Seattle Sportsnet

1. Brandon Roy, Garfield HS ’02, University of Washington, NBA

In case there is any debate about who number one on this list should be, let me propose this question to you: Out of the eleven people on our countdown, how many would you say have a legitimate shot at putting together a Hall of Fame-caliber career? The answer is simple: One. One guy, and it’s this one right here, Brandon Dawayne (bet you didn’t know that was his middle name) Roy.

Throughout his adolescence, Brandon Roy quietly emerged as one of Seattle’s greatest ballers of all-time. At Garfield high school, he played on a team that featured a number of local greats, none of whom he really overshadowed. There was his brother, Ed, for one. Future USC product Roydell Smiley was another. There was the quarterback, Isaiah Stanback, who spent his winters on the court for the Bulldogs. Future Huskies Anthony Washington and Will Conroy also played on those teams, and Roy, at the time, was just another piece of the puzzle.

That trend continued when he finally ended up playing for the Huskies. That moment didn’t come until halfway through the 2002-2003 season, after a long drawn-out process that delayed Roy’s entry to the University of Washington. After needing four attempts to nail down the SAT’s, Roy had been on a roller coaster ride of a journey trying to figure out what to do with his life. After graduating from Garfield, Brandon initially declared himself eligible for the 2002 NBA Draft, before withdrawing after some consideration. Then, with college off the horizon, he began working at a local shipyard before finally taking another crack at higher education. When he ultimately ended up with Lorenzo Romar’s Husky basketball team, no one expected too much, too soon from a player who had spent a full year away from organized hoops.

As a freshman, Brandon made a limited contribution to a young Husky ballclub that was going nowhere fast. As a sophomore, Roy played an integral role in leading the Dawgs to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in five years. He averaged just under 13 points per game and was viewed as an emerging leader on an improving team.

To start his junior year, Brandon suffered a knee injury during the Great Alaskan Shootout in November. Diagnosed with a meniscus tear, Roy returned in late December, earlier than expected, to lead the Huskies past a ranked North Carolina State team that had beaten UW a year prior. For the remainder of the season, Roy came off the bench as the team’s sixth man, deferring to starter Tre Simmons, and providing much needed energy in the second unit.

The strong showing by Roy that year garnered noticeable interest from the NBA; Brandon wasn’t having any though, and announced he would be returning to Montlake for his senior season.

As a senior, B-Roy emerged as The Man. He went nose-to-nose with Gonzaga’s Adam Morrison in a Husky victory early in the year, set a career high in scoring, and by the end of the season had locked up the Pac-10 Player of the Year award over runner-up Leon Powe. Roy became a legend at UW and helped take a Husky program that was down when he arrived, to the top of the conference by the time he left. The national audience recognized his achievements as well, naming him First Team All-America, only the second Husky ever to garner such an accolade. Next stop for Brandon, the NBA.

In the 2006 NBA Draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves of all teams selected B-Roy sixth overall. In quite possibly one of the worst deals ever, they shipped Brandon off to Portland for the answer to a trivia question, Randy Foye. As a rookie, Brandon simply took over the league, earning Rookie of the Year honors and becoming the face of the Blazers in the process. In his second year, he fared even better, being named to the All-Star team and even earning some early season MVP talk.

Now in his third season, Brandon has solidified himself as one of the league’s elite players. He’s currently averaging 22.6 PPG, 4.8 rebounds, and 5.2 assists. He still does everything well, but can now score in bunches in addition. In a few short weeks, he’ll become a two-time All Star after only three years. His #3 jersey will be retired by the UW this week. He’s about to become a father of two. On and off the court, Brandon Roy has put together one hell of a career.

When we talk about the greatest Seattle-area basketball players, his name will always emerge and he will always have to be considered near the top of the list. With any luck, one day we’ll be referring to the former Bulldog, former Husky, and current Blazer as Brandon Roy, Hall of Famer.

ESPN is reporting that Felix Hernandez has signed a one-year, $3.8 million contract with the Mariners for the 2009 season, avoiding salary arbitration and guaranteeing that the right-hander will be significantly underpaid for yet another year. In the quirky world of Major League Baseball contracts, the only good news is that Felix won’t be eligible for free agency until after the 2011 season, meaning we’ll still see him in an M’s uniform for three more seasons (barring trade or release).

So why is this such bad news, you ask? Well, when you’re Felix Hernandez (or, more importantly, Felix Hernandez’s agent), you’re pursuing a long-term contract at this point, something that will carry you beyond your initial year of free agency–2011, in this case. A number of teams have signed their young stars to long-term deals recently: the Indians with Grady Sizemore, the Rockies with Troy Tulowitzki, the Rays with Evan Longoria, and the list goes on. This process is basically a win-win for both parties. The player is happy because he has financial security, a feeling of stability, and the knowledge that he is being properly compensated for his work. The team is happy because they’ve locked up their superstar for a number of years at a fairly reasonable price (compared to what he would be worth as a free agent on the open market). The early negotiations also make the player more willing to negotiate a new deal in the future, meaning you’ve opened the door to keeping this player for as long you want at a lower value than he is truly worth.

Of course, the exact opposite becomes true when you start forcing the player into small-market one-year deals, which is what the Mariners are doing with Felix. Because he isn’t yet eligible for free agency, but is eligible for arbitration, Felix and his agent enter the offseason knowing that they will have to sign a contract with Seattle. In a perfect world, they’re attempting to work out a long-term deal that would guarantee that security and stability alluded to before. In the world of the Mariners, who have generally been unwilling to compensate in-house players (and yet they’ll dish out whatever it takes to high-priced free agents), a long-term deal at this point isn’t a solution and–completely ignoring the well-being of the player–they continue to underpay an increasingly grumpy superstar.

This is the main reason why the Mariners are such a poorly-run organization. They’ve created this division with a number of their superstars over the years: Ken Griffey Jr., Randy Johnson, and Freddy Garcia, just to name a few. In an era in which players dominate the game, the Mariners have refused to work with the divas of the game and instead, end up paying guys like Jarrod Washburn an obscene amount of money because they can’t hang on to the players they’ve developed. It’s a horrible business strategy, and I honestly believe the Mariners have no idea that they’re doing it. They view their players as commodoties, rather than actual human beings with feelings. If Felix Hernandez spend the next three years earning $3.8 million on one-year deals, do you honestly see him wanting to stay and play for a team that severely undervalues his abilities? I can’t, and I wouldn’t blame the guy for leaving.

If you’re looking for something to do today, head over to Hec Edmundson Pavilion and check out the King Holiday Hoopfest. Featuring some of the region’s best high school talent (as well as talent from beyond the region, as well), the KHH is a staple of the season and an affordable draw for individuals and families alike.

Bellevue Christian and King’s boys will kick off the day at 9:30 AM with an early-bird contest. They’ll be followed at 11:00 AM by Kentwood and Bellarmine Prep girls; then Kentwood and Bothell boys will play at 12:30 PM. An intermission at 2:00 PM will take place to honor the legacy of Dr. King, followed by a 2:30 PM matchup between Decatur and Federal Way boys.

At 4:00 PM, the festivities really get underway as Rainier Beach boys take on one of the nation’s most storied programs in Dominguez of Compton, California (alma mater to Tyson Chandler and Bobby Jones, among others). A 6:00 PM contest pairs the third-ranked Bellevue boys (featuring forwards Alex Schrempf and Colton Christian, and point guard Aaron Bright) with Bellarmine Prep of Tacoma (featuring UW commit and five-star recruit Abdul Gaddy). The evening rounds out with a matchup of 4A and 3A powerhouses, with the 3A Franklin boys (featuring Louisville commit Peyton Siva) squaring off with the 4A Garfield Bulldogs (featuring number one prospect in the nation for the class of 2011, Tony Wroten, pictured at left).

So take the opportunity to check out some NBA-caliber talent and support local high schools at the same time. Tickets for adults are only $10, and the prices go even lower for seniors and students.