June offered a fresh start for the King’s boys basketball team.
The Knights took on some of the top teams in the area this month under the guidance of head coach Bill Liley, who is filling in for Marv Morris while Morris takes a year-long leave of absence for health reasons.
“I’m really happy,” Liley said. “We have a bunch of guys that love the game. Guys that are back playing basketball. They are gym rats. They play all the time.”
Two days after state, many of the Knights started playing with their AAU teams.
“They’ve been playing non-stop basketball since the end of our season,” Liley said.
The Knights played in the Lorenzo Romar Classic at the University of Washington June 22-24 and went 4-3. They defeated Edmonds-Woodway, Heritage, Cascade Christian and Valley Catholic, the defending 3A champions from Oregon and lost to Kamiak, Skyline and Mariner.
King’s also played in the Mountlake Terrace Summer League which consisted of all 3A and 4A teams except King’s, which is 1A. Edmonds-Woodway avenged its loss to the Knights in the Romar Classic by beating them in the quarterfinals of the summer league.
“We try to play the toughest competition possible in our nonleague schedule and summer schedule,” Liley said. “We feel playing against the 3A/4A schools challenges us.”
Earlier in the month, the Knights won the Great Eight Tournament, a showcase of eight of the top 1A boys teams in the state. They beat Meridian, Seattle Christian and Cedar Park Christian for the title.
It was a turning point for the Knights, who ended last season on a disappointing note after being blown out by 41 by Bellevue Christian in an elimination game at state. King’s went 1-2 at state without the presence of 6-foot, 10-inch center Charlie Enquist, who had broken his wrist. Enquist, now graduated, has signed with Washington State.
“That was a nice way for the kids to show without the big fella … that those guys could step up and play well enough to win a tournament like that,” Liley said.
King’s played 3A Mercer Island June 16 and held them to 38 points, in a 38-33 loss.
Liley noted the Knights defensive scheme is coming together faster this year with more returning players who are used to the system.
Last year, Enquist plugged up the middle and “made up for a lot of mistakes,” Liley said.
“Once we lost Charlie there in the playoffs we showed some pretty glaring weaknesses on defense,’ he said.
The Knights had a lot of talent but also a lot of new faces last year and the team didn’t achieve as much as it hoped.
Now they’ve got a solid nucleus that has played together before. The backcourt includes point guard Bryan Ayers and shooting guard Cameron George, both seniors-to-be. Ayers is a steady ball handler while George can knock down the 3-pointer consistently. Erich Fuhlendorf, also a senior-to-be, fills the small forward sport. He’s a versatile player who the Knights count on to post up and hit from the outside.
Left-hander Kyle Talbot, a 6-4 junior-to-be, fills the power forward spot while senior-to-be Dylan O’Neil, a 6-7 post, will play center. O’Neil served as Enquist’s backup last year and did an admirable job scoring and rebounding in his absence. O’Neil averaged 18 points and nine rebounds through the Knights’ first 13 games of the spring and summer schedule.
Nick Hardy, a 5-9 sharpshooting guard who will be a junior, will come off the bench or start. Juniors-to-be Alex Mar, a guard, and Zach McDonald, a forward, also have varsity experience.
Now that everyone on the floor has played together for year, the result is better chemistry .
“We’re seeing things through the other person’s eyes,” George said. “My help side’s going to be there anticipating. When I drive, I know where Erich’s going to be, same way with Dylan. It definitely helps having that on-court time together.”
“We lost Charlie, but we’ve got Dylan down in the post,” George said. “He’s a force to be reckoned with.”
Ayers is doing a “great job at point guard,” and Fuhlendorf can “post-up and hit the outside shot,” George said.
“I feel we’re a better defensive team too,” he added. “That’s one of the things we’re emphasizing.”
Fuhlendorf said while the defense is the same as it was under Morris, Liley’s opened the offense up a bit more with more motion.
“A lot more freedom,” he said.
Liley said he’s tweaked some things and he’s excited to see how they work in November.
“Offensively we’re doing things that will make the game seem more up tempo,” Liley said. “This team will play a touch faster than we have in the last few years.”
King’s begins team camp at Gonzaga today, Friday, June 29 and then after a that is over will take a break until fall ball in September.
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