Garfield High School Boys Basketball Team, Seattle in the 2011 Washington Class 4A Tournament, Tacoma Dome, Tacoma, Washington...a basketball photo essay.
Glenn Brooks (1), Garfield H.S., Washington Class 4A Tournament, Tacoma Dome, Tacoma, Washington
Garfield H.S., Seattle played Puyallup H.S. , Puyallup, Gonzaga Prep, Spokane and Curtis H.S., University Place, in the Washington Class 4A Tournament, at the Tacoma Dome, Tacoma, Washington, March, 2011. I’ve woven together thoughts and images of the competitive experience.
Daeshon Hall, Garfield H.S., Washington Class 4A Tournament, Tacoma Dome, Tacoma, Washington
Basketball is a competitive sport that combines so many elements of mental and physical ability, weaving speed with abrupt changes in movement, precision and sometimes solitude on the free throw line. It embraces elements of strategy, as the game clock may determine forcing the pace of the game. The leading team may elect to slow the pace down, playing keep away. The losing team may commit deliberate fouls, forcing the leading team to make foul shots, trading for clock time and shot opportunity.
Glenn Brooks (1), Garfield H.S., Chris Sarbaugh (24), Parker Kelly (10), Gonzaga Prep, Washington Class 4A Tournament, Tacoma Dome, Tacoma, Washington
Does the guard bringing the ball down the court elect to take the jump shot at a distance, pass off the ball to another player closer in to the basket, or perhaps to a wing man in the corner? Or does he drive down the key, finding a route inside without committing a charging foul, and make a layup or even dunk the ball?
Tony Wroten (2), Garfield H.S., Washington Class 4A Tournament, Tacoma Dome, Tacoma, Washington
These are all decisions basketball players need to make and they often make these decisions very quickly, in an instant, as matters change very fast on the basketball court. They are not pulling up an Excel spreadsheet on their cell phones and calculating the odds, or mulling it over, sleeping on it overnight. The brain does this type of calculation very well and quickly.
Garfield Player and Parker Kelly (10) (Gonzaga Prep)., Washington Class 4A Tournament, Tacoma Dome, Tacoma, Washington
Competition sets up a sense of flow, a flow to a goal, victory in the game, or perhaps beyond when a season title or a championship are involved. This sense of flow, being “in the game” may mean that shots flow more accurately, hitting only mesh, that the rebounding opportunities are there for the taking and that free throws are made, early and often. At other times, it seems, that teams can’t buy a shot.
Tucker Haymond (23), Garfield H.S. and Parker Kelly (10) (Gonzaga Prep)., Washington Class 4A Tournament, Tacoma Dome, Tacoma, Washington
It is a game of drama and intensity. Of emotion carefully crafted to play with intensity yet avoid excessive fouling which would give the player a ticket out of the game. Sometimes things flare out of proportion. It is the essence of sportsmanship to keep them from doing so as it could hurt the team.
Garfield Players and Coach, Timeout, Washington Class 4A Tournament, Tacoma Dome, Tacoma, Washington
However, there is no doubt that emotion can be used as a tool to fuel the players’ motivation to win the game. This is one function of a coaches timeout....to retool strategy and reignite emotion.
It is at the foul line where the pace momentarily slows. The player fouled stands on the line without contention, object of attention, studying and then shooting the free throw. Is the object to make the free throw? Most of the time it is. However a missed free throw on the second shot could lead to a rebound, a successful basket and a three point play.
In the end, one team has to lose. It may be because the winner has a stronger team, it may be because the losing team had an off night, or peaked too soon. Whatever the reason, the game was played, the decision rendered.
Tony Wroten (2), Garfield H.S., Washington Class 4A Tournament, Tacoma Dome, Tacoma, Washington
Rebounding is an asset in a basketball game, and so it is also an asset in being able to come back from a tough loss and win the next game. This is true resilience. It helps the athlete not only in the game they just won, but in fostering resilience down the road in games against other opponents, whether in High School or beyond, playing under the lights.
Tony Wroten (2), Garfield H.S. Guard, will be attending the University of Washington where he will playing Washington Husky Basketball.
The Garfield Bulldogs won their quarterfinal game against the Puyallup Vikings 90-80. The Garfield Bulldogs lost their Semifinal game to Gonzaga Prep Bullpups 53-66, who went on to beat Curtis H.S Vikings, University Place in the Washington Class 4A Tournament Finals 61-41.
The Garfield Bulldogs came back to win against the A.C. Davis Pirates, Yakima, Washington 75-68 to capture third place in the Washington Class 4A Tournament. Garfield H.S., coached by Coach Ed Haskins and his staff has an outstanding basketball tradition and can look forward to many great seasons.
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