J's World

Time for my own awards

By Jeremiah Bartz

Much has been said this week about the choices for the 4A Alaska State basketball players of the year. Though clearly a tight race for the honors, I feel as if a pair of Valley athletes were not given recognition they very much deserve.

Rather that petitioning for a recount, I have decided to just give out my own awards for the 2002-2003 basketball season. Since there is normally not proper representation from schools outside the metropolitan communities of the state, I only considered Valley athletes when I chose the 2003 All-Frontiersman team.

I recognize my bias, and I am going to ride it.

Boys player of the year: Ray Schafer- Wasilla. Schafer was undoubtedly the most dominant player in the state this season. His presence was felt on each end of the floor, whether or not he had the ball. At 7-feet, Schafer forced teams to devote two and even three players to defend him. The senior averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds per game, and showed a ball handling ability that is supperior to any other big man Alaska has ever seen. While Bartlett's Mario Chalmers has established himself as one of the top players in the state, the 2003 player of the year is on the most athletic team in Alaska. Without the likes of Doug Hardy and Zac Bowman, Chalmers might have received as much attention from his opponents as Schafer did. In addition, even if it was a close competition Schafer should be given the nod as a senior over the sophomore Chalmers.

Girls player of the year: Chandice Cronk- Wasilla. Cronk is the best pure shooter in the state. The junior simply buried teams with her shot from beyond the arc on countless occasions and helped Wasilla stay at the top of the 4A poll for the entire season with her ball handling ability and court sense.

All-Frontiersman Team, boys: Schafer; see above; Buddy Bailey- Wasilla; After transferring from 3A Anchorage Christian School, Bailey proved that he can be dominant on any level in the state. Bailey became one of the most consistent shooters in Alaska during the season. Cody Schierman- Wasilla; One of the top defensive players in Region III. Proved that he has the ability to shoot the ball, but the ability to make crisp passes and defend were his two greatest attributes; Justin Coffman- Colony; The rise in Coffman's performance coincided with Colony's success during the second half of the season; Joe Reza- Colony; After seeing Reza early in the season, two things were apparent. With the 'fro, it looked as if Reza could be the next member of a boy band, and despite the haircut, Reza was a rebounding machine. This Justin Timberlake look-a-like may not be on an episode of MTV Cribs anytime soon, but his consistent presence on the glass earned him a spot on this team.

Boys honorable mention; Charlie Bentti- Palmer; I would be surprised if Bentti led the Moose in any statistical category, but the feisty guard was the most consistant player on both ends of the court for Palmer this season. DJ Sandidge- Houston; Sandidge had the difficult task of being the man in the paint on a very small Houston team. Despite a lack of size, Sandidge provided the play inside that the Hawks needed to stay competitive.

All-Frontiersman Team, girls: Cronk- see above; Marsha Schirack- Wasilla; Schirack had flashes of dominance throughout her senior season. She has both the ability to post up as well as shoot the jumpshot. Her play in the paint was pivotal in the success of the Warriors' inside-outside game. Kristina Klapperich- Colony; If Klapperich played for an Anchorage team she would undoubtedly be first team All-State -- enough said; Emily Bolling- Palmer; After rebounding from an early season thumb injury, Bolling proved she could score on anyone. Her defensive play was instrumental in the late season success of the Moose; Keisha Hooker- Palmer; At only 5-6, Hooker was one of the most consistent rebounding forwards in the Region. By fine tuning her offensive skills, she has the ability to be one of the top players in the paint during her senior season, despite a lack of great size.

Honorable mention, girls: Sienna Locke- Colony; Has to be the quickest girls' basketball player I saw on the high school level this season.

Play of the year, boys: Schafer vs. Colony; Although the score did not count, Schafer's dunk as the buzzer sounded in the Warriors battle with Colony was like an exclamation mark on Wasilla's perfect region record.

Play of the year, girls: Amy Chapman- Palmer vs. Colony; In the final moments of Palmer's final game with Colony, Chapman, not known for her range, hit a three-pointer which virtually gave Palmer its first win over their cross-town rivals in several years.

Performance of the year, boys: Schafer vs. Juneau; Schafer nearly single-handedly put the Warriors into the state championship game. Though his teammates struggled offensively, Schafer registered 24 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots in the contest and in my mind cemented his case for state player of the year.

Performance of the year, girls; Cronk vs. East; In a rematch of the 2002 state championship game, Cronk paced the Warriors as they got their deserved revenge over the Thunderbirds. Cronk's stellar performance included a 21-21 effort from the free throw line.

Performance of the year, honorable mention: Jason "Midcourt" McCourt; Schafer and Bailey were not the only Warriors to dazzle their fans on the court in Wasilla's final home game of the season. Wasilla graduate and scorekeeper Jason "Midcourt" McCourt entertained fans during halftime at midcourt with his version of the Electric Slide.

The vision of McCourt at Midcourt maybe forever burned into the memory of this sportswriter.

Strategy of the year: Palmer vs Wasilla; To try to shut down the potent Warrior offense, Palmer head coach Brandon Blake decided to literally take the ball out of Wasilla's hands. The Palmer guards spent as long as 2:30 at a time holding the ball near midcourt. Although it did not push Palmer past Wasilla, it was one of the boldest moves I have ever seen.

Coach of the year, boys: Phil Engebretsen- Colony; The Colony mentor led his squad to a 10-game winning streak after a poor start to the season.

Coach of the year, girls; Don Witzel- Colony; Seeing the Colony girls in the state tournament is like second nature. After a slow start this season, Witzel led a very young team on their toughest road to the state tourney. Witzel and the Knights advanced the tournament for the 10th consecutive time.

Already looking ahead to next year, the Valley has a host of players that could make an immense impact in the state next season.

Those I expect to dazzle fans and frustrate opponents are Wasilla's Luke Schafer and Palmer's Stanley Ratcliff in the boys class and Cronk, Klapperich and Bolling should be three of the top offensive weapons in all of 4A basketball.

My early prediction for coach of the year is Jason Marvel, who will prove he can have a top program, without a seven footer.