Meadowdale’s Connor Hamlett was far and away the best player in the consolation bracket of the 3A state tournament and he didn’t just pass the eye test. He also passed the computer test.
CyberSports — the official statisticians for the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association — published a rating called productivity that takes into account every positive stat that a player can accumulate like points, rebounds, steals, assists, blocks etc. and plugs those numbers into a formula with negative stats like fouls, turnovers, technicals and so on.
After the second and third days of the tourney Hamlett was the runaway leader in productivity. After three days Lakes’ Andre Winston Jr. had scored 28.7 points per game to Hamlett’s 21, but Hamlett crushed the Lakes guard in productivity with a 76.0 compared with Winston Jr.’s 58.0.
After three days Hamlett led the tournament in total offensive rebounds and was second in both defensive and total rebounds. He was fourth in free throws made and 12th in free throw percentage.
Glacier Peak’s Peyton Pervier who set the 3A tournament record for blocks was fifth in the productivity with 47.5 after the first three games.
Sand Rebounds
Meadowdale’s Dillon Sand thought that his season might be over when, four days prior to the District 1 championship game with Glacier Peak on March 3, he had to have his appendix removed.
After an initially expecting to not play for a month, Sand missed just one game and started all four state tournament games.
His best game came Friday when he scored 10 points on 4-for-4 shooting from the floor and pulled down eight rebounds with one assist and one steal in 22 minutes.
Multisport Hamlett
Connor Hamlett will attend Oregon State University in the fall where he has accepted an athletic scholarship to play tight end for the Beavers.
His dominant performance in Tacoma this week brings up the question: Why not plays basketball also? San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates played basketball at Kent State. Why not Hamlett?
“I would walk-on but I wouldn’t have the time,” Hamlett said. “If there was a chance I probably would because I like being busy and I like to work.”
The Oregon State basketball team certainly could use an athletic inside force like him. The Beavers likely ended their season with a loss to Washington Thursday in the Pac-10 tournament — a game in which Hamlett sheepishly admits he rooted for UW.
“If it was Oregon State football, I’m all for them, but I wanted UW,” said Hamlett who is a Washington native.
Coaches in both sports agree however, that Hamlett is making the right decision choosing football.
“I’ve seen him play football too,” Franklin coach Jason Kerr said. “He’s just as dominating in that sport as well. He’s made the right choice even though he could play both (at the next level).”
If two sports weren’t enough, Hamlett, for the second straight year, will be participating in track and field for the Mavs. The 6-foot-8 senior will participate in the 4×100 relay as well as the 200. The coaches are also trying to convince him to give both long and high jumps a shot.
Hamlett thinks all of it will make him a better football player.
“It will get me faster and I can lift after practice and get bigger,” he said.
Loyal Fans stick with the Mavericks
Though the number of students dwindled when Meadowdale lost on the first day of the tournament. Many loyal Mavs supporters made it all four days including several members of the Mavericks girls basketball team.
The Maverick girls were the No. 1 seed out of Wesco South heading into the playoffs. but stumbled in the district tournament and didn’t get to play in the Tacoma Dome. That didn’t stop them from supporting the boys.
Leading the charge of the Maverick girls contingent at the Tacoma Dome was captain Julia Fjortoft — a Gonzaga soccer recruit — who happens to also be the girlfriend of Connor Hamlett.
The multi-sport duo has known each other since eighth grade and both have bright athletic futures in front of them.
Though they have been official for just six months, sophomore guard Magreet Barhoum insists that they are destined to be married.
If those two ever decided to have a few little Mavericks, the offspring no doubt would rewrite the Meadowdale record books.
Hard to say goodbye
For second-year Glacier Peak head coach Brian Hunter, last year’s post-game speech was a piece of cake. The reason: all of his players were returning. This year, the Grizzlies part ways with a talented senior class that includes starting guards Brandon Hill, Nick Persha and Drew Cummins and key reserve Devon Kiser.
“Last year was a really easy post-game speech and an easy banquet because they were all coming back,” Hunter said. “… It would be hard to find seven guys that you’d rather start a program with … it’s going to be a little tougher this year to say goodbye.”
The Grizzlies seniors leave the program in good shape with 35 wins in two seasons and a fourth-place finish this year.
Grizzly revenge
Remember last Fall?
Glacier Peak junior wing Jack Bonner does.
Bellevue rolled over Glacier Peak 34-7 in the quarterfinals of the 3A state football tournament in November and Bonner, who plays receiver and cornerback for the Grizzlies wanted some revenge.
“My football coach (Rory Rosenbach) texted me (Friday) and he said, ‘Go get some payback,’ because we got beat pretty badly in football … I just really wanted to come out and go out on a good note.”
Bonner’s 19 points and 11 rebounds helped Glacier Peak complete a comeback against Bellevue for fourth place in the state tournament.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
