Sideline Smitty / Craig Smith
Basketball was early passion for Caviezel

	Jim Caviezel was the starting point guard on a Kennedy team that placed sixth in the state tournament.
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Q: What's the basketball history of Jim Caviezel, the Mount Vernon native who plays Jesus in "The Passion of the Christ" blockbuster?

A: Caviezel, 35, grew up in Conway, near Mount Vernon, in a Catholic, basketball-crazy family.

As a freshman at Mount Vernon High School, he got thrown in a dumpster by upperclassmen after proclaiming he would make the varsity. He transferred as a junior to O'Dea, played for the Irish, then transferred again that spring to Kennedy.

He became the starting point guard on the 1987 Kennedy team that finished sixth in the big-school (AAA, now 4A) tournament. He also played some football at Kennedy. While attending O'Dea and Kennedy, he lived with family friends.

After high school, Caviezel played basketball for two years at Bellevue Community College. In a 1999 interview, BCC coach Ernie Woods called him the hardest worker he had in 30 years.

Jim's father, James, a chiropractor, was an all-state player at Sumner, then played at UCLA under John Wooden. When injuries ended his college career, he transferred to Palmer College in Davenport, Iowa, to study chiropractic medicine and there he met his future wife, Maggie, who was appearing in a play. That may explain Jim's acting genes.

The Caviezel home in Conway had an outdoor basketball court that was always busy when the kids were growing.

"Our kids spent hours every day on that court," said James Caviezel, who now lives with Maggie on Camano Island.

Jim's younger brother, Tim, starred at Mount Vernon and played at the University of Washington in 1991 and '92. Tim then transferred to Long Beach State and finished at Western Washington. He now sells real estate near Lake Tahoe.

Sisters Ann, Amy and Erin played at Mount Vernon High School. Ann and Amy went on to play at Skagit Valley College, while Erin played at Loyola-Marymount.
 
Jim's wife, Kerri (Browitt), played basketball at Cle Elum High School and never missed a game in four years at Western Washington, where she was among the career leaders in five statistical categories.

Jim Caviezel's athletic background should be evident in upcoming films in which he plays golfer Bobby Jones and then a hydroplane driver in a movie about the Miss Madison. Yes, a hydroplane movie. Early in his acting career, he played the role of a basketball player in an episode of the TV show "The Wonder Years."

Q: Why isn't KingCo 4A combined with another league for district basketball? KingCo 4A holds its own self-contained tournament among teams that have been playing each other since December. Those teams must get sick of each other.

A: Indeed, every day can be "Ground Hog Day" in KingCo 4A. Back in 1999, the league had a legitimate district with the Western Conference. WesCo pulled out, claiming it was foolish to be in a district where the Garfield and Franklin boys teams were near-locks to earn state-tournament berths.

Since then, WesCo has become a two-division league with 17 Class 4A teams and doesn't need another league to have a good district tournament.

I would like to see the North Division (teams such as Kentwood and Auburn) of the South Puget Sound League go in with KingCo 4A and have a district tournament. However, the SPSL folks seem content in the West Central District tournament and the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association won't intervene.

"We're trying to get someone to play us," said Inglemoor athletic director Frank Naish, who isn't optimistic.

District tournaments are fun for players and fans even though most last too long. Playing new teams in different gyms helps prepare the best teams for state. By comparison, KingCo's self-contained "district" has all the excitement in the early rounds of a PE class.

Q: Settle a bet. A friend says that in basketball an assist is awarded when a pass leads to a player being fouled while shooting, even if the guy misses the shot but makes a subsequent free throw. I say an assist is awarded ONLY when a pass leads to a field goal. Who is right?

A: You are. An assist is the last pass that leads "directly" to a field goal. Usually, the scoring player must shoot right away or move immediately toward the basket for his teammate to get an assist.

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), or e-mail csmith@seattletimes.com

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