WHS junior named first-team all-state

JEREMIAH BARTZ/ Frontiersman sports editor

WASILLA - Midway through the prep season in a key Northern Lights Conference boys basketball game against the Kodiak Bears, Wasilla junior guard Jesse Bean didn't score a point.

Not one free throw. Not one basket. Not even one of those crazy floating jump shots he is becoming known for. But scoring is not the only way to stand out in the game of basketball. Bean didn't score, but he posted nine second-half assists, and led the Warriors to a win over Kodiak.

In that win, Bean separated himself from some of the other top scoring guards in the state by doing more than putting the ball in the basket.

Earlier this week Bean was recognized as one of the top players in Alaska. The WHS junior was named first-team all-state by the state's media.

&#8220He's a team player,” Wasilla head coach Jason Marvel said. &#8220It's nice for him to get the individual accolades. But he's a very humble kid. (He does) what the team needs him to do.”

Bean, who averaged 19.5 points per game this season and topped the 30-point mark twice, had a rough night shooting the ball, but contributed in other ways.

&#8220He couldn't hit anything,” Marvel said. &#8220But he didn't continue to force the issue. He was getting open looks for his teammates. Nine assists in two quarters is unbelievable. That's the sign of a special player.”

When Bean was on, he was nearly unstoppable. He scored 31 points in Wasilla's first game of the season against Juneau. He scored 34 in a win over Service. Bean had 19 points in the first two quarters of a win over Palmer.

In his third season as a starter on the varsity squad, Bean graduated from a role player to becoming the focal point of the Warriors' offense. Last season, Bean's primary responsibility was to bring the ball up the floor. This year, he became the center of attention. Marvel said he embraced that role.

&#8220The pressure didn't bother him. Night in and night out teams were focusing on him,” Marvel said.

Even when Bean didn't hit double digits in scoring, his versatility allowed him to have success.

&#8220He looked to the assist. He looked to the rebound,” Marvel said.

Bean is one of two Wasilla players listed on the 4A all-state squad, and one of four student-athletes from the Valley.

Fellow Wasilla junior Hillarie Putnam was named to the second team by the member so the Alaska sports media.

Putnam, another versatile junior, helped Wasilla win its fifth-straight Northern Lights Conference title.

Both Bean and Putnam were named conference players of the year following the conference tournament.

Joining Putnam on the second team is Colony senior Kelcy Joynt.

As she led her squad to a fourth-place finish in the state tournament, Joynt averaged 10 points per game this season. But arguably more important than her contributions on the offensive end, was her work on the defensive side of the court. Joynt was the top defensive player on the Knights squad, and a leader of a very young and talented squad that generally started three underclassmen.

One of those underclassmen, freshman Allie Grazulis, was named all-state honorable mention. Grazulis was among team leaders in several statistical categories, and averaged a team-best 11.7 points per game during the state tournament.

Voting for the 2006 Alaska Media All-State Basketball Squad was tabulated by the sports department of the Anchorage Daily News. Ten media outlets which regularly cover prep basketball participated in the voting. The Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman was given one vote.

2005-06 Alaska Media 4A All-State Basketball Squad

Class 4A Boys

Player of the Year, Ramon Harris, West.

Coach of the Year, Kevin Fullmer, Chugiak.

First Team: Ramon Harris, 6-5, Sr., West; Jesse Bean, 5-11, Jr., Wasilla; Will Egolf, 6-7, Jr., Juneau-Douglas; Justin Williams, 5-10, Sr., Chugiak; Jay Davis, 6-3, Sr., West; Second Team: Brian Niedermeyer, 6-3, Jr., Chugiak; Bryan Hurn, 6-2, Sr., West; Justin Ore, 6-3, Sr., Dimond; Dominique Smith, 6-2, Sr., Lathrop; Phillip Hearn, 6-4, Jr., West; Honorable Mention: David Cannamore, Eagle River; Conor Spink, 6-3, Sr., Chugiak; Mark Putney, 6-3, Sr., Kodiak; Ryan Fagerstrom, 6-2, Sr., Juneau-Douglas; Damar Wilson, 6-3, Jr., East.

Class 4A Girls

Player of the Year, Talisa Rhea, Juneau.

Coach of the Year, Jim Young, Dimond.

First Team: Talisa Rhea, 5-11, Jr., Juneau; Kelsy McIntosh, 5-10, Sr., North Pole; Lillian Bullock, 5-6, Sr., Service; Princess Eduarte, 5-3, Jr., Dimond; Shaina Afoa, 6-1, Sr., Dimond; Second Team: Hillarie Putnam, 5-8, Jr., Wasilla; Jazzie Gaddy, 6-2, So., East; Sylvia Bullock, 6-1, So., Service; Melissa Rima, 6-3, Jr., North Pole; Kelcy Joynt, 5-9, Sr., Colony; Honorable Mention: Reba Temple, 6-2, So., Homer; Allie Grazulis, 5-10, Fr., Colony; Savannah Afoa, 6-1, Sr., Dimond; Ariel Tweto, 5-7, Sr., East; Samoana Ingram, 5-10, Fr., Dimond.

Class 3A Boys

Player of the Year, Lonnie Ridgeway,

Coach of the Year, Brad Lauwers,

First Team: Trenton Millar, 6-5, Sr., Heritage Christian; Thomas Millar, 6-5, Sr., Heritage Christian; Lonnie Ridgeway, 6-3, Sr., Heritage Christian; Bobby Pico, 6-0, Sr., Barrow; Damen Bell-Holter, 6-7, So., Mt. Edgecumbe; Second Team: Kynan Adams, 6-3, Jr., Cordova; Zach Klein, 6-2, Sr., Mt. Edgecumbe; Travis Pew, 6-1, Jr., Eielson; John Miller III, 6-0, Sr., Barrow; Chad Dyson, 5-8, So., Anchorage Christian Schools; Honorable Mention: Cameron Severson, 6-4, So., Petersburg; Kellen Hawley, 6-5, Sr., Cordova; Ben Boerger, 5-10, Sr., Grace Christian; Tyson Bendzak, 5-11, Sr., Cordova; Gabe Webb, 6-4, Sr., Heritage Christian.

Class 3A Girls

Player of the Year, Sarah Herrin, Nikiski.

Coach of the Year, Ward Romans, Nikiski.

First Team: Sarah Herrin, 5-7, Sr., Nikiski; Hannah Thompson, 5-9, Jr., Nikiski; Jesstinna "Piggy" Pili, 5-6, Jr., Barrow; Michelle Villarma, 5-6, Fr., Wrangell; Skeeter Atoruk, 5-7, Sr., Mt. Edgecumbe; Second Team: Rebekah Gueco, 5-7, Sr., Barrow; Christina Blandford, 5-10, Sr., Nome; Whitney Connor, 5-4, Sr., Valdez; Ashley Jelly, 5-6, So., Eielson; Sasha Auldridge, 5-5, Sr., Nikiski; Honorable Mention: Laura Blanchard, 6-0, Sr., Valdez; Juno Prochazka, 5-5, Jr., Seward; Anna Simmers, 5-9, Fr., Heritage Christian; Tessa Appleman, 5-10, Sr., Wrangell; Chelsea Dyson, Fr., Anchorage Christian Schools.