BASKETBALL: ShoWare Center braces for Kent Shootout; Eight players to watch; Admission

Some of high school’s biggest names in the local prep basketball circuit will be under the spotlight at the ShoWare Center on Friday for the second annual Les Schwab Shootout.

Like last year, the Shootout will feature five games, four of which will be all-Kent matchups.

“It’s a way for all the Kent schools to get together and celebrate a big day of hoops,” said Steve Turcotte, promotor for the event. “It’s a chance to see five games in one day. Last year, it was a huge success.”

Games begin Friday at 2 p.m., when the Tahoma will take on Central Kitsap in a nonleague matchup.

Last year, more than 2,500 fans attended the event.

“We’ll be happy with those same type of numbers again,” said ShoWare Center general manager Tony Higgins. “It’s a great building for these types of events. It’s a very intimate building and we’d like this to be a continuous event here.”

The ShoWare Center will be hosting considerably more basketball in the near future. Portions (Feb. 11 and Feb 13) of the South Puget Sound League tournament will be held at the ShoWare Center as will the semifinals and finals of the district tournament (Feb. 23-24 and 26).

The big draw at the moment, however, remains the Shootout.

The Tahoma/Central Kitsap game will be followed by Kent-Meridian/Kentlake (girls) at 3:30; Kentlake/Kent-Meridian (boys) at 5:30; Kentwood/Kentridge (girls) at 7 p.m. and Kentridge/Kentwood boys at 8 p.m.

The big matchup of the night, as it was last year, will be the final game of the night between Kentridge and Kentwood. The game will showcase two of the nation’s top prep basketball players in Kentridge’s Gary Bell and Kentwood’s Josh Smith.

Bell, a 6-foot-2 guard, is being recruited by the entire Pac-10 and Gonzaga University among others. He entered the week ranked second in the SPSL North in scoring with a 23.7 points-per-game average. On Dec. 15, Bell set a new league record for points in a game with 55 in a loss to Auburn Riverside.

Meanwhile, Smith, the North’s two-time MVP, committed to UCLA before the season began. A 6-foot-10 center, Smith has battled injuries this season and has played sparingly in recent weeks. He missed a month of the season with an injured knee, but returned to the lineup in limited duty on Jan. 12. Last year in the Shootout, Smith led Kentwood past Kentridge, 62-20, by scoring a career-high 43 points and grabbing 20 rebounds.

“You look at the talent between Josh Smith and Gary Bell and these are opportunities (to see them play) that people will look back and say, if they can’t make it, that they wish they were there,” said Dave Lutes, athletic director for the Kent School District.

EIGHT TO WATCH AT THE SHOOTOUT

Eight players to keep an eye on

NAME/SCHOOL/POS./PPG.

Gary Bell/Kentridge/Guard/23.7

Notable: Known for his offense, KR star can lockdown anybody on defense, too.

Josh Smith/Kentwood/Center/14.0

Notable: When healthy, there isn’t a more dominant player around.

Eric Smith/Kentlake/Guard/9.5

Notable: When he’s clicking, Falcons are a team to be feared.

Jordan Thompson-Walker/K-M/Guard/11.3

Notable: Can slash to the hoop or stay outside with the best of ’em.

Kylie Huerta/Kentwood/Guard/20.0

Notable: Diminutive Conk has taken over where Moore, Vandersloot left off.

Morganne Comstock/Kentlake/Forward/17.2

Notable: EWU-bound star has a soft outside touch.

Briana Shannon/Kent-Meridian/Guard/18.6

Notable: Unheralded star can put up points with the best of ’em.

Megan Merrill/Kentridge/Post/6.1

Notable: Dangerous in the paint, she leads KR in scoring.

IF YOU GO

• WHAT: Les Schwab Kent Shootout.

• WHERE: ShoWare Center.

• WHEN: Friday. Games begin at 2 p.m.

• ADMISSION: Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for students and seniors.

• MATCHUPS/TIMES: Tahoma/Central Kitsap (boys) 2 p.m.; Kent-Meridian/Kentlake (girls) 3:30 p.m.; Kentlake/Kent-Meridian (boys) 5:30 p.m.; Kentwood/Kentridge (girls) 7 p.m.; Kentridge/Kentwood (boys) 8:30.