Seattle Emerges as Hoops Haven

Maybe it was the grunge music or endless amounts of coffee. Maybe it was the rise of Microsoft, Costco, Boeing, Nordstrom or Amazon. Maybe it was all that rain. Whatever caused it, Seattle and its surrounding area has become a haven for hoops stars.

Take nothing away from New York City, LA, or Chicago, but it’s hard to argue that any city in the country has produced more basketball talent recently than Seattle, Washington, especially when one factors in population size (under 600,000).

In the 2007 NBA Draft alone, three of the first 33 picks were from Seattle (Spencer Hawes, Aaron Brooks, and Marcus Williams). Include nearby Kent, Washington, and you have four of the first 33 picks (Rodney Stuckey) all hailing from the Seattle area. 2007 was hardly an anomaly, however.

One Seattle native (Brandon Roy) was picked in the first round of the 2006 NBA Draft, and two Seattleites were selected in the first round in 2005 (Martell Webster, Nate Robinson). Toss in Bremerton, Washington native Marvin Williams and you have a third first round pick in 2005.

In the past few years, Seattle high schools have produced several astonishing squads. Take for example, Seattle Prep’s lineup in 2004-2005 which included two future NBA lottery picks (Webster, Hawes). Or consider Rainier Beach High School’s amazing consistency, which according to the Seattle Times has, “produced at least one Division I recruit every year since 1997.”

Among those recruits are Jamal Crawford (New York Knicks), Nate Robinson (NY Knicks), Lodrick Stewart (USC career three-point leader), Rodrick Stewart (U. of Kansas) and Terrence Williams (2008 All-Big East Second Team, U. of Louisville). Not surprisingly, Rainier Beach recently won the state hoops title again, indicating that the streak will likely continue for years to come.  

Perhaps the best example of Seattle’s rise in the basketball world comes from the 2004-2005 University of Washington men’s basketball team. Using a starting lineup comprised of locals, the team was able to attain a number one seed in the NCAA tournament. In fact, three of the starters, Brandon Roy, Will Conroy (UW career assists leader), and Tre Simmons (2005 All-Pac-10 First Team) played high school ball together at Seattle’s Garfield High School.

Fortunately, Seattle shows no signs of slowing down as a basketball powerhouse. Rivals.com recently ranked Franklin High School’s Peyton Siva as the number four point guard from the class of 2009, following in the footsteps of former Franklin point guard stars Jason Terry and Aaron Brooks. Furthermore, Garfield High School’s Tony Wroten Jr. is being touted as the nation’s best high school freshman by most major recruiting websites.

Of course, none of this explains why Seattle has grown into such a strong basketball town. Maybe it’s simply Seattle’s turn, and in a few years another city will emerge. Maybe there is no logical explanation at all. Or maybe, it really is the rain.