Danny Shedwin

Danny Shedwin lunched with Jimmy Carter, played professional basketball for Prince Rainier’s team in Monaco, and worked for shipbuilder Aristotle Onassis, one of the world’s richest men at the time.

Shedwin was the president of a public relations firm that published the Washington State Score, a periodical that chronicled the lifestyles of people of color in our state during the 1980s.

The 1964 West Bremerton High grad, a baseball, basketball and football star during his prep days, is a writer and photographer. He’s produced TV commercials and radio spots. He did color commentary for Metro League basketball games on KYAC, where former Seattle SuperSonics’ star Spencer Haywood, part owner of the station, hosted his own jazz show in the 1970s.

Shedwin, who has lived near the Pike Place Market in Seattle for years, was friends with a who’s who of the sports and entertainment world of that era.

Shedwin coached the El Chicanos, a semi-pro baseball team in Seattle. He coached youth and high school basketball, including a three-year stint as an assistant at Bremerton High, and still has his USA Basketball coaching license.

If I had to make a top-10 list of the most interesting men to come out of Bremerton, Shedwin would be on it.

Shedwin, who turns 72 this year, is joining an elite fraternity next week when he becomes a member of the Northwest Basketball Legends. The club’s 66th annual banquet is May 12 at the Washington Athletic Club.  It started out as a group of coaches, players, officials, and media who met and shared stories about the good old days.

Steve Antoncich, who led Winslow High School to the Kitsap County basketball championship in 1922 and starred on Seattle’s best AAU teams in the late ’20s and early ‘30s, was one of the original 10 members. Former West Bremerton star Dave Wortman was in the club; former Central Kitsap coach and Seattle University player Mike Acres, and Bremerton’s Bryans — father Robert J., the judge (class of ’52) and son Ted (’79) — are in. According to the club’s website, there are 157 current members. Ex-Washington Husky and NBA player Steve Hawes is the outgoing president.

“Here’s how it works,” Shedwin said. “Someone has to nominate you and I was nominated last year. I went to the event. They put you on hold for a year, and if you’re still around, they take you in. They give you a mug or a cup. It’s more of a social club than a hall of fame, but it’s a pretty big deal.

“There are some fascinating people in there. Some I know, many I do not.”

Not many are as fascinating as Shedwin, who certainly fits the meaning of the word legend: Someone or thing who inspires.

Chuck Stark (Photo)

“I’ve basically got the mentality of an artist,” said Shedwin, who happens to be an impressionist, among other things.

His latest idea revolves around using “small amounts of (tax) revenue for youth development.”

Danny Shedwin’s a Bremerton legend. He’s one of the best athletes to come out of this town, but he’s so much more than that.

Speaking of legends: All signs indicate this could be Ichiro Suzuki’s final homestand with the Mariners. If it happens, the timing couldn’t be better as Shohei Ohtani makes his first trip to Safeco Field this weekend. The Angels haven’t announced their starting pitchers for the Friday through Sunday series, but Ohtani, the two-way Japanese sensation, should start one game on the mound and DH in another. It would be cool if Ichiro, 44, got a chance to hit against the 23-year-old Ohtani.

Hall of Fame calls: Jamie Nilsen, a financial analyst at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard who drives unlimited hydroplanes in his spare time, is going into Central Washington’s Athletic Hall of Fame on May 19. Nilsen, a former Kitsap BlueJacket by way of CWU and Thomas Jefferson High in Federal Way, was a four-time, first-team All-Great Northwest Athletic Conference baseball selection and two-time GNAC Player of the Year. He left Central in 2008 with a career .399 batting average.

Save the date: University of Washington co-defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski will be the guest speaker at a Kitsap Athletic Roundtable event on July 11 at the Kitsap Golf & Country Club. Coach K came with Chris Petersen from Boise State. The two have been together since 2006. Ex-Husky Joe Jarzynka, the kamikaze returner and receiver, and former UW linebacker Jason Chorak are also coming. The KAR hopes to land more commits from ex-players and coaches for what should be a fun night for UW alums and fans. Tickets to the dinner meeting are available through Brown Paper Tickets. Visit KitsapAthleticRoundtable.org for more information.

20 years ago: Seattle’s Ken Griffey Jr. hit 56 homers and Alex Rodriguez hit 40 bombs and stole 40 bases to boot. Their fantastic seasons were lost in the McGwire-Sosa home run chase.

Strong finish for Keller: Jamestown University’s Emma Keller, senior outfielder from North Kitsap, hit .317 as a freshman, .337 as a sophomore and .374 her junior year. She is hitting .422 this year and leads the NAIA Jimmies (39-6) in home runs (6), triples (a school-record 9) and RBI (44) heading into the North Star Athletic Association tournament, which begins Friday. Keller was the NSAA Player of the Week after hitting .542 (13-of-24) and scoring nine runs in six games last week.

Just wondering: Would you rather fly to London to watch the Seahawks play the Raiders on Oct. 14 at Tottenham Hotspur's new stadium, or take a trip to Japan to watch the Mariners open the 2019 season against the Oakland A’s on March 19-20 at the Tokyo Dome?

Finally: We already know how good Washington running back Myles Gaskin is, but I think fellow back Salvon Ahmed could be the talk of the Pac-12 next season.

Chuck Stark is the former sports editor of The Sun. Reach him at chuckstark00@gmail.com.