Prep boys basketball preview: Timberwolves ready to bite

With the graduation of multi-year standouts such as Carson Tuttle, Colby Kyle, Bobby Martin and Ryder Kavanagh, boys basketball teams across Wesco 4A are facing the challenge of replacing their go-to stars from recent seasons.

Not the Jackson Timberwolves, though.

The T-wolves bring back a slew of talent and experience from last year, returning each of their top five scorers and eight of their top nine.

“The benefit (of experience) is you’ve got guys that have been there before,” Jackson coach Steve Johnson said. “You’ve got guys that have had success. You’ve got guys that should be confident in their ability to be successful.”

The Timberwolves enter this season with high expectations, joining two-time defending league champion Glacier Peak as the leading contenders for the Wesco 4A crown.

Yet while his team certainly looks good on paper, Johnson is the first to stress that’s not how games are won or lost.

“I can’t tell you how many people around town and around school have been, ‘We’re going to state, right? We’re going to state, right?’” he said. “And I’m like, ‘Well, it doesn’t really work that way. You’ve gotta earn it.’

“Sure, it’s nice to have experience and talent. But you’ve got to work hard and you’ve got to work together and improve as the long season moves from stage to stage.”

Last season, Jackson went 16-9 and finished fourth in Wesco 4A. The Timberwolves upset Monroe in the Class 4A Northwest District tournament and came within one win of the state regionals, falling to Glacier Peak in a winner-to-state contest.

Jackson then gained momentum with a strong performance over the summer, highlighted by winning the 32-team Quaker Slam tournament at Franklin High School.

“We had some success against some pretty elite competition, in terms of competing with and beating good teams,” Johnson said. “Not that the summer’s the same thing (as the regular season), but it just gives you another layer of confidence.”

“We realized we can play with anybody in the state, (and) beat anybody in the state,” Jackson senior guard Christian Liddell said.

The Timberwolves are led by the backcourt duo of Liddell and senior point guard Ben Olesen, the team’s top two scorers from last season. The two seniors, who began playing together in fifth grade, are also North City AAU teammates and close friends off the court.

“He’s like my best friend,” Liddell said, “so everything you see on the court is just natural.”

“We have a good connection,” Olesen said. “We know where each other’s going to be and how each other’s going to play.”

Liddell, a 6-foot-2 sharpshooter, averaged a team-high 14.6 points per game last season and was the only non-senior to earn Wesco 4A first-team honors. Heading into Friday night, he’d averaged 18.7 points through Jackson’s first three games this season, including a 26-point performance in a victory over Skyview.

“I would argue he’s one of the best shooters in the state,” Johnson said. “… (And) he’s added facets to his game to not just be a shooter. … He’s better at being more of a diverse scorer — scoring in a variety of ways.”

Olesen, who was the Jackson football team’s starting quarterback, missed all of his sophomore basketball season with a torn ACL he suffered in football. After returning to health, he averaged 11.8 points per game last year and made a pair of game-winning baskets. He also led the Timberwolves in rebounding, despite his 5-foot-11 frame.

“He controls the tempo and (is) a leader out there,” Liddell said. “He does what needs to be done. If we need a bucket, he’ll get a bucket. If we need a stop, he’ll go out there and get a stop. You see him (taking) charges left and right. He’s just like an outright great leader.”

Liddell and Olesen highlight a deep, balanced Jackson squad that features a nice mix of athleticism and size. Jaylen Searles, Kyle Bigovich, Joe Capponi and Carter Korab — who each stand 6-foot-4 or taller — have combined for nearly 25 points per game thus far. Kevin Han and Jesse Hoiby, who entered Friday averaging eight points per contest, provide depth at guard.

“I like to think that we’ve got pretty good balance,” Johnson said. “I think over the course of the season that will be a strength — that we have different guys who can go for double figures and (force opponents to) guard different people on the floor.”

Jackson began its non-league slate with victories over North Kitsap and Skyview — which placed sixth in last season’s 4A Hardwood Classic — before falling to Wesco 3A favorite Marysville Pilchuck earlier this week.

The Timberwolves have big aspirations, but are taking it one step at a time.

“For us right now,” Liddell said, “it’s just focusing on getting better each day.”