Asher Raquiza, Gig Harbor boys basketball off to hot start

For the Gig Harbor High School boys basketball team, it was important that their season got off to a great start in order to measure the success of their offseason training.

After their 66-61 victory over league rival Central Kitsap last Friday, the Tides’ record improved to a perfect 4-0. While all the Tides players are gelling on the court, sophomore standout Asher Raquiza has been racking up the points in the scorebook.

In fact, in all four contests, Raquiza has gone for over double digit scoring including a 17-point performance against the Cougars.

“This year, our team is better at moving the ball around and getting really good shots,” he said. “That’s led to our success this season. I feel like I’ve gotten stronger also, I’ve been in the weight room. All those factors have led to me and our team getting better as a unit.”

Known by his teammates as “The Rook” (it even says it on his sneakers), Raquiza has seen a large expansion of his role from last season to this one.

As a freshman, it was a little difficult to find his footing on the varsity level. But he kept getting his opportunity to get out onto the court, and surprised the coaching staff with his level of play.

“When we put him out there, he was a lot feistier and scrappier than I thought,” said coach Billy Landram. “He was going to rebound with the big kids; that normally doesn’t happen for young kids. Right there when he did that, I knew he had some special qualities about him.”

Even though Raquiza is willing to fight for those boards, his main draw is that he can put the ball in the hole. He’s in the mix of the offense whether he is bringing the ball up the court, driving the lane or passing to setup a better shot for his teammates.

And if watching Raquiza feels a little familiar, it should. The sophomore likes to model his game after former Washington State University and current Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson.

“He seems like a very scrappy guy. [He] does not seem like he would be the best person on the court,” Raquiza said. “But at the end of the game, he will always have 20 or 30 points. He always goes with the flow of the game and hits his shots.”

Watching and learning from Thompson inspired Raquiza to take what the defense is giving him. If there are open looks from the 3-point line, he takes them. And once the defense keys in on that, Raquiza starts driving to the basket.

Plus it helps that Thompson has a few rings, too.

This year, Raquiza set the goal for himself that he will be one of the Tides’ best scorers on the team, something that he has proven through the first four games of the season.

Part of that goal is to not take any kind of bad shot. Like Thompson, if Raquiza doesn’t have that open look, he won’t take it.

“If some nights that doesn’t happen, I’m not down about it. That’s perfectly fine if we are winning,” he said. “I’m here for my team to be a team player, but also score.”

Another strong attribute to Raquiza is how much of a vital part of the team he is turning out to be. He gets along with his teammates and holds ground with older players like Jack Emery and Zach Toglia.

In fact, Raquiza and Toglia have played together since their days in the Tides’ youth program. A chemistry like theirs helps elevate their team and its exactly what Landram wants out his players.

“They know each other extremely well and it’s the product of working years and years through the youth program,” he said. “Asher is pretty good at lots of stuff… We have lots of ball handlers this year and he’s definitely in the mix of that.”

And even though he is not so much a “Rook” anymore, Raquiza is developing into a young leader among his teammates.

He takes the time to keep his teammates locked in when they need to be and when things are starting to slip away, he takes over as the ‘chief of the court.’

“I try to lead the team as much as possible because our team is known to sometimes have mental breakdowns,” he said. “I try to keep everyone calm. I try to be a leader on the court and make sure everyone is under control. I make sure everything is smooth and like how we practiced.”

After another test at home against Shelton, the Tides will travel to Kona, Hawaii to participate in the World Youth Basketball Tournament Holiday Invitational.

Their first opponent will be Honokaa High School of Hawaii at 9:45 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 19 at Kealakehe High School.