It’s not often that anticipation for a regular season high school basketball game reaches the level of a sellout crowd. But Renton High School’s boys basketball team experienced what few teams have felt before: a date with the number six team in the country in Rainier Beach, and the number one recruit in all the land, in his and the team’s first game of the season.
“We have a thing sometimes playing against schools from the Metro League and it’s more about the name on the jersey than who you are playing against,” head coach Rashaad Powell said. “I am just extremely proud to the fact that we came out and played the basketball game and competed.”
A Redhawk gymnasium that sold 1,200 presale tickets, and has a capacity of 2,000 that was reached an hour before tip-off, was ready to see Renton take on Tyran Stokes in his first game action since moving up from California.
“It was great for the kids to be a part of it and experience that. To be at a capacity of 2,000 people, it was a good environment. There was a cheer battle going on. It was a great high school hoops environment,” Powell said.
Renton competed early, but it was Stokes and Rainier Beach who had the final laugh as they handled the Redhawks 81-60 on Dec. 3.
“I think we showed that we can play with anybody and now after the game, they now believe ‘we really can play with anybody’ because they hold them (Rainier Beach) with such high regard. It was uplifting and positive. We went toe-to-toe with the number six team in the United States,” Powell said.
Taking on Rainier Beach is taking on the best. The reigning 3A champs outscored opponents at an outrageous 22.25-point clip inside the Tacoma Dome en route to the school’s 10th state title since 1988. Along with that, Rainier Beach may have lost a Division 1 guard in Jaylen Petty (Texas Tech), but they replaced his star power with a transfer from Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, CA) with Tyran Stokes, who is the number one overall recruit in the country.
“It was pretty cool, all those 2,000 people to watch us and the other team play. It was a cool experience for me and my team,” Renton’s Sudan Luok said.
Renton held their own and even controlled the pace early in the first quarter. Renton sprinted out to a 16-9 lead and seemed like they had the reigning champs flustered. But just like against Auburn, the Redhawks couldn’t hold their ground. Stokes got rolling, and he had 10 first half points and finished with 31 in the game.
“My thing was, you’re probably not going to stop a guy like that who is really talented. I’m not game-planning to stop him, but the bigger part is limit the other guys around. That’s what we didn’t do,” Powell said.
Marcus Ili-Meneese goes for the block against Sudan Luok of Renton. Photo by Von’Rico O’Neal /@Ricosuavejr
Stokes did finish with 14 rebounds and nine assists.
At the end of the first quarter, Renton led 16-10 and it felt like the roof was going to blow off the gym.
“My big message to them was discipline and execution. Rainier Beach is a very, very talented basketball team. But what allowed us to be in the game and competitive in the game was our discipline and execution on our defensive gameplan,” Powell said.
Luok sat out the first game against Auburn, but has been playing ever since. His journey began at Auburn Mountainview where he played two years. Then he transferred to Garfield before finding Renton in the fall.
“It’s really great. I am glad I am back home with my brothers,” Luok said.
The junior has unbelievable athletic ability with a crazy quick burst to the hoop and can compete with anybody. His athleticism allows Powell to use him in various ways on offense and defense.
“He’s versatile, multi-faceted and can play multiple positions. He’s a good leader and good teammate,” Powell said.
In the second quarter, the Vikings suffocated the Renton offense, going on a 14-1 run to really find their first bit of separation in the ballgame. The Redhawks, a team that typically shoots the ball well, made just a trio of three-pointers in the first half.
Renton’s Luok was tasked with taking on Stokes and the two went back and forth after a couple of made baskets.
“I wasn’t going to back down. I know he’s the number one recruit but I know I have game too. It was a good battle,” Luok said.
In the second half, the full court Rainier Beach press took its toll on Renton. The Redhawks struggled to move the ball up the floor with any sort of consistency, and Stokes at 6’7” used his long arms to disrupt passing lanes all night with six steals. Stokes had six points in the first minute of the second half to really shoot Rainier Beach in front.
For Powell, senior Nate Omar proved he can compete against the state’s best. Omar showed flashes against Rainier Beach and as the league season approaches, Powell is looking for someone like Nate Omar to take that next step.
“It wasn’t a stat stuffing night, but you showed up and you competed. That was good to see,” Powell said.
In the second half, tensions started to rise seemingly everywhere but the players on the court. The cheer squads were getting in cheer battles during play, and Powell and Rainier Beach assistant coach Jamal Crawford even went back and forth. The two of them probably played in the last full house at Renton back in 1999 and have remained friends.
“We are two of the same people competitively and we want to win. We get in competitive modes, we aren’t playing against each other. But we are competing against each other. He’s gonna call me tonight and talk about how he beat us and that whole deal,” Powell said. “Its great to see him come back, being an NBA legend and potential hall of fame guy coming back and coaching high school basketball and to be so accessible for those kids and the community.”
Nate Omar (background) stands with Juice White-Kelley (11) and Adan Abdi (24) during free throws. Photo by Von’Rico O’Neal /@Ricosuavej
Renton cut the lead to 11 heading to the fourth quarter, but the Beach defense continued to cause problems and the Redhawks couldn’t get the deficit to single digits. Despite losing by 21, to the number six team in the nation, the game seemed to say more about the quality of Renton versus the dominance of the Beach empire.
“You’re telling me there are only five teams better than them in America and you have them almost at a single digit game going into the fourth. You’re doing some things right and you can play with anybody,” Powell said.
