If you enjoyed reading about the athletic exploits of Cedarcrest

senior Michael Smith during the football season, just wait until he picks up

the round ball to play his favorite sport.

Smith, the 6-4 all-KingCo wide receiver, will take his 40-inch

vertical leap and his passion for the game of basketball to the hardwoods later

this month when the Red Wolves begin a new season under a new coach

and with a brand new offense.

“There is no doubt that Michael is our one and only impact player,”

said first year coach Ray LaBate. “But the team’s success this season depends

on getting more people involved in the action and not expecting Michael

to carry the load by himself.”

LeBate is looking to junior James Conrick to carry at least part of

the scoring load. The 6-2 Conrick started the majority of games last season

in the Cedarcrest front court as a sophomore.

Conrick and Smith will be joined on the front line by Ryan Brown, a

6-4 senior, who will be counted on mainly for his rebounding ability.

“We’re going to have to work very hard because we’re not very big,

we’re not very fast, and we don’t shoot the ball extremely well,” said LaBate.

Senior Morgan Henley, Cedarcrest’s top running back on

the football field, will be asked to provide leadership and ball handling skills

in the Red Wolf backcourt. He will be teamed with junior Jeff Coy.

One of the most intriguing additions to this year’s team will be

5-9 senior Robin Spayde, a standout soccer player who has not played

organized basketball since the seventh grade. According to LaBate, it took

the senior less than one week to progress from a curiosity to one of the top

four guards on the Red Wolf squad.

“Robin is an outstanding soccer player and an excellent

athlete,” LaBate explained. “It did not take

long for his athletic ability to show itself on the basketball court. He has been

a very pleasant surprise.”

The Red Wolves will be running LaBate’s own version of the flex

offense, patterned after the motion attack run by Gonzaga University.

The flex is a motion offense that relies on crisp passing and setting screens

to free shooters for a clear shot at the basket.

“My goal is to be competitive this year,” said the new coach. “We’re

not going to worry too much about the other teams in the (KingCo)

league. If we run our offense and press on defense, we’ll be just fine.”

Several players have graduated from last year’s 3A-state

championship team from Mercer Island. Overall, LaBate said the league is

much younger this season, which makes him optimistic about the Red Wolves’

overall chances.

Cedarcrest did not beat a single KingCo foe last season, and

finished the 1998-99 campaign with one win against 17 losses. Despite the

defensive focus to shut him down last year, Smith finished among the top 10

scorers in the league and was named an honorable mention on the

conference all-star squad.

The Red Wolves began this season with a jamboree at Redmond

High School on Nov. 27. They begin the month of December by traveling

to Seattle to take on Jefferson High on the first and will then host

Cleveland on the fourth for the team’s home opener. KingCo action for

Cedarcrest will start on Dec. 10 against Interlake in Bellevue.

Cedarcrest is not scheduled to take part in a holiday tournament and

will go a full two weeks between games over the winter break.

LaBate’s team is scheduled to play two additional league foes and

three teams outside the conference before the end of the year. Cedarcrest

will face off twice against Valley-rival Mount Si. The first clash will be

Jan. 7 on the Wildcats’ home court in Snoqualmie. Mount Si will make

the return trek to Duvall for a rematch on Feb. 1.

The schedule maker was kind to the Wolves by only scheduling

them to play the defending state champions from Mercer Island once this year,

on the road on Jan. 21. This season’s KingCo league championships

are scheduled for the Feb. 10 at a site to be determined. The new state

champion will be crowned during the first weekend of March.