Tubbs blessed with ability, work ethic

Riley Tubbs makes it look too easy.

The over-the-shoulder catch in the outfield. The diving reception in the end zone. The impossible putback in the key.

No doubt, Tubbs possesses a ton of natural athletic ability. But it is his almost unnatural ability to work at three sports that sets the Tahoma High School senior apart and makes him The Seattle Times' High-School Male Athlete of the Year.

"People think I'm a gifted athlete," Tubbs said, "but I think I've had to work harder than anyone else because of playing three sports. I didn't get a chance to concentrate on one sport."

Not only was Tubbs a three-sport athlete at Tahoma, a rarity in this age of specialization, he earned first-team honors in each — football, basketball and baseball — in the tough South Puget Sound League 4A North Division. And he was good enough in baseball to earn a scholarship from Washington State.

"He's a special kid," said Tony Davis, Tahoma's football coach and athletic director. "We've been pretty fortunate to have some good athletes here, but I would say he's got as much an internal drive to be successful and to win as any kid I've seen."

The Bears won plenty in all three sports in large part because of Tubbs. A big-play receiver and defensive back in football, he helped them capture a third consecutive division title and fashion a 10-1 record. He was a first-team selection on both sides of the ball and was named the SPSL North's defensive back of the year.

In basketball, the 6-foot-2 guard led the Bears in scoring at 14 points per game as they qualified for the West Central 4A District tournament, finishing two victories shy of state.

But Tubbs especially dazzled in baseball on a team that featured four other Division I recruits. He was among the top hitters in the league with a .480 average, and had nine doubles, a triple and four home runs (.940 slugging percentage). Tubbs' athleticism allowed coach Russ Hayden to use him wherever needed, and that included a move from third base to center field early in the season.

"Riley has the ability to play any position on the field," Hayden said, calling him the team's leader and motivator. "Riley is the fiercest competitor I have ever coached."

Tubbs helped Tahoma reach the 4A semifinals for the second straight year. After a staggering loss to Snohomish, he was a key part of a major comeback in the third-place game, blasting a long home run and later scoring the winning run against Bothell.

"When he scored that run, I thought, 'No one deserves it more than him,' " Davis said. "The look on his face is one that will stay with me for a long time."

What will stay with Tubbs are not so much the wins and losses, but the relationships and lessons learned along the way.

"I've made a lot of friendships that will go on forever," he said. "And I'll remember the intensity I need to bring every practice and every game. Because you get a lot better at practice, and in the game you show what you can do."

And Riley Tubbs showed game in and game out why he is a deserving athlete of the year.