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Two Franklin High grads--Jason Terry of the Dallas Mavericks and Aaron Brooks of the Houston Rockets--have emerged as two of the most critical players in the NBA playoffs.
It's been a solid week for Franklin High pride: FHS alum Gary Locke was sworn in as U.S. Secretary of Commerce, FHS alum Mark Morris brought his tribute to Mozart to town, and FHS Alum Kenny G made his first appearance in Bulgaria! (Hey, at least he was far away.)
But Terry and Brooks are handling the emotions of millions of sports fans, as their performances will decide who plays for the Western Conference championship.
Terry, a ten-year NBA vet who won back-to-back state championships with Franklin in 1994 and '95, was NBA sixth man of the year this season for Dallas. He'll need to assume an even bigger role now that the Mavs' Josh Howard is hobbled by an ankle sprain. Terry played 38 minutes in yesterday's game 2 vs. Denver, his playoff high, after Howard left six minutes into the game. Dallas lost, falling two games behind Denver with the series headed back to Texas for game 3 on Saturday. The Mavs will need Terry to step up his scoring if they hope to survive.
Brooks, a second-year player who won the 2003 state championship as a Quaker, became Houston's starting point guard midway through the season. Now he's Houston's key mismatch in their series with the #1-seed Lakers. In game 1, Brooks feasted on L.A. point guard Derek Fisher, who is 34 years old and can't stay in front of the younger, quicker Brooks.
"Brooks looked like a cross bred mutation between Bob Cousy and Curly Neal, dribbling the ball all over the frontcourt with a confidence and demeanor you would normally see in a six or seven year veteran," wrote Michael Pina of Black Sports Online of Brooks' 19-point performance in Houston's 100-92 upset win.
(Another Washington prep hero and much higher draft pick, Adam Morrison, is a Lakers' benchwarmer and isn't likely to play in the series. Brooks' Quakers beat Morrison's Mead High Panthers in the '03 state final, with Brooks scoring 38 points and Morrison 37.)
When the Rockets and Lakers play tonight in Game 2 (7:30 p.m., TNT), Brooks will be a major focus of the Lakers' defense. If they can't figure out a way to stop him, he could help engineer one of the biggest upsets in NBA playoff history.
The tradition of great Franklin guards hasn't stopped with Terry and Brooks. Venoy Overton led the Quakers to the 2006 state championship, he was the University of Washington's top sixth-man last season. Peyton Siva, a sophomore on that '06 team, was the star of Franklin's '08 state champions, was a McDonalds All-American this year, and will play for Rick Pitino at Louisville next season.
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