There’s a new name atop the Hazen High School boys basketball career scoring list.

Senior Dominic Green took over the top spot after a Wednesday night victory over Tyee. Green now has 1,137 career points, edging out 1992 Hazen graduate Jason Hamilton’s 1,109.

Green, a small forward, will continue his career at Arizona State University next year. He signed his national letter of intent in front of family, friends and teammates Nov. 12.

At the time, Green told the Newcastle News that he chose the Sun Devils because of their great coaching staff and the school’s ideal location.

Herb Sendek’s program is adding an athlete that loves to score, has a strong competitive fire and doesn’t like losing, Green said.

“They’re getting a player who’s a great shooter, very long and lanky, and is just willing to play,” he said.

Green is the first Hazen boys basketball player to sign with a Division I school since 1992, when Hamilton began his career at San Diego State before transferring to the University of Washington. Hamilton, whose record stood for more than two decades, now serves as a radio analyst for the Huskies’ basketball team.

Green will continue to add to his new career mark when the West Central District Tournament begins Feb. 12.

By Greg Farrar
Dominic Green, Hazen High School senior, holds his signed letters of intent Nov. 12 and poses with his brother, Hazen freshman Jalen, for a photo taken by their dad, Jevon, on the Highlander campus.

With the swift stroke of a pen, Hazen High School senior Dominic Green made a permanent decision about the setting of his life’s next chapter Nov. 12.

The Hazen basketball star signed his national letter of intent to play at Arizona State University next year, officially making him a Sun Devil.

Green, a small forward, chose Arizona State over offers from schools such as Washington State University, Portland State and Montana.

“I picked ASU because I really liked the program,” he said before signing in front of family, friends and teammates. “I like where the school’s at in Tempe and I really like the coaching staff.”

Green added that he liked how the Sun Devils play and appreciated how head coach Herb Sendek and his staff develops student athletes on and off the court.

Sendek’s program is adding an athlete that loves to score, has a strong competitive fire and doesn’t like losing, Green said.

“They’re getting a player who’s a great shooter, very long and lanky, and is just willing to play,” he said.

Hazen basketball coach Ryan Thompson said Green has matured a lot since first stepping foot in the Highlanders’ gymnasium.

“I’ve seen him grow a lot as a person, as a student and certainly as an athlete, so it’s a special time for us to be celebrating what he’s accomplished,” Thompson said.

Green is the first Hazen boys basketball player to sign with a Division I school since 1992, when Jason Hamilton began his career at San Diego State before transferring to the University of Washington. Hamilton now serves as a radio analyst for the Huskies’ basketball team.

The Highlanders are poised for a big season, Green said. The team had a fruitful offseason, winning games in summer leagues and at camps. Green added that his goal is to win the Seamount League.

“I think our team is going to look very good this year,” he said.

The season began Dec. 3, with a nonconference game against rival Liberty. Results were not available at press time.

Signing the letter of intent is just the first step in the process, Thompson said, adding that there’s still work to be done for Green to reach all of his goals.

“When he gets to ASU next year, that’s just the start,” Thompson said. “We look forward to him doing a lot of big things there and beyond Arizona State.”

Ben Wessel, Liberty High School senior post, fouls Hazen High School junior center Cody Moorhead on the putback from a rebound during the first quarter of the Dec. 22 game. By Greg Farrar

As the Hazen High School boys team opened play against Liberty on Dec. 22, Hazen coach Ryan Thompson liked the pace his team was setting.

Led by senior guard starter Alex Olson’s eight points in the first quarter, the Highlanders were up 17-8 after the first quarter of the game.

But Liberty rallied back for a 54-48 home victory over the Highlanders, scoring 21 points in the second quarter — including nine points from junior point guard and co-captain Tynan Gilmore.

“I talked to them about playing more with their feet and doing what we do with Liberty basketball,” Liberty coach Joe Fithian said. “We’ve had a couple of games where we’ve just kind of gone into a funk. We haven’t been playing real fast, which is what you could see in the first quarter.”

The surge put the Patriots back into the game, trailing by just two points, 32-30, at the half.

Gilmore would go on to contribute 17 total points for Liberty.

“Tynan is a solid leader for this team,” he said. “When you seen him, he never gets rattled.”

Liberty junior post Matt Campbell, who tacked on 11 points for the night, has been a major contribution to the team as well, Fithian said.

“When we play hard, when we run fast, we’re a good team,” he said. “When we don’t, we’re mediocre.”

This season, Liberty has come away with just one conference win over Juanita on Dec. 9. The Patriots hope to improve on a 1-3 KingCo 3A conference record and a 5-4 record overall.

“I’m happy where we are … what I preach to my guys is do what we do,” he said. “I think we’re on our way. You saw tonight that we put in three out of four quarters of doing what we do, and it translates to a win.”

Liberty’s other wins on the season include a 44-36 victory against Mariner on Nov. 30, a 60-53 win over Black Hills on Dec. 17 and a 53-44 win over Highline Dec. 21.

Hazen senior guard Frankie Johnson and senior forward Dawit Kasa scored 14 and 12 points for the Highlanders in the contest, respectively.

Kasa is averaging 14 points, 2.2 steals and 7.6 rebounds per game.

The Highlanders have split their Seamount Conference contests 2-2, beating Lindbergh, 66-55, on Dec. 7 and beating Highline, 62-37, on Dec. 14.

Hazen’s overall record stands at 4-5, beating Mariner, 59-53, on Dec. 2 and beating Puyallup, 48-45, on Dec. 10 in nonconference play.

Swimmer Chase Onstot and diver Brandon Alexander earned a trip to the state swimming and diving championships in Federal Way Feb. 19, and five Highlanders earned a trip to the state wrestling tournament in the Tacoma Dome Feb. 18.

Basketball

The Hazen High School boys basketball team suffered a heartbreaking 1-point loss in the second game of the state tournament to end its season.

The berth in the tournament followed district tournament wins over Kelso, Bremerton, Camas and Kennedy high schools. Had Hazen lost one of those games, its season would have been over.

The team started the state tournament with a 67-60 victory over Mountlake Terrace High School, senior power forward and center Brandt Graybeal led the team with 22 points in the victory, followed by senior point guard De’corius Sampson, who racked up 17 points of his own. Junior point guard Frankie Johnson also had 11 points.

In the second game of the state tournament, Hazen fell to Glacier Peak High School, 50-49.

The Highlanders were up by 1 point with 15 seconds left, but Glacier Peak picked up a loose ball. Hazen fouled, and Glacier Peak hit both free throws. When Hazen got the ball back, it was unable to score.

Senior shooting guards Michael Dampier and R.J. Magar led the Highlanders in the game with 13 points and 10 points, respectively. Junior center Dawit Kasa and Sampson each had 9 points.

Regardless, head coach Gary Schaplow said the team made a good run.

“I’m really proud of the kids, the way they played down the stretch,” he said. “They bought in and came together and played some pretty good defense.”

Of the nine postseason games Hazen played, three went into overtime.

“I was so impressed with their competitive spirit. I told them that all year,” Schaplow said. “They will just fight and fight and fight until the horn blows.”

The team finished the season with a 21-7 overall record, and a 13-1 record in Seamount League play. Magar led the team in scoring in the year with 355 points and an average of 14.2 points per game. Kasa, Sampson and Graybeal also finished the season with more than 250 points each, averaging 11.8, 11 and 10.7 points per game, respectively.

Schaplow took over as head coach Dec. 13 after the school fired former coach James Olive. Schaplow had coached the Highlanders for two seasons in the early 2000s and served as the school’s athletic director from 2004-2009.

He said he is not sure whether he will coach the team again next year.

The Hazen girls basketball team finished the season with an 11-8 overall record and a 8-6 record in Seamount League play. The Highlanders advanced to a seeding match against Enumclaw High School Feb. 11 to battle for a spot in the district tournament, but they lost 52-44.

The loss marked an unfortunate end to a season that started strong.

“On paper, we should have beaten Enumclaw,” girls basketball head coach Jeff Bernhardt said. “It came down to a couple possessions here and there, and they made the most of them.”

Junior guard Airashay Rogers led the league in scoring during the season with an astounding 448 points and an average of 26.4 points per game. Rogers also racked up 42 assists during the season, as well as 35 blocks, 112 steals and 160 rebounds.

Senior guard Michelle Wnek was second on the team in scoring with 220 points, averaging 12.2 points per game. Wnek also had 34 assists and a league-leading 132 steals.

“They were, no question, the leaders of our team,” Bernhardt said.

With Rogers returning for her senior season next year, Hazen is sure to be a threat in 2012.

Hazen High School junior Brandon Alexander prepares to leap into reverse double summersaults in the first round of the state diving finals Feb. 19. He finished 16th in the event. By Tim Pfarr

Swimming

Sophomore Onstot and junior Alexander advanced to the state swimming championship meet Feb. 19 at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way.

Onstot took 10th in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4 minutes, 51.78 seconds. He also took 11th in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:46.87.

Alexander took 16th in state in diving, racking up a final score of 252.7 in the championship round.

Wrestling

Hazen wrestlers Josh Kluth, Derek Coburn, Austin Clark, Daniel Karpman and Kyle Ely advanced to the Mat Classic in the Tacoma Dome.

Ely — a senior in the 189-pound weight class — lost his first match 15-7 to Camoron Babcock, from Shadle Park High School in Spokane, and advanced to the consolation bracket, where he pinned Jake Ferris, from Wilson High School in Tacoma, in 4:33.

However, he dropped his next match against Colton Malek, from Enumclaw High School, 4-0, ending his championship run.

Kluth, Coburn, Clark, Karpman and Ely each lost their first two matches and were eliminated from the tournament.

Thanks to its strong record, the team was 14-3 and one win away from clinching the Seamount League championship as of Newcastle News’ deadline Jan. 31.

Dawit Kasa, Hazen junior center, puts up a shot Jan. 18 during the fourth quarter of the Highlanders' 70-62 victory against Lindbergh. By Greg Farrar

Hazen will play in a seeding match before heading to the playoffs.

The Liberty Patriots went 3-5 in January, and its 5-11 overall record as of the News’ deadline was enough to advance it to a postseason seeding match.

Hazen

Although Hazen has clinched the playoffs, it first needed to close the season with a road match against rival Renton High School at 7 p.m. Feb. 4. Head coach Gary Schaplow said the team was working one game at a time, staying focused on the tasks at hand and ensuring the team plays solid defense.

“Our focus is defense first,” he said. “When we play defense first, it makes us a pretty good ball club.”

Senior shooting guard and team captain R.J. Magar leads the team in points heading into the postseason. As of the News’ deadline, he had racked up a team-leading 242 points, averaging 14.2 points per game. About 41 percent of his points came from behind the arc.

“He’s been a scorer for a long time,” Schaplow said, adding that his true growth lately has come defensively. He’s become a more versatile player. I’m really, really pleased with his defense. It has really picked up.”

Of course, Magar is not the only dominate force for the Highlanders. Junior center Dawit Kasa and senior power forward and center Brandt Graybeal have also been dangerous. Kasa recorded 191 points and an average of 12.7 points per game. He also shot 64 percent from the field.

Graybeal — another team captain — knocked down 180 points and averaged 10.6 points per game.

Senior point guard De’corius Sampson — the third team captain — was also instrumental in the team’s success, as he was responsible for a team-leading 88 assists.

When it came to defense and rebounding, Graybeal led the way. He was a beast crashing the boards, with 196 total rebounds, and he managed to get his hands on the ball often, blocking 13 shots and recording 25 steals.

Sampson took advantage of having quick hands, stripping opponents 39 times during the season.

In the postseason, Schaplow said Sampson, Graybeal, Kasa and senior shooting guard Michael Dampier will likely be leaders in the postseason.

Dampier has 161 points for the year and an average of 9.6 points per game.

Schaplow said winning a state title is the obvious goal and likely on his player’s minds, but taking things one game at a time will help the team stay on track.

Liberty

Although Liberty was below a .500 record in January, head coach Joe Fithian said he expected the competition among KingCo teams to be tough.

“We’0re just not quite at that level yet. Our defense is, not our offense,” he said. “Our problem is we’re not scoring enough.”

On defense and rebounding, sophomore point guard Tynan Gilmore, senior post and team captain Kylan Marlow and junior post Ben Wessel were powerful. Wessel led the team with 64 rebounds, followed by Marlow with 44. Gilmore was fast to snatch the ball from opponents, nabbing 50 steals.

“He’ll pick your pocket if you’re not careful,” Fithian said. “If you bobble it at all, he’s got it.”

Offensively, the team leaned on senior guard Chandler Jenkins and Gilmore. As of the News’ deadline, Jenkins had scored 198 points and averaged 14.1 points per game. Gilmore scored 174 points and averaged 11.2 points per game. He also led the team with 50 assists.

Marlow also chipped in often, as he scored 124 points of his own. However, Fithian said Marlow brings more to the offense than what shows in the stat book.

“The key to our offense is Kylan Marlow,” he said. “He’s the one who sets up inside and draws a lot of double teams.”

Fithian said he was also impressed with Gilmore, who is playing with poise few sophomores exhibit. He said Gilmore has learned to read defenses much better, and change plays on the fly when he needs to.

In coming years, he is likely to be a big threat for the Patriots.

In their final two games, Liberty faced off against Lake Washington High School and Mount Si High School Feb. 1 and 3, respectively. Both games were after the News’ deadline.

Although Liberty has hit a few bumps during the year, Fithian said it isn’t inconceivable that the team would be able to surprise a dominant program in the postseason.

Hazen senior Brandt Graybeal leaps for a layup in the third quarter against Evergreen High School Dec. 15. Below, Hazen senior shooting guard Michael Dampier prepares to make a move in the first quarter against Evergreen. Photo by Tim Pfarr

The Hazen High School boys basketball team had a successful December, going 6-3 overall and 3-1 in conference play. However, the Liberty High School boys basketball team encountered adversity during the final month of 2010, going 3-6 overall and 1-3 in conference play.

Hazen

Hazen started off the season with a bang, facing off against defending 4A state champion Kentwood High School and falling by just one point, 55-54.

From there, Hazen took down Renton High School, 68-58; Lindbergh High School, 78-59; Evergreen High School, 74-54; Highline High School, 75-45; Liberty, 84-44; and Ingraham High School, 67-46.

Hazen also dropped games to Kennedy Catholic High School, 89-85, and Cleveland High School by forfeit.

Hazen played Foster High School on the road Jan. 5, but the game was after Newcastle News’ deadline.

Senior shooting guard R.J. Magar leads the team with 121 points and an average of 15.1 points per game, followed by junior center Dawit Kasa, who has 100 points and an average of 12.5 points per game.

Other top scorers include senior center and power forward Brandt Graybeal with 89 points and an average of 11.1 points per game, as well as senior shooting guard Michael Dampier and senior point guard De’corius Sampson, who each have 66 points and an average of 8.3 points per game.

Sampson also leads the team in assists with 39, and Graybeal and Kasa have been rebounding monsters, pulling down 101 and 48 rebounds, respectively.

Liberty

In December, Liberty defeated Juanita High School, 51-47; Highline High School, 59-58; and Chief Sealth High School, 45-41. The Patriots dropped games to Mariner High School, 58-53; Sammamish High School, 60-53; Bellevue High School, 85-51; Mercer Island High School, 72-42; Cascade High School, 70-55; and Hazen.

Kylan Marlow, Liberty senior post, puts up a shot Dec. 3 against the Sammamish Totems. By Greg Farrar

Liberty hosted Lake Washington High School Jan. 4, but the game was after Newcastle News’ deadline.

Senior guard Chandler Jenkins leads the team with 104 points and an average of 13 points per game, followed by sophomore guard Tynan Gilmore with 77 points and an average of 9.6 points per game and senior post Kylan Marlow with 73 points and an average of 9.1 points per game.

Gilmore leads the team in with 30 assists and 13 steals, and junior post Ben Wessel leads the team in rebounds with 35.

“I think we’re going to come along,” Liberty head coach Joe Fithian said. “It’s just going to take some time.”

He added that the Liberty team needs to get in the winning mindset.

“Once they experience success, then the lights will come on,” Fithian said.

Joe Fithian

Liberty’s coaching situation was shaken last year when school officials fired former head coach Jevon Green mid-season. To fill the coaching holes, they hired Joe Fithian to take over as interim junior varsity head coach. In April, Liberty offered him the varsity job.

Joe Fithian imparts advice to the players on the Liberty HIgh School boys team during a recent game. By Greg Farrar

Fithian had been working as a high school basketball referee at the time of his initial hire, although beneath the black-and-white stripes he had a long history of coaching. Fithian had spent eight years at Seattle University, serving as a head coach for one year and an assistant coach for seven.

Prior to that, Fithian coached Shoreline Community College and Mililani High School in Hawaii. However, his roots as a coach stretch back to his pre-teenage years, when he coached a fourth-grade basketball team. Later, while attending Cascade High School in Everett, a hip injury ended his own high school basketball career, and he began coaching the girls freshman basketball team.

“That was my first taste of coaching,” he said.

At the helm, Fithian said he prefers to have his team play an up-tempo game, also running structured plays rather than a looser, motion offense.

School officials fired Green because he was arrested at the school Dec. 26, 2009. Green was doing laundry inside the school that day and had set off the school’s burglary alarm, according to police. He had an arrest warrant stemming from driving with a suspended license, and police arrested him.

Gary Schaplow

After Hazen school officials fired former boys basketball head coach James Olive Dec. 13, they turned to Schaplow to take over leading the team. Schaplow takes the job with more than 25 years experience of coaching high school basketball.

Gary Schaplow is the new head coach for the Hazen High School boys basketball program. Contributed

He came to the school in 2001 and served as the team’s head coach for the 2001-2002 and 2002-2003 seasons before stepping down. He served as the school’s athletic director from 2004-2009. Prior to coming to Hazen, Schaplow served as the head basketball coach for Vashon Island High School for six seasons and Franklin High School for two seasons.

Schaplow teaches government, current world issues, psychology and sociology courses at Hazen, and he said he felt it was time to take a step back from coaching in 2003. Regardless, he said he is happy to be back coaching the team.

“I think these are really, really good kids that I’ve got,” he said. “They’ve been really cooperative and they’re open to learning.”

Schaplow took over as head coach Dec. 14, and coached his first game just one night later, stomping Evergreen High School, 74-54. He said his coaching style calls for a swarming defense, an up-tempo offense pace and aggressive rebounding, and he said he used the winter break to work with the team and apply his own coaching strategies.

School officials fired Olive for allowing Hazen players to participate in a jamboree without the required 10 practices. Olive had been on probation for allowing an ineligible player to participate in a jamboree last season.