253 vs. 206: Puget Sound Throwdown to feature top basketball players from Tacoma, Seattle
Tacoma vs. Seattle.
253 vs. 206.
North Puget Sound vs. South Puget Sound.
Some of the best basketball high school basketball players from the greater Tacoma area and the best from the greater Seattle area will participate in The Puget Sound Throwdown All-Area Games on Saturday at Highline Community College.
The girls game starts at 2 p.m. and the boys game starts at 4 p.m.
The Tacoma teams are made up mostly of players from The News Tribune’s All-Area team. All-Area boys basketball player of the year Roberto Gittens of Foss is on the boys team and All-Area girls basketball player of the year Kendall Bird of White River is on the girls team.
Gittens is committed to Boise State and Bird signed her letter of intent to play at the University of San Diego.
The Tacoma team will also feature Pierre Crockrell, a sophomore who is from Tacoma but attends Prolific Prep in Napa, California. He has an offer from Montana, but had told Scout.com that he has also been hearing from Washington, Washington State, Oregon State, Oregon, California and USC.
The Seattle teams are made up of players from King County and Snohomish County, with a couple of Seattle Times Star Times selections – West Seattle’s Nate Pryor for the boys team and Bothell’s Taya Corosdale, Kentlake’s Gabby Bruno and Sammamish’s Promise Taylor.
Pyor was a 3A all-state selection by The Associated Press and was recently released from his letter of intent with Seattle U after coach Cameron Dollar was let go and subsequently was hired as an assistant at UW. Corosdale is an Oregon State signee and Taylor is signed with Ole Miss.
Not that it will have all of the best from Seattle and Tacoma. Some notables who won’t be participating are No. 1 player in the country Michael Porter Jr. of Nathan Hale, nor his younger brother Jontay Porter. The Seattle team will also be without Garfield’s Jaylen Nowell (UW signee) and Daejon Davis (Stanford signee) and Corey Kispert (Gonzaga signee). And the girls team doesn’t include AP co-players of the year Anna Luce of Mercer Island and Jadyn Bush of Bishop Blanchet.
The Tacoma boys team will be without Capital’s TJ Mickelson, who missed the end of the season. And Bellarmine’s Shalyse Smith, an Arizona commit, won’t be participating for the Tacoma girls team, nor will JaQuaya Miller of state-champion Kentridge.
There will also be a 3-point shooting contest at halftime of the girls game and a dunk contest at halftime of the boys game.
Doors open at 1 p.m. and the cost is $10 per adult and $7 for seniors, students. Children 10 and under will be free.
Here’s the rosters as released by the event organizers, including Wilson boys basketball coach Dave Alwert:
BOYS ALL-TACOMA AREA TEAM
▪ G Trevante Anderson, Lincoln, jr.
▪ F Emmitt Matthews Jr., Wilson, jr.
▪ G Erik Stevenson, Timberline, jr.
▪ F Roberto Gittens, Foss, sr.
▪ F Luke Lovelady, Life Christian, sr.
▪ F Malcolm Cola, Federal Way, sr.
▪ G Darius LuBom, Kentwood, sr.
▪ G Pierre Crockrell II, Prolific Prep, so.
▪ F John Moore, Curtis
▪ G Rayvaughn Bolton, Kentwood
▪ G Clay Christian, North Thurston
▪ G Marcus Stephens, Federal Way
TNT All-Area boys basketball team
BOYS ALL-SEATTLE AREA TEAM
▪ F Kevin Porter Jr., Rainier Beach
▪ G Nate Pryor, West Seattle
▪ G C.J. Elleby, Cleveland
▪ F Yusuf Mohamed, West Seattle
▪ G A.J. Martinka, Stanwood
▪ G Khalil Shabazz, Rainier Beach
▪ F N’Keil Nelson, Rainier Beach
▪ G Maurice Barnett, Franklin
▪ G Marquan Williams, Franklin
▪ G Brock McKenzie, Eastside Catholic
▪ G Emilio Mancol, Kennedy Catholic
▪ G Max Knight, Lakeside
Seattle Times Star Times all-area team
GIRLS ALL-TACOMA AREA TEAM
▪ G Josie Matz, Wilson, sr.
▪ G Alexius Foster, Franklin Pierce, sr.
▪ G Brynna Maxwell, Gig Harbor, so.
▪ G Tianna Brown, Bethel, jr.
▪ G Taylor Flores, Auburn Mountainview, so.
▪ G Japhera McEachin, Todd Beamer, sr.
▪ G McKenzi Williams, Auburn Riverside, sr.
▪ F Kaelin Williams-Kennedy, Curtis, sr.
▪ G Tresai McCarver, Kentridge, jr.
▪ G Jada Leonard, Kentlake, sr.
▪ F Kendall Bird, White River, sr.
▪ G Jenny Hagle, Bellarmine Prep, jr.
▪ G Emma Duff, Black Hills, sr.
TNT All-Area girls basketball team
GIRLS ALL-SEATTLE TEAM
▪ C Kelsey Rogers, Lynnwood, sr.
▪ F Taya Corosdale, Bothell, sr.
▪ F Chinwe Ezeonu, Seattle Prep, sr.
▪ G Izzy Turk, West Seattle, sr.
▪ G Rachel Francisco, Holy Names, sr.
▪ G Kailee Yan, Mercer Island, sr.
▪ C Promise Taylor, Sammamish, sr.
▪ G Paisley Johnson, Glacier Peak, sr.
▪ G Miyu Miyashito, Kennedy Catholic, sr.
▪ G Gabby Bruno, Kentlake, sr.
▪ G Nirae Petty, Rainier Beach, sr.
Seattle Times Star Times all-area team
This story was originally published April 6, 2017 at 5:47 PM with the headline "253 vs. 206: Puget Sound Throwdown to feature top basketball players from Tacoma, Seattle."