MOUNTLAKE TERRACE – Don’t blink. You might miss them.
From 5-foot-7 through 6-foot-5, the speedsters on the Mountlake Terrace High School boys basketball team are a blur of red and black. Guards Christiaan Hammond (5-7), Luke Hammond (6-0) and Adrian Blake (6-2) zip, zag and soar as if fueled by some top-secret blend of Red Bull and Flubber, guaranteed to make spectators cross-eyed. Versatile forward Mike Boxley (6-5) scoots-zooms too, and he can post up smaller players, slash to the rim or even run the point.
Blinding team speed and overall athleticism are big reasons why Mountlake Terrace is favored to battle Shorewood for the Wesco South championship this season. The Hawks return six key seniors from last year’s group that went 20-6 and advanced to the Class 4A state tournament.
“There’s something coming back, for sure,” Mountlake Terrace coach Nalin Sood said. “We’re just gonna see how these guys handle (it). Last year they were a bunch of young guys, several of them unknown, and there was no pressure on them.”
Terrace captain Luke Hammond is a heady, active player who keeps his teammates involved and provides stopper defense. A three-year starter, Hammond averaged 12 points, four assists and four rebounds per game last year. He doesn’t mind all the attention directed toward his athletically gifted team. The Hawks are just excited to get started, he said.
“We know we got a target on our back. We’ve been waiting for this.”
After a non-league season opener Dec. 3 against an Australian team at home, Terrace starts the Wesco South season with a captivating game against Shorewood Dec. 7 in Shoreline. Sood will get an early indicator of where his team is at. “We’re jumping right into their home court. They’ve got very good basketball players, and that can be a game right off the bat that can test our mettle.”
Sood puts tons of trust in Hammond, a Division-I recruit who has a calm floor demeanor and makes smart decisions. “We’ve been blessed to have Luke,” said Sood, who added that Hammond is capable of compiling gaudy numbers but would rather include his teammates. “He’s got good players around him and he’s unselfish. He’s got the respect of every teacher in this school, he’s got the respect of every coach in this program and he’s got the respect of every one of his teammates.”
Sood calls Boxley, another D-I recruit who averaged 11 points, 6.5 rebounds and three assists last year, an intriguing player. Beyond his unique combination of size and speed, Boxley energizes the Hawks with all-out effort.
Adding smooth inside touch and solid shooting range is Leigh Swanson, a 6-foot-7 post who averaged 11 points and five boards last season. Swanson, who will play college ball at Seattle University, dominated Tuesday at Terrace’s annual Jam Session scrimmage. Andrew Mundt, a 6-5 post, will provide muscle in the paint.
Guards Blake (eight points, three rebounds) and Christiaan Hammond, who received a fifth year of eligibility, will share backcourt minutes with newcomer Brad Balch. A 6-3 junior guard, Balch is a transfer who scored eight points per game last year for Kamiak.
As if Mountlake Terrace needed more weapons, the sharp-shooting Balch can stretch defenses even further.
“He’s just a very good fundamental player,” Sood said. “He’s fit in around his teammates and they think a lot of him.”
If teams think they can ignore Balch and focus on Terrace’s established scorers, Sood said Balch will make them pay. “Brad Balch will win some basketball games for us this year, mark my words.”
And if Terrace plays to its potential, Balch’s new team will win early and often.
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