I enjoy watching good basketball, and the Garfield boys are by all accounts the best high-school team in Washington. As such, I figured it would be a good Tuesday evening to go watch the Bulldogs play O’Dea in Metro League action.
No game story, per se, but here are a few things I noticed from a 91-59 victory for the state’s top-ranked team in Class 3A:
1. If the game had ended at halftime, I would have left the gym thinking the Bulldogs were severely overrated. A lot of talent, to be sure, but O’Dea kept pace, trailing just 41-35 at the break. Garfield’s press led to a few easy buckets, but it was mostly ineffective thanks to a strong performance by O’Dea point guard Quin Barnard. Backcourt-mates Xavier Smith and Michael Carter knocked down a few long jumpers. Longtime Franklin coach Jason Kerr is looking for a signature win in his first season on the bench at his alma mater, and after sixteen minutes of action, it looked like a real possibility.
2. When Garfield gets it going, though, whoo boy — they really get it going. Fewer than four minutes into the third quarter, that 41-35 halftime lead had ballooned all the way to 59-39, effectively putting the game out of reach. It all happened in a flurry of steals, breakaways, layups, and dunks. That full-court press the Bulldogs employed in the first half? Suddenly, it was a lot more effective. And once Garfield gets a few easy points, it can be a tough train to stop. They were playing their second game in two nights after walloping Franklin on MLK Day, so fatigue may have been a factor in the first half. Maybe coach Ed Haskins lit a fire at the intermission. Who knows. But that first four minutes of the third quarter was a display of excellence that few (if any) teams in the state are capable of matching.
3. The depth Haskins has at his disposal is downright insane. The starting lineup features two junior guards — Jaylen Nowell and Daejon Davis — who are top-fifty national recruits, with Davis already committed to the UW and Nowell deciding between a number of highly pedigreed suitors. Then there’s senior guard JaShaun Agosto, an athletic marvel who can seemingly get to the basket at will despite his listed 5-11 height, which stuck me as awfully generous. He’s regarded as a three-star recruit by ESPN.
The other starting guard, senior Terrell Brown, was probably the best player on the floor Tuesday night: He finished with 23 points, seven rebounds, and five assists and was in complete control of the game at all times. The final starter is Alphonso Anderson, a 6-7 post with impressive touch and floor sense who will play at Montana next year. And the first man off the bench? That’s none other than J’Raan Brooks, a 6-9 sophomore who ESPN considers a five-star recruit and the No. 22 player in the country in the Class of 2018. Yes, Garfield brings a five-star recruit off the bench.
4. I’m not here to pass judgment on prep transfers in any way, shape or form, because I’m not informed enough to do it. I will just point out here that Garfield has benefitted mightily in the past two seasons from new arrivals. Anderson began his prep career at Wilson in Tacoma before joining the Bulldogs last season. Davis, meanwhile, transferred to Garfield this year after spending his freshman and sophomore seasons at Lakeside, and Brooks showed up after spending his freshman campaign at Seattle Prep. Nowell, Agosto and Brown are a very talented core, but the three transfers put Garfield over the top.
5. Some quick thoughts on the Bulldogs three big-time recruits (with the caveat that I’ve watched them play all of one whole game, so not exactly a robust sample):
Nowell seems like the natural successor to Seattle’s tradition of ball-dominant scoring guards, a chain that extends from Jason Terry and Jamal Crawford down the line to more recent iterations like Peyton Siva, Tony Wroten and Dejounte Murray. The 6-3 junior is big and fast and plays with confidence. He can get to his spots, and when he gets to those spots, he makes shots. Nowell scored 21 points against O’Dea, mostly on layups with a few midrange jumpers mixed in.
Davis has a bit of a different game. He’s a killer defender who can really move around the court and seems to try hard at all times. He even took a couple charges against O’Dea. Effort is a skill. It’s very easy to see the UW commit fitting in immediately in Lorenzo Romar’s up-tempo system. On offense, he’s never really been asked to be a top option — even at Lakeside, Isiah Brown carried that load. But he’s a high-flyer who can certainly wake up a gym with his acrobatics.
Brooks is yet again an entirely different player. At 6-9, that’s probably what you’d expect. He had 16 points against O’Dea, most of them coming on layups and dunks, and collected seven rebounds. He also blocked a couple shots. Brooks is really tall, really long, really athletic and has decent touch — for a sophomore his size, that’s really call you can ask for. I find it a little hard to believe he’s a top-25 player in the country for his age group, but that ESPN ranking is probably based largely on potential. And Brooks possesses that in spades.
6. The Bulldogs are favored to win state this season for the third time in a row (last year in Class 3A, the year before that in 4A). With Nowell, Davis and Brooks all coming back next season, they’ll also be the frontrunners for a fourth straight crown. But the future after that is still very bright. Freshman guard P.J. Fuller has both a fabulous haircut and a chance to be the city’s next great player. He’s listed at 6-3 and probably weights 150 pounds soaking wet, but man, the kid is graceful and fast. According to Scout.com, he’s already received interest from the UW, Arizona, USC, and other powerhouses. Nobody on O’Dea’s roster could keep in front of him. He also has a habit of throwing these high, looping passes that would probably drive a coach nuts, but are quite fun to watch.
On the other side of the court, O’Dea had a stellar freshman of its own in Noah Williams, a 6-4 guard who started and scored six points. He’s lanky and quick, did a good job staying in front of the hard-to-guard Bulldogs, and showed absolutely no fear at all playing against the state’s best team. Definitely a name to watch for the Fighting Irish going forward.
Then again, in recent years, freshmen in the Emerald City with that level of talent have made a habit of ending up at Garfield before their careers are complete.