by Mark Butcher

Sports Writer

Today (Tuesday – Nov. 13) is opening day of the 2018 Kitsap Co. Boys Middle School basketball season. Looking to defend their 2017 champion, the Mountain View Squires will travel to Silverdale, Wash., to play the Central Kitsap Cubs. The Squires have not laced-them-up against the Cubs for over a decade.

The renewal of the old Bremerton-Silverdale rivalry comes about because of a Middle School sports realignment.

“The primary concern of the coaches and the athletic directors was better competitive balance,” said Mark Swafford, Hawkins Middle School Athletic Director. “In the past, the schools were divided into two divisions, a northern and a southern division. This year we rearranged the schedules so the schools with larger student populations now solely play each other and the small schools compete against one another.”

But the opponent is not the only uncertainty third-year head coach Jessie Taylor faces today. The 2018 Mountain View Varsity team is completely new and untested.

Samuel Tucker is the only player with varsity experience. Last season he swung between JV and Varsity, playing in 3 of 10 Varsity games. He saw roughly eight minutes of Varsity time each game and recorded a single field goal.

Trevon Pietz, Angelite Mejia, and Amir Thomas are the other four players to wear a Mountain View JV jersey last season.  Behind Tucker, Mejia was the best of the returners, averaging 1.0 point, 1.4 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game. He started 1 of 6 recorded games. Pietz also started 1 of 6 recorded JV games, average 10 minutes of playing time per game and recorded a team-high two blocked shots. Thomas played a brief three minutes per game through five contests.

Under Coach Taylor’s and JV Coach Marshaun Thompson’s tutelage the JV team posted a 6 & 4 (.600) record last season.

Of the returners, only Tucker and Pietz played organized off-season ball, for North Perry A Pee Wees in the winter.

Marqkieth Ellison, Devantae Harris, and Geno Hudson, playing school ball for the first time, also have Pee Wee experience on their resume. All three played for Bremerton’s Warren Ave A team last winter, that posted a 3 & 9 (.250) record. Ellison is the most offensive minded of the three and averaged 7.7 ppg behind six three-point shot attempts per game. Hudson forte is in the paint. He averageed 2.3 points and 3.8 rebounds a game for Warren Ave.

The remaining two Varsity rosters spots will be filled by 5’10” Draven Duncan and 5’7” Jaylon Green. For both players, this will be their first time playing organized basketball but do not overlook either. Both are very athletic, get up-and-down the floor very quickly, and under Coach Taylor’s guidance will be significant contributors this season. Mark my words.

“No specific player has distinguished themselves yet in practice,” said Coach Taylor. “Tuesday, my primary focus will be helping this team find its identity.”

The JV team is a completely different story. Although this is their first-time playing school basketball, this team has been playing together for several years and knows how to win.

Wearing Warren Ave B Pee Wee colors (royal blue and gold) Madden Benson, Trenton Bulmer, Oliver Christian, Jalin Littleraven-Oliver, Dillon Lovestedt, and Jmiah Smith posted a 8 & 5 (.615) record and lost to Chico B Red for the third time in the championship game.

The three other members of the 2018 Squires JV team are returner Herold Cooper, 8^th-grader Joshua Garcia and 7^th- grader Cody Irving.

Having covered the winter Pee Wee season, Coach Thompson inherited an experience point guard and team-leader in Christian, scorers in Bulmer and Smith, an inside threat from Lovestedt, and scrapper with Benson.

When asked about his teams, Coach Taylor jumped right to how the JV team was doing. “Depending on how today’s and Thursday’s games go, several of the JV players may play some Varsity to gain experience.”

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