Prep Notebook: Rainier Beach Iweka picks UW for football

Emeka Iweka, a 6-foot-6, 290-pound junior basketball-football standout at Rainier Beach High School, has made an verbal commitment to play football for the Washington Huskies.

He is the first member of the Huskies' 2007 recruiting class.

Rainier Beach basketball coach Mike Bethea said that UW coaches envision Iweka as a defensive end.

Iweka played only his second season of football last fall on a Rainier Beach team that advanced to the 3A state semifinals.

This winter, Iweka averaged 12 points and 12 rebounds on the Metro champion Beach basketball team that finished fourth at the Class 3A state tournament.

As a freshman, Iweka said he was committing to Oregon State for basketball. It was considered the earliest commitment in state history. This past season, he backed away from that decision.

Bethea said Iweka chose UW to stay close to home for family reasons.

3 track stars aren't out

Three of the state's premier runners are not turning out for their high-school teams this spring.

Taylor Mays and Brandon Jones of O'Dea and Jeff Helmer of Jackson, all of whom have won at least one state title, are not expected to compete this season. Mays, headed to USC on a football scholarship, said he is focusing on football workouts. Jones, who has a football scholarship to California, is still recovering from the ankle surgery he had this winter, according to O'Dea coach Monte Kohler, and is unlikely to return to full strength in time to join the team.

Jones won the 3A state title in the 100 last year. Mays had won both the 100 and 200 as a sophomore.

Helmer, who has signed with Arizona State, said he is not turning out because of conflicts with Jackson's Eric Hruschka, who coaches cross country and track. Helmer was the defending 4A state champion in the 3,200 and also won 4A state cross country last fall.

Helmer said he recently began talking to officials at the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association about the possibility of competing for another high school while staying at Jackson.

Note

• Gary Flanik, a senior at Liberty of Issaquah, signed to play football at Southern Oregon.

Seattle Times staff reporter Sandy Ringer contributed to this report.