorie to lead the charge. The Warriors were upset by Lindbergh in the 2A quarterfinals.
“We were trying to win four straight (2A titles), but I got hurt,” Crisp said. “And since people were not respecting the 2A class, we knew we could get down with anybody (at a higher classification).”
That summer, Rorie announced he was transferring to Lincoln High School, which created some friction with former teammates at Clover Park, including Crisp.
And during the following fall-league series, the two schools played each other.
The gym “was packed,” Rorie said. “We won by one (point). It went down to the wire.
“I guess I am 1-0 against him.”
Crisp eventually transferred too — to Rainier Beach High School in Seattle — and its been five years since the cousins faced each other in that fall-league game.
Crisp is in his first season as the undisputed floor leader of the Huskies, averaging 13.0 points and 3.6 assists per game while leading the team with his 26 made 3-pointers.
“I definitely think he has matured a lot with his leadership,” Rorie said. “I tell him all the time that I am proud of him, how he has taken on that role.”
Rorie has been given free reign over this Grizzlies’ offense under coach Travis DeCuire. Rorie averages 17.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.7 steals in a whopping 36.8 minutes per game. He is one of just nine players in NCAA Division I basketball to rank in the top 100 nationally in both scoring and steals.
“I am not going to try and one-up him, or do anything outside what we’ve been doing,” Crisp said. “It has been successful, and I am not bored with success.”
But what will he do if he pops in a 3-pointer over Rorie?
“I might tap him on the butt,” Crisp said with a smile. “But I know he will come right back at me.”
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