Spokesman-Review Showcase: Stars from Spokane area, Tri-Cities, Yakima and North Idaho converge for memorial all-star games

While the region is wrapped up in the college basketball tournament, for the second year in a row the best high school players in the area will gather at Lewis and Clark High School on Tuesday for The Spokesman-Review 2024 High School Basketball Showcase featuring the Denny Humphrey Memorial boys all-star game and the Jack Blair Memorial girls all-star game.

The girls game is at 5:15 p.m., the boys game at 7.

The Greater Spokane League, SWX and Spokane basketball institutions Hooptown and Shoot360 will help sponsor the games.

Let’s take a look at the rosters for the all-star games.

Boys Metro

Consisting of the GSL 4A/3A teams, the boys Metro team is full of mostly seniors, with a couple of high-level juniors to fill out the squad.

Mt. Spokane’s Ryan Lafferty, the State 3A boys player of the year as voted on by the coaches association, will unfortunately miss the game with an injury.

But the rest of the all-GSL first team will participate, including Cheney’s Evan Stinson – who is headed to Washington State next season, Gonzaga Prep’s Henry Sandberg (Seattle Pacific), Ferris’ Dylan Skaife (Lewis-Clark State), North Central’s Eli Williams (undecided) and University’s Shane Skidmore, who at 6-foor-8 has a Division I football offer.

Second-team selections to join the boys Metro team include seniors Paulo Murray (Lewis and Clark), Parker Pincock (LC), Jacori Ervin (North Central) and juniors Nash Dunham (Mead) and Nate Christy (GP).

Mt. Spokane senior Bode Gardner, who is headed to Idaho for football, LC senior Luke Jessup and Ridgeline senior Easton Amend fill out the squad.

The Metro team is coached by Mead’s Glenn Williams, who led the Panthers to an undefeated season in 2002-03 until a loss in the state title game. Also coaching is Jim Stinson, Evan’s grandfather, who guided Davenport girls to 110-9 over four seasons with two state titles and two second-place trophies.

Boys Region

The Region team is comprised from GSL 2A teams, along with stars from the Tri-Cities, smaller schools from the area and North Idaho.

GSL 2A MVP Ben Fried from West Valley leads the squad. He’ll be accompanied by fellow first-teamers Treshon Green (Rogers), Devin Holyfield (Rogers), Parker Munns (WV) and Champ Powaukee (Pullman).

All-GSL second-team picks Aaron Kinsey (Rogers) and Xander Van Tine (Clarkston) join the team, as well as East Valley senior Nehemiah Harry.

Freeman junior Tanner Goldsmith, a Northeast A League first-team pick, represents the 1A classification, while Avi West (Northwest Christian), Adrik Jenkin (Colfax) and Elden Pierce (St. George’s) are 2B all-stars. Hermiston senior Grant Olsen, a Mid-Columbia Conference first-team selection, will play for the Region team as well.

Joining the team from Idaho is Lapwai senior Kase Wynott, a three-time state champion and the state’s all-time leading scorer.

Jay Humphrey, son of all-star namesake Denny Humphrey, is the coach of the Region team. The younger Humphrey led West Valley to more than 200 wins over 14 seasons. His assistant is Zach Humphrey, his son, who is Shadle Park’s fourth all-time leading scorer and a two-time NWAAC player of the year at CC Spokane.

Girls Metro

Two-time GSL 4A/3A MVP Teryn Gardner, fresh off leading Mead to a State 3A second-place trophy, leads the Metro team. Fellow first-teamer Eden Sander (Central Valley), Gillian Bears (Gonzaga Prep), Aylah Cornwall (GP), Kayla Jones (Ferris) and Grace Sheridan (Ridgeline) join.

All-GSL second teamers Olivia McIntyre (GP), Sadie Pierce (Lewis and Clark), Addison Wells Morrison (Mead), Sloane Gardner (Mt. Spokane) and Julianna Jeross (University) will represent the Metro.

Also included are LC sophomore Olivia Baird, Ridgeline soph Madilyn Crowley and Central Valley freshman Draeylle Domebo.

The coach is Felice Orrell, a two-time state champ as a player at CV, a four-year starter at Eastern Washington and state champ as coach at CV in 2020.

Girls Region

GSL 2A co-MVP Kendall Wallace of Clarkston, who’s headed to Lewis-Clark State in the fall, heads the girls Region team. She’s joined by fellow first-team picks Makenzie Fager (Shadle Park) and Emily Peabody (Rogers) – who broke the girls single-game scoring record with 51 points – and second-teamer Grace Kuhle (Pullman).

Northeast A MVP Ashlan Bryant, a freshman from Deer Park, joins the team, as does Lakeside senior Ayanna Tobeck.

MCC all-leaguer seniors Nicole Wertenberger (Kamiakin) and Haylee Johnson (Kennewick), and juniors Malia Ruud and Kaia Foster (Chiawana) provide reinforcements from the Tri-Cities, while West Valley (Yakima) Laiken Hill is a sharpshooter.

Colfax junior Brynn McGaughy, one of the highest-rated girls basketball recruits in the country with more than 35 Division I offers, makes her second appearance in the Jack Blair.

Idaho sends Coeur d’Alene senior Teagan Colvin (UNLV) and Post Falls guard Brooklynn Brennan.

Coaching the Region team is Corey Baerlocher, who went 397-108 with 16 state appearances and eight 2B or 1A state titles over 18 years at Colfax.