Take three Ryans, three competing Western Conference teams and fold into a superb season ahead
By Aaron Coe
Herald Writer
The three Ryans are hoping for big things this boys basketball season.
Three of Snohomish County’s most dynamic players have more in common than their first names. Stanwood’s Ryan Appleby, Snohomish’s Ryan Sommer and Ryan Webb of Mountlake Terrace are point guards with the ability to make jaw-dropping plays.
Each plays for Western Conference teams with expectations of playing in the state tournament in March.
All are known for a dizzying work ethic that is driven by an obsessive love of basketball.
And all three are salivating at the chance to prove themselves against each other.
"You always want to play against the best," said Appleby, who led the Spartans to a sixth-place finish in the 2001 Class 3A tournament.
Though they all know how to please crowds, they do it in different ways.
Appleby, a wiry 6-foot-2 junior, arrives at the gym every day at 6 a.m. By the time school starts at 7:40, he has worked on ball handling and passing and taken countless jump shots.
His shot release is quicker than John Wayne’s, but Stanwood coach Nate DuChesne sometimes has to beg Appleby to shoot.
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Shooting is boring to Appleby. He prefers driving toward the basket and sneaking exotic passes to 6-5 senior post Marcus Steele or anyone else he senses is open.
Appleby, who averaged 17 points and 10 assists last season, is known for his crowd-pleasing no-look passes that leave defenders standing flat-footed.
"He makes every one of our guys better," DuChesne said. "He’s like a coach on the floor. He has all the intangibles a point guard needs."
Sommer stands only 5-10, but uses waterbug quickness to embarrass defenders. And when they stand back to guard against his speed, his jump shot becomes a weapon.
Snohomish coach Len Bone, a preacher of defense, is even more impressed by Sommer’s harassment of rival ball handlers.
"He’s one of the quickest kids around," Bone said. "He puts a lot of pressure on the ball defensively, and he puts pressure on the defense because of his ability to get the ball to the other end."
Sommer, who averaged 16 points and five assists last season, splits ball handling duties with fellow 5-foot-10 guard Josh O’Connor. He has spent countless hours perfecting his craft at nearby Totem Falls Elementary.
The Panthers return many key components from a team that went 17-7 last year, and will have some young but big additions to the team this year.
Paul Brockman, a 6-foot-4 sophomore, and John Brockman, a 6-foot-5 freshman, will give the Panthers the bulk they missed last year. The brothers of UW player Kirsten Brockman will be reserves, but will likely see a lot of playing time, according to Bone.
The added size could give Snohomish enough to seriously challenge Stanwood for the North Division title. Both teams have the potential to wreak havoc in the eight-team district tournament and perhaps the state tournament.
In the South Division, Webb will be the key player on a Mountlake Terrace team that will attempt to fend off much-improved Mariner.
Webb will be the Hawks’ primary dribbler now that Roger Russaw, last year’s All-Area Player of the Year, has graduated.
Like Sommer and Appleby, Webb can shoot or pass, but this Ryan also has a strong post game.
"I’m not sure if Ryan is great at any one thing," Terrace coach Nalin Sood said. "But he is very good at everything. He is the hardest worker I’ve seen in my 19 years with the program."
Webb, who will play for Seattle University with Stanwood’s Steele next year, averaged 13 points, four rebounds and four assists last season. He has been part of a program that has lost only one league game in the past two years, and hopes for big things this season. He’s already relishing his role as the team’s playmaker.
"I like to create," the 6-foot-2 Webb said. "Last year called for me to do a lot of different things, but this year I’ll be more of a creator."
Webb, who played with Appleby on a Friends of Hoop team two summers ago, looks forward to the possibility of facing the other Ryans in the district playoffs.
"You just have to try to stay in front of them," Webb said. "It only makes you better to play against the best in the state."
Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of winter high school sports previews in The Herald. Coming tomorrow is the girls basketball preview.
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