This idea sprung up out of the phrase, "He's one of the best (fill in the blank) I've seen since I've been here.
I started compiling a list of athletes I'd want to put out on the court/field if I had my pick of every player to have put on a Douglas uniform since I started working for The Record-Courier in 2003.
Just for the heck of it, I thought I'd put together a seperate list of the players I absolutely would not want to see on the other side of the ball. This isn't necessarily saying that these are the best overall to play on the other side, it's more the players who just gave the Tigers the most headaches during their high school careers.
Keep in mind, all of these picks are completely my opinion. No coaches had any input, and some omissions may simply be the result of a poor memory. But without further ado, here is the 2007-08 version of the All-Since-I've-Been-Here basketball teams (We'll tackle the girls next week):
Center
First Team
Keith Olson (2003-2007): Four -year starter, four-year all-region first-teamer. Led Douglas to its first playoff win in 15 years and later to its first appearance in the Northern 4A Regional title game. At 6 feet, 10 inches, he was one of the tallest players to come through the school. He signed with Division I Northern Arizona prior to his senior year.
Second Team
Joe Nady (2004-07): Nady just happened to come through the school at a time when it had one of its most prolific post players roaming in the paint. At 6-8, the height was never a problem, and by his senior year, he spelled Olson with key minutes throughout the season.
Power Forward
First Team
Jeff Nady (2005-08): Joe's brother was solid as a sophomore and a junior, but came into his own as a senior. He averaged 17.4 ppg and led Douglas to its first state berth in 16 years as a senior.
Second Team
David Laird (2005-08): Laird was another guy who was solid as a role player through his sophomore and junior years and then blossomed in a starting role as a senior. His 25 points against Carson led Douglas to a key win, but it was his work on the boards and as a defender that set him apart. He had a stretch during the playoffs when he drew the defensive assignment on a Division I prospect in each of his last three games (Luke Babbitt, Galena; Olek Czyz, Reno; Elijah Johnson, Cheyenne).
Small Forward
First Team
Nate Whalin (2004-07): Whalin established himself as one of the region's top defenders during his tenure at Douglas, putting together a number of epic battles against Hug's Armon Johnson, who now starts for the Nevada Wolf Pack.
Second Team
Nick Summers (2003-04): Summers probably fit better in the shooting guard role, but the Whittell transfer developed into one of Douglas' stronger scorers in the pre-Olson era.
Shooting Guard
First Team
James McLaughlin (2006-present): The general feeling is that the best is yet to come for the senior-to-be. That's saying something considering his 10.7 ppg average as a junior, which garnered first-team All-Sierra League honors. He is strong from behind the arc and unbelievable when he gets loose inside. He may fly under the recruiting radar early on next year, but don't expect that to last.
Second Team
Eric Emm (2003-05): Emm was one of the better pure shooters to come through the program and made an improbable comeback from a bad knee injury during football season his senior year. His shot from halfcourt in the playoffs against Reed bounced off the rim, but nearly brought home a stunning upset for the Tigers.
Point Guard
First Team
Mike Gransbery (2004-07): Gransbery improved every year for the Tigers and was among the region's best point guard his senior season. He was at his best in transition, but was a force to be reckoned with against man defenses.
Second Team
Ross Bertolone (2006-present): As with McLaughlin, the best is still to come from Bertolone. He has the speed and the athleticism to be one of the top point guards in the state and boasts a pretty nice shot when he decides to pull the trigger. The book on him is that he is still learning the point, but judging from his breakout stretch during the playoffs, he will hit the ground running next year.
Center
Luke Babbitt, Galena (2007): There's not much I can say about Babbitt that hasn't already been written 100 times. At 6-8, he was one of the top recruits in the entire country throughout his high school career and nearly carried the Grizzlies to a win over the Tigers in the regional semifinals this season. He just has an amazing feel for the game and can literally take it over when he wants to. It was no surprise that he earned McDonald's All-American honors. He'll be an incredible addition to the Nevada Wolf Pack roster next year.
Power Forward
J.J. Mulligan, Reno (2004-06): Mulligan was the "next big post man" after current Lousiville star David Padgett graduated from Reno. At 6-7, Mulligan smaller than Padgett, but he gave the Huskies a dangerous threat from the outside, as well as being pretty darn tough to guard inside. He led Reno to the state championship in 2006 and later signed to play at Seattle University.
Small Forward
Armon Johnson, Hug (2004-07): You talk about your playmakers and Johnson fit the bill in every sense. At 6-3, he was a shooting guard in high school, but his range and vertical allowed him to defend Douglas' 6-10 Olson in matchups against the Tigers. He ended up staying close to home, signing with the Wolf Pack, and has started for Nevada this season at point guard and shooting guard. Babbitt surpassed it the next season, but Johnson broke the state scoring record as a senior.
Shooting Guard
Archie Kovich, North Valleys (2005-07): Kovich was one of the rare perimeter players that opposing teams had to key their defenses around. The kid's range literally started just inside the half-court line and he often made good on it. He scored a school record 45 points early in his junior year and went on to average 31.8 ppg as a senior.
Point Guard
J.D. Peters, Galena (2007): Peters was simply a solid all-around point guard that was able to lock down on defense. Anyone who saw the epic Northern 4A title showdown against Douglas in 2007 will remember him for initiating the devastating half-court trap throughout the fourth quarter that helped the Grizzlies claw their way to the win.
Utility
Austin Morgan, Reno (2005-present): Morgan has been terrorizing the Tiger defense since his freshman year when he entered the game in the second quarter and proceeded to put on a shooting clinic from outside. He truly came into his own this year, however, making the switch over to point and quickly taking control of nearly every game from that point on. He led the Huskies to the state championship this season and will probably be the top player in the state next year.
When was the last time the Douglas High School track team hosted a meet in Minden?
- The spring sports season gets underway this week with the Tiger baseball team opening up at Reed Thursday at noon. The softball team travels to Sacramento Friday for a tournament and the track team hosts its first meet at the new Big George Athletic Complex Saturday starting at 9 a.m.
- The only thing brighter on the Douglas High campus this spring than the orange end zones on the football field are the track team's sweatsuits. Go out and take a look if you don't believe me.
I've been sitting on this for a few weeks until I had room to write about it, but if you ever want to get a one-paragraph description of everything that is wrong with professional sports, just take a look at the Jason Kidd-to-Dallas deal that the New Jersey Nets executed two weeks ago.
There was nothing wrong with the bare-bones details of the trade, but it was a last-minute inclusion that really threw me.
Keith Van Horn, a 6-10 forward who hadn't played since 2006, was signed to a $4.3 million contract and shipped off to New Jersey, where he will sit on the bench, participate in pre-game shootarounds and return home to his "unofficial retirement" withhis family at the end of the season.
The reasoning for such a bizarre move has to do with complex rules within the NBA's collective bargaining agreement about salary requirements involved in trades.
That's all beside the point. You can't fault Van Horn for taking the deal, because honestly, who wouldn't?
How did we end up in a country where a professional athlete who isn't even required to stay with his team longer than a month " much less make an effort to get in shape to play " is signed to a contract worth more than what our president makes?
Just something to think about while you're toiling about your office today.
1995.
