State Tournament All-Defensive Team
The WIAA does not have an official state tournament All-Defensive team. Most newspaper publications and media focus solely on points scored and scoring averages in their articles and voting for the All-State teams. While scoring and putting up numbers is a big part of the game, so is defense. Below is the unofficial Prep Hoops WIAA State Tournament All-Defensive Team:
2020 6’2 G, Micah Monroe (Rainier Beach HS) – One of the state’s most explosively athletic players is a hound on defense. He spent the entire season disrupting opposing teams’ point guards and he also did that throughout the state tournament. He has cat-like reaction times and a nose for the ball. He plays bigger than he is, due to his great leaping ability to block/alter shots. *Micah is now a member of the 2020 class, previously listed in 2019
2019 6’1 G, Sheadon Byrd (Gonzaga Prep HS) – Sheadon was maybe the one matchup no ball handler wanted to deal with when it comes to a physical style of defense. Sheadon was ultra-aggressive and if you got by him, he would do everything in his power to get back in front and make sure you felt his presence. He spent a lot of time defending the opposing team’s best perimeter ball handler and scorer. His defensive presence was rarely mentioned throughout the tourney, but he is a huge reason as to why Gonzaga Prep won the 4A state title.
2020 6’7 SG, Tyler Patterson (Mt. Si HS) – Another player whose contribution was overlooked by many during the state tournament. He did not put up his usual scoring numbers as teams made sure to stick to him as a shooter on the perimeter, but there is a reason Mt. Si made it to the 4A state title game. Tyler Patterson had the challenge of guarding some of the state’s most explosive perimeter scorers and he held every single one of them to well below average shooting and scoring games. Mt. Si’s wins over Puyallup and Curtis were possible thanks to Tyler’s disruptive defense. His style of defense includes a mixture of basketball IQ, positioning, angles and length. When Tyler got beat off the bounce, he contested every player’s floater and layup attempts and made them difficult. A performance not to be overlooked!
2019 6’9 SF, Jaden McDaniels (Federal Way HS) – Jaden’s defensive presence for the Eagles was displayed all over the floor. He was able to cover ground from the three point line and into the paint to block shots high on the glass. His reach at the top of Federal Way’s zone press also made it hard for guards to get the ball across half court. The big question now is whether Husky fans will be able to witness his reach on the wing of their 2-3 zone.
2020 6’10 PF, Mitchell Saxen (Ingraham HS) – This junior power forward really made it hard for some teams to score inside with a clean look. He is one of Washington’s tallest players and he moves pretty well on top of that. He displayed good shot blocking ability, as he had done all season long.