4A Boys Notebook | Ferris manager gives lesson in courage as he battles cancer

TACOMA — When Ferris of Spokane won the state championship a year ago, Austan Pierce watched on television at home, still recovering after perhaps the most difficult decision he has ever had to make.

This time around, Pierce made the trip with the Saxons. The sophomore manager sitting behind Ferris' bench makes his team's amazing road to Tacoma pale in comparison.

"He helps keep us grounded," Ferris coach Don Van Lierop said.

Pierce, 15, has Ewing's sarcoma, a soft-tissue bone cancer that has dramatically altered his life for 4 ½ years, including forcing him to make the decision to have his left leg amputated in December 2006.

But with the cancer in remission for three years, Pierce considers himself healthy again and fortunate to have a front-row seat to the Saxons' run to state.

"It's been amazing," Pierce said. "I'm just really proud of them and grateful they offered me this spot."

Before Saturday's championship game, Pierce joined a wheelchair basketball game at the Tacoma Dome. The entire Ferris team lined the railing around the court to cheer him on.

"We love having him," Van Lierop said.

Pierce, an active kid who played baseball and basketball, learned Oct. 17, 2003, why he had a sharp pain in his leg. Thirteen rounds of therapy, more than 30 radiation treatments and several surgeries followed. He lost 30 pounds.

On Sept. 4, 2004, Pierce and an on-call doctor had a 25-cent bet on a football game between Louisiana State and Oregon State. Pierce took the Beavers, who ultimately lost in overtime when kicker Alexis Serna missed his third extra point.

From his hospital bed, Pierce wrote this letter to Serna: "Sorry you had an awful day ... I've had some bad days myself, but the most important thing is to get up again and do what you know you can do. If I can do it, so can you. Go Beavers."

Two weeks later, Serna drilled a 35-field goal to beat New Mexico, with the initials "AP" written on the back of his thumbs. Soon, the story of Pierce and Serna was picked up by ESPN and Fox, and Oregon State fans raised money to fly Pierce to Corvallis for a game.

"Alexis and I have become pretty good friends," Pierce said.

He decided to amputate his left leg because it was badly weakened by radiation treatments.

"I just thought I could live a better and happier life getting around better, being more free," he said.

Van Lierop read Pierce's story in a magazine, and offered him the manager position last spring. Pierce takes care of balls, towels and water, with Ferris players taking turns helping him around.

"His outlook on things has been refreshing and humbling," Van Lierop said.

Donaldson injured

Edmonds-Woodway forward Connor Donaldson injured his left knee midway through the second quarter and sat out the rest of his last high-school game against Lincoln.

Donaldson, the team's leading scorer at 15.5 points per game, had four points and one rebound before the injury. The Abes beat Edmonds-Woodway 62-55 for fourth place.

After being helped off the court, Donaldson sprawled across four chairs on the bench before he limped to the locker room at halftime. He spent the second half stretched out across the bench on his back with his knee wrapped in ice. Donald suffered the same injury to his right knee in January.

"His kneecap popped out of the groove," Edmonds-Woodway coach Gail Pintler said.

Notes

• As if one Gaddy isn't enough, Bellarmine Prep will have two next year. Joining Abdul Gaddy, an Arizona recruit, in the Lions' backcourt will be his freshman brother, Donald. "He's a good ballhandler, a good athlete. He can jump," Abdul said. "He'll help us a lot next year."

• Edmonds-Woodway's Pintler has yet to decide whether he will return to coach a third season. "I agreed to take this job for one year as an interim coach," said Pintler, 63. "Now I've done it for two years, and I guess I could do it for three or four years. ... I'll decide in a month or so."

• Decatur senior Marcus Tibbs had a team-high 20 points Saturday. You'd never guess he had trouble seeing. "He lost his contact. It kept falling out today," said Gators coach Kevin Olson. "I don't know what the deal was. We've had issues with his contacts before, but two times in the same game — that's a new one."

• Richland finished eighth, the school's first trophy in 10 years. Richland won the tournament in 1958, 1972 and 1979. Richland was making its 32nd appearance at state, according to the tournament program. Only two big schools have more — Walla Walla with 38 and Garfield with 33.

• Ferris' most touted recruit is 6-foot-8 center DeAngelo Casto, but five other Saxons have signed with Division I schools in football, baseball or basketball. Shawn Stockton signed with Montana to play basketball, and sixth man Beau Brett signed with USC for baseball. Three starters are football signees.

• Next year's tournaments in Seattle and Tacoma won't be as early. The 4A tournaments will be March 4-7 in Tacoma and the 3A (Seattle) and 2A (Tacoma) tournaments will be March 11-14.

Seattle Times staff reporter Craig Smith and freelancer Steve Hunter contributed to this notebook.