The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association is officially looking at making changes to the basketball state tournament formats.

The WIAA is looking for ways to trim costs from putting on the events and help defray costs for schools that must travel long distances and pay for meals and lodging for athletes and coaches.

“This is being driven by the costs of putting on a tournament and the costs schools are having to pay by being there for multiple days,” said Bellarmine Prep athletic director Ed Ploof, a member of the board.

Three weeks ago, I wrote a

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David Sundheim is the new coach at Todd Beamer High School. Sundheim has spent the last three seasons as the offensive coordinator at Bethel High School.

“We got a number of great applicants,” said Beamer athletic director Jerry Peterson, “and we feel great about David.”

Sundheim, who played at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., has also coached at high schools in Florida and Virginia, Peterson said.

Sundheim takes over for former coach Gem Abe.

Class 4A

1. Kentwood 14-0

2. Lewis and Clark 14-0

3. Pasco 15-0

4. Snohomish 12-2

5. Moses Lake 13-3

6. Mead 11-2

7. Federal Way 11-4

8. Auburn Riverside 11-5

9. Bellarmine Prep 12-3

10. Jackson 11-2

Got next: Edmonds-Woodway, Garfield, Graham-Kapowsin, Issaquah, Mount Tahoma, Spokane Central Valley.

Class 3A

1. Kennedy 13-0

2. Prairie 12-2

3. Shadle Park 11-2

4. White River 14-0

5. Franklin 12-2

6. Yakima West Valley 10-5

7. Meadowdale 11-3

8. Bainbridge 10-2

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Class 4A

1. Federal Way 13-2

2. Garfield 10-3

3. Kentwood 11-4

4. Decatur 13-2

5. Gonzaga Prep 13-1

6. Eisenhower 15-0

7. Curtis 14-3

8. Kentridge 10-6

9. Foss 11-4

10. Lincoln 11-4

Got next: Auburn, Central Kitsap, Mountlake Terrace, Puyallup

Class 3A

1. Franklin 13-0

2. Bellevue 14-1

3. Shadle Park 12-1

4. Renton 10-1

5. Rainier Beach 8-3

6. Columbia River 11-2

7. Enumclaw 13-1

8. Mount Rainier 11-1

9. Lakes 10-4

10. Meadowdale

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The News Tribune published its 22nd annual edition of the Northwest Nuggets on Sunday. Here’s what we had:

Main bar: Colleges are offering athletes at younger and younger ages. This story is about freshmen and sophomores that haven’t even played significant varsity time getting scholarships.

Sidebar: Skyline junior Jake Heaps is the top underclassmen recruit in the Northwest, maybe even the country. That story and link will also give you a list of the top junior Nuggets-in-waiting.

Notebook: No Nuggets for the Huskies for the first time in the 22-year history of the Northwest

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Prep Zone



What to watch Saturday

»» Want to see the best Class 4A basketball team in the state? Then come to tonight’s Garfield-Foss boys basketball game. The top-ranked Bulldogs feature sophomore guard Tony Wroten, who some recruiting evaluators believe is the best player in the nation in his class. This game could provide a glimpse of how the Narrows League will stack up against the state’s best come tournament time.

Where: Foss

Time: 7:30 p.m.

»» Some of the best regular-season wrestling of the year will happen at the Dream Duals

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Super sophomore Tony Wroten and top-ranked Garfield will play at Foss at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

Both schools were supposed to play Jefferson of Portland, Ore., in December, but the snowstorm kept the Democrats from making the trip. To make up the game, Garfield and Foss will play each other and South Sound hoop fans will reap the benefits.

Some interesting rankings here in the Associated Press poll…

SEATTLE — How a state panel of sports writers rates Washington high school boys basketball teams in the weekly Associated Press poll of 2009, by WIAA divisions, with won-lost record and total points (first-place votes in parentheses):

CLASS 4A

School Record Points Last week

1. Garfield (7) 9-2 86 1

2. Kentwood (2) 10-3 81 3

3. Federal Way 12-2 72 2

4. Eisenhower 14-0 573 6

5. Gonzaga Prep 12-1 55 7

6. Decatur 12-2 54 4

7. Puyallup 10-2

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