My favorite hoops Franken-team

MOSES LAKE - After announcing the Columbia Basin's all league basketball selections in a recent issue of the Columbia Basin Herald, I couldn't help but wonder what my dream team would look like if I chose an All-Mine team.

Well, first off the selections would be based purely on what they do on the court statistically and intangibly. There would be no politics involved nor any favoritism trying to get some more of my kids picked.

Nope.

This would be my Franken-team.

A team made up of the 12 players, not necessarily the best, who I believe would mesh.

Now I know people are going to ask, "How can you pick a 1B player over a 4A player?"

Well, actually, I can pick them quite easily, thank you.

This isn't about how players did against their level of opposition, but more of a testament to the players' own embodiment, their aura, and their ability to perform when called on.

Who is to say that 4A kid wouldn't be at a 1B school, all of a sudden get cocky thinking they are the bomb and fail miserably due to a lack of work ethic?

Who is to say that 1B kid wouldn't have worked hard at an early age and kept that ethic to make themselves a solid big school player?

On the flip side why couldn't the 4A kid dominate and the 1B kid fail?

This is more about who each young man and woman - six of each - is, and what they would mean to the team.

So here is the first annual Alan Dale's Franken-team!

Guards

OK, knowing that the Columbia Basin's hoops' player size is more reminiscent of the "Wizard of Oz" than "The Two Towers," we have to accept our team will be guard heavy.

We start at the point, where Jordan Loera (Moses Lake High School) will run the show. Jordan is a gamer and a solid defender up top and a strong rebounder for her size, which we would need desperately.

Her 3-point shooting couldn't hurt and she is a gamer who knows how to win.

Running with her would be Kayleb Jensen (Columbia Basin Secondary School). The junior completely dominated in every game he played in and even found the ability to try his best to get his inexperienced teammates the ball and get them involved.

Kayleb could have scored 40 a game and led the area in scoring even more, but he didn't because of his unselfishness, especially early in games.

To think anyone can justify voting him second team North Central Washington 1B is just baffling and unjustified.

Jensen and Loera would then would share plenty of time with Connor Webb (Moses Lake Christian Academy) and Kelsey Yenney (Ephrata).

Webb is the motor that moves the boat, the straw that stirs the drink and the bug that annoys you. You love to play with him and hate to play against him. Webb can defend the ball as well as anyone and does all the little things better than most.

Yenney would probably slide to the off-guard spot due to wanting to get her plenty of good looks. Yenney can get hot and when she does she can score spotting up or taking it off of the bounce. Also her Lady Tigers' late season run would be key in giving our Franken-team another key player who knows how to play in tournament scenarios.

Of course our number one scoring option would be Derek Isaak (Almira/Coulee-Hartline) by far the best pure scorer in the Columbia Basin. He has a Class 4A jumper and a grade A game off of the dribble. He is fast, he is determined, and best of all, Derek is just classy all the way. He can hit the other team for 30 and no one would know due to his unassuming way. A great role model for the Franken-team.

Wings

Our forward-wing players can also double up as guards but we need them to help us spread out our 4-1 offense.

We start with Jacob Treat (Wilson Creek), the only power forward to play point guard that I have ever seen. He is strong, burly and yet, a nice ball handler with a basketball IQ only matched by a scant few.

So either backing in his enemy with the dribble for a post move or looking inside-out, Jacob rarely makes a mental error and most of his miscues come via physical error and nothing more.

Helping our squad defensively would be Abby Garrett (Moses Lake Christian Academy). It's too bad this young woman doesn't shoot more because the way she plays defense warrants some gravy. Abby is arguably the best off-ball and weakside defender I saw all season. Rarely does she give up her intensity once her player gets rid of the ball and I think she was out of position twice - maybe - on the weakside. She gets beat off the dribble very infrequently and is always ready to pick up the scraps off her teammates' mistakes.

Then we have Christine Kirkwood (Othello), who, along with Isaak, will provide a ton of our big time scoring with Loera taking advantage of their presence to average a double-double.

Kirkwood, was co-MVP of one of the best Class 2A leagues playing for a team that finished 1-19. If that doesn't say it all, I guess a couple 20-20 games make a louder statement of her competitive greatness. Inside. Outside. It doesn't matter. Christine will score and rebound in bunches.

Complementing Christine is Kyleigh Gamez (Moses Lake). I prefer to call Gamez "Ms. No Fear." Only a sophomore, she is the youngest of the Franken-team. She attacks the rim with a vengeance, doesn't care who is in her way, delivers the ball to the rack, and collects lay-ups, free throws, and the once-in-a-while "oopsie." Does it matter? Nah. There she goes again. Kyleigh is as intense as a rabid Fed Ex driver five minutes away from a three-minute deadline.

Interior

We only have three youngsters that will battle inside for us, but I have no doubt they can get the job done.

With the offensive firepower on the perimeter, we want these players to have the ability to score 20 if need be or give us a strong inside physical presence via rebounding and laying down the law.

So we start with Max McDonald (Moses Lake). How can anyone not respect a young man who is the epitome of making the most of every ounce they have?

Max can give you  a little bit of post scoring, he is long and scrappy, so he will terrorize defensively, and does all the little things that make you want to put him back in right away.

He will team with Garritt Marks (Warden). Marks is a warrior. He is physical, provides an inside presence, and can give the team plenty of 10-10 games while providing the Franken-team with that needed muscle for when the other team gets a little impolite.

Finally, we wrap up the roster with a true winner in Nikki Osborne (Almira/Coulee-Hartline). Nikki is an undersized post so she can shoot outside and draw out the opposing bigs but she's also tough and rough enough to mix it up. She can also hit her free throws when she gets to the line. Keep in mind, Nikki is state tournament seasoned in multiple sports, with one ring under her belt and plenty of trophies used for bookends. This lady is a true winner and leader in every sense of the word.

Franken-coach

We need a Franken-coach so I decided to take a little bit of these six coaches to put together the Franken-coach.

None of these six are perfect but they are all pretty dang good and should be recognized as such. But boy if we could simply:

• Take the organizational ability and attention to detail of Matt Strophy, Moses Lake High School girls coach,

• Combine with the incredible acumen and pure passion with John Hohman, Moses Lake High School boys coach,

• Add a large dose of Duke Wood, Moses Lake Christian Academy boys coach, and his enthusiasm, fire, and ability to motivate

• Mix in the incredible passion and ability to stay focused on task when things are tough or going well, like Phil Daubel, Royal High School girls coach, does, and when we sometimes need to call up some competitive drive and chutzpah we look to Scott Isaak (ACH boys) who probably wouldn't back down to a game of 1-on-5 with the Olympic team unless he had something better to do

• Fold in the steady, disciplined hand of a Bryce McPartland, the Moses Lake Christian Academy girls' leader, who finds a way to keep a small roster competitive within itself while making them want more.

We would have the perfect recipe for the Franken-coach.

Wow, what a team.

Now could I have written about more players and coaches? Sure. But the point here is this: This is not an all-academic, all-good kid, or all-lawn mowing and brush their teeth team.

This is a basketball team of players honored for how they play the game.

Let's keep the games on the court and reward the players for what they do on the court.

Goooo team!