Ryan Shannon’s past and present collide Thursday

MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — When Thursday’s game between Marysville Pilchuck and Mountlake Terrace tips off at 7:15, Ryan Shannon will likely be the center of attention.

Shannon has played a key role, but not an outstanding role on his new team, Mountlake Terrace. But tonight the focus will be on him not necessarily for what he has accomplished this season, but more because he used to don the jersey of the visiting team.

For the first time and perhaps the only time in his high school career, Shannon will face his former teammates from Marysville — and he will do it on his 18th birthday.

“That’s kind of a good birthday present,” Shannon said. “I get to hang out with my best friends and play a basketball game.”

Shannon transferred from Marysville Pilchuck to Mountlake Terrace in the offseason for family reasons.

Shannon said that the move had nothing to do with basketball, but there is no denying that it has worked out for him in terms of wins. The Hawks have raced out of the gate to an 8-0 record and the early season lead in the Wesco 3A.

“We knew we would have a good team,” Shannon said. “We as a team thought we would be here so it’s not like it is that big of a shock to us.”

It hasn’t been a completely smooth transition for Shannon, while the successes have been many at Mountlake Terrace, it wasn’t easy for him to leave Marysville.

“It’s incredibly difficult,” Shannon said. “I feel like I let down six or seven of my closest friends.”

Mountlake Terrace head coach Nalin Sood said that Shannon’s new team didn’t go into the season measuring success by wins and losses, but so far the on-court product has looked tough to beat.

“It’s a puzzle and you wonder how well each piece fits into the varsity puzzle,” Sood said. “And so far it has come together well.”

Sood didn’t know what to expect from the Hawks going into the season after several seniors graduated after last season, but the Hawks have come together nicely so far.

“You’ve got to give those 10 kids credit for playing as a team,” Sood said. “They are playing as a team on both ends of the court.”

Shannon’s arrival meant earning the respect of his new teammates, something that, because of Shannon’s work ethic, didn’t take long.

“He has been better than I thought he was going to be, I’m not going to lie,” Hawks post Coby Russell said. “As soon as he got on the court I was like, ‘OK, he is actually here to play.’”

Russell said that Shannon’s work ethic and competitiveness are on par with that of his teammates.

“If he wasn’t going to be like that, he wasn’t going to fit in.”

But according to Sood, Shannon has been that way since he walked in the door. Shannon started to get to know his new teammates and worked out with them right away and that has carried over into the season.

“You have a chance to be a good basketball team when your best player is your hardest worker,” Sood said. “And we have a couple of guys who work that hard.”

But Sood said Shannon, who has committed to play basketball at Montana State next season, allows his game do the talking.

“Ryan is not a guy to go out there and tell you how good he is,” Sood said. “He will go out there and show you.”

Sood said that Shannon has, “a tremendous sense of humbleness about him.” And while Shannon may get a lot of the credit for what the Hawks are doing right now, he showed that humbleness in his comments.

“I think either way, if I didn’t transfer here or not it would be pretty close to the same thing.”

Watching the Hawks play, that is not hard to believe. In six of Mountlake Terrace’s first seven games this season the team had a different leading scorer.

“With us, you never know who is going to score the most points,” Shannon said.

In an earlier season victory over Shorecrest, Shannon was held scoreless through the first 23 minutes and 58 seconds of the game, finishing the game with just five points, but the depth of the Hawks carried them to an easy victory.

“It’s impossible to defend six players that are scoring 10 points a game,” Russell said.

In Marysville, things haven’t looked so bright for the winless Tomahawks.

“We started off the season the season knowing that a lot of people were going to want to talk about who wasn’t there,” Marysville Pilchuck coach Bary Gould said. “We aren’t going to dwell on what we don’t have. We are going to adjust.”

Gould said he is starting to see his team put it together.

“Each game my team is getting better,” Gould said. “They are starting to understand their identity without Ryan.”

Shannon’s transfer to Mountlake Terrace is in the past, but the emotions may return to the surface tonight.

“I think he will just do as he always does and just be competitive and try his hardest to get the win,” Russell said.

Sood said he does expect the emotions of the evening will affect Shannon.

“As a coach I would like to say it will be no different than any other game,” Sood said. “I’m sure it will be tough for him.”

Shannon said he will remain focused on the game.

“I’m going to go in there thinking that it is just another opponent,” Shannon said.

And when it’s all over, Shannon will celebrate his 18th birthday with his new friends and his old friends from Marysville, who accepted Shannon’s invitation to come out after the game.

“At 8:45 at night (after the game), you go out there and reacquaint yourself with people that mean a lot to you,” Sood said.

Aaron Lommers covers prep sports for The Herald. Read his live blogs at www.heraldnet.com/prepzone, follow him on twitter @aaronlommers and contact him at alommers@heraldnet.com.