South Sound to regain Catholic school in 2009

Q: When did St. Martin's High School in Lacey close?

A: It closed in 1974 because of declining enrollment.

A new Catholic high school in Lacey is scheduled to open in fall 2009 and will be called Pope John Paul II High School. With no disrespect to the late pope, I wish they had stuck with the original proposed name, South Sound Catholic.

I like names like Eastside Catholic that immediately tell me two things: 1) location; 2) that it is Catholic.

And speaking of Eastside Catholic, the Bellevue school will move to its new campus on the Sammamish Plateau this fall. Former Sonics coach Lenny Wilkens is doing commercials for the school, which hopes to boost enrollment. Wilkens had a daughter who attended Eastside Catholic.

Another new Catholic school, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic High School, will open in fall 2009 in Ridgefield, outside Vancouver, to serve Southwest Washington.

Q: How did DeAngelo Casto, the 6-foot-8 senior basketball prospect, get declared eligible? He started the school year at Franklin, then left before the season started to return to Ferris of Spokane, the team he helped win the Class 4A state title last year as a junior.

A: A WIAA hearing officer in Spokane heard the case, then reported to executive director Mike Colbrese, who ruled Casto eligible.

A lawyer who represented Casto pro bono at the hearing made the case that as a federally recognized homeless student, Casto was automatically entitled to play. Colbrese approved the case on hardship and special circumstances without citing the federal law.

Colbrese maintains that the federal legislation, which is part of the "No Child Left Behind" mandate, still allows state associations the final say on eligibility.

Casto, who scored 27 points in a semifinal win over Franklin and 16 in the championship victory over Kentridge last spring, is living with a Ferris assistant coach, according to The Spokane Spokesman-Review. His adopted father lives outside Spokane and his adopted mother moved to Seattle last summer.

Odds and ends ...

The proof is in the numbers — Washington is turning into a prime source of NBA talent.

Eight athletes who played high-school basketball in Washington have been drafted in the first round of the NBA draft in the past three years.

The three first-rounders taken last June were Spencer Hawes of Seattle Prep (UW, to Sacramento as the 10th player taken), Rodney Stuckey of Kentwood (Eastern Washington, to Detroit, No. 15) and Aaron Brooks of Franklin (Oregon, to Houston, No. 26).

Twelve first-rounders with Washington prep roots have been drafted in this young century.

Talk about a strange road trip!

Cedar Park Christian of Bothell (I call it "Bill's Dairy Christian" because it is on the site of the old dairy) went to a boys holiday tournament in Orange County, Calif., and the 1A team played and lost to three Washington 4A teams.

The opening loss was to Redmond, a school five miles from the Cedar Park campus. The next loss was to a school 16 miles away, Eastlake. The third defeat was to Prairie of suburban Vancouver, Wash.

The "Milkers" (OK, the official nickname is Eagles) would have played out-of-state teams had they pulled upsets.

Two things I enjoy asking veteran coaches:

1) Have your best athletes tended to be the oldest kids in their family or younger kids who grew up playing with older siblings?

2) Some coaches believe that the more sets of brothers or sisters you have on the team, the better the team will be. Do you agree?

I don't have a big enough sampling of coaches yet to report any returns.

Have a question about high-school sports? Craig Smith will find the answer every Tuesday in The Times. Ask your question in one of the following ways: Voice mail (206-464-8279), snail mail (Craig Smith, Seattle Times Sports, P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111) or e-mail csmith@seattletimes.com