Soft-spoken Ritchie a big force for the Seahawks

Jimmy Ritchie’s soft-spoken demeanor doesn’t seem to match up with his stature.

The Peninsula High senior stands 6-foot-9 and is an enforcer on the low block for the Seahawks. On the court, he’s a nightmare for most high school centers to try to defend.

But for such an imposing figure, Ritchie isn’t loud-mouthed, brash or arrogant. He’s generally quiet, going about his business in his own, understated way.

“He leads by example,” Peninsula coach Jake Jackson said. “Jimmy and (senior) JaQuori (McLaughlin) are very similar. They’re both calm, cool and collected. They hide their cards. They’re so consistent in what they do.”

Off the court, Ritchie is a strong student, boasting a 3.85 cumulative GPA. Ritchie, who holds an offer from Saint Martin’s, among other schools, plans to study computer engineering in college.

“I’ve always done well in math and science,” Ritchie said. “I’ve always liked building things and figuring out how things work and how things go together.”

A little over a year ago, Ritchie built his own computer.

“I’ve always found them to be really interesting,” he said. “I really enjoyed that.”

One of the most dominant centers in the state, building computers and studying engineering? It’s just Jimmy, according to McLaughlin.

“He’s a big, goofy guy, so he doesn’t really look that smart,” McLaughlin said with a laugh. “But he’s one of the smartest people on our team. He’s super smart.”

McLaughlin and Ritchie have both played on varsity since their freshman season. Their journey started before that, even, at the tryout session for the fifth-grade Harbor Hoops club team.

“He was even more goofy than he is now,” McLaughlin said about the fifth-grade version of Ritchie. “He’s gotten a lot better. He developed a passion for the sport and kept working at it.”

McLaughlin and Ritchie, who came in at the same time as Jackson, have been ambassadors for Peninsula’s program. They’re respectful of others, work hard, get good grades and handle themselves with class both on and off the court.

Jackson immediately knew Ritchie would be a special player for the Seahawks when he walked into the gym as a freshman.

“Coaching him on the court, it was so natural,” Jackson said. “He knew exactly what I was trying to get at. He could immediately execute it and teach it to seniors or juniors. From an IQ standpoint, I knew he’d be a special player. He was the full-package player. You just know right away. You can tell right away by looking at the player how they’re going to pan out.”

Ritchie and McLaughlin have shared the ups and downs together over the program’s four years (to be fair, there have been a lot more ups than downs). McLaughlin sees a lot of himself in Ritchie.

“We’re definitely more quiet leaders,” he said. “But we’re very competitive. If someone goes at Jimmy, he’s going to come back at them hard. Same with me. I think we’re similar in that aspect — being competitive but not showing it all the time.”

Ritchie has been battling both a foot and hand injury. With the Seahawks locking up a game in the regional round of the Class 3A state tournament, following the district tournament, Peninsula is hopeful it’ll get its big center back soon. Ritchie is itching to get back on the floor and help the team get to the Tacoma Dome.

“That’s pretty much every high school basketball player’s dream, to get there and compete for the state title,” Ritchie said. “I think we have the pieces to do it. As long as we play well, I think we’re all expecting to be there. That’s our goal.”

In a do-or-die game, expect to see Ritchie out there.

“We’re giving it as much time to heal as we can, but in the end, I’ll have time to rest after the season,” Ritchie said.

This story was originally published February 17, 2016 at 12:05 PM with the headline "Soft-spoken Ritchie a big force for the Seahawks."