Lindbergh boys basketball heads to state

Basketball at Lindbergh High School hasn’t had the most recent success on the court. Since 2020, the Eagles have not made a state tournament, and since 2017, have made it just once. But now for the second time in nearly a decade, the Eagles are back in the state tournament.

“It’s great because it’s been a long time, like before I got to Lindbergh,” senior John Choul said. “It’s a great experience, even though we had a lot of tough battles and could have punched our ticket earlier. It’s fine now, but we got a lot of work to do.”

Lindbergh needed to beat Nathan Hale in a winner-to-state or loser out game Feb. 22 at the District 2 tournament at Cleveland High School. The Eagles were 2-1 in the district tournament with wins over Cedarcrest and Chief Sealth that sandwiched a loss to Foster in the semifinals in between.

Fresh off a Coach of the Year award, Abraham Garcia knew the difficulties his team faced heading into the game against the Raiders of Nathan Hale.

“It’s a milestone we were trying to reach as a team. As a coach, I knew what we are capable of. This year has been a battle and a roller coaster, but now we are a top 16 team in the state. That’s crazy to say out loud and even think about,” Garcia said.

Lindbergh downed the Raiders 55-40 and punched their ticket to the state tournament.

“Our sense of urgency has just gone up. I think them realizing they could be playing their last game has given us the sense of urgency to just keep going. Our guys are just locked in, ready to go from one to eleven,” Garcia said.

In the game against Hale, it wasn’t just a battle on the court. Many Eagles were battling a cold that was making its way through the Lindbergh roster.

“These guys put everything aside, took medicine before the game and took medicine last night,” said Garcia.

But that is just a sliver of adversity that the Eagles have faced this year as they prepare for the state tournament to come.

“We have faced every type of battle. We’ve come back from 20-point blowouts, we have been up and failed to close out. We have faced adversity on and off the court and that has helped prepare us for state,” Choul said.

At the end of the first quarter, Lindbergh led 10-4. The game tipoff was at noon and the gym was new to the Eagles. Lukas Lutthans was the only Eagle to score multiple baskets, as he had four points after the first quarter.

Heading into the halftime break,Lindbergh led 25-12 over the Raiders, thanks to John Choul’s nine points in the half. Lindbergh’s defense made life difficult for the Raiders as they added a new weapon to the fold, Suheyb Hassan. The 6’8” senior brings length and a defensive presence that takes attention away from James Huff IV, the league’s MVP.

Hassan had just five first-half points, but really found a groove in the second. He scored 12 second-half points, and after not being eligible for much of the 2025 season, he is starting to hit his stride and find his way in the Eagles’ rotation.

“He’s one of those kids that just didn’t give up. You can see his resilience and fight. He could have easily given up. But he chose to fight and stay in and he is one of our best players,” Garcia said.

Since Garcia has taken over the program, the Eagles have gone 27-21 and made the state tournament — and had an MVP and Coach of the Year. The tide seems to be turning for the school off 128th Ave.

“When we commit one through eleven, we can be one of the best defensive teams in the state,” Garcia said.

“I would go up against anybody, I trust my guys. I would go to war with any of them.”

Lindbergh was given the 16th and final seed in the state tournament. The Eagles head south Feb. 28 to the University of Puget Sound to take on Sequim, a team that they lost to back on Dec. 2 at Sequim.

With a win, the Eagles will head to the Yakima Valley SunDome for just the third time since 2000.