Chiawana’s Kobe Young signs with Boise State to play hoops — maybe football too

Kobe Young made his post-high school decision official Tuesday, signing to play men’s basketball at Boise State University.

Chiawana’s Young had been torn about whether to play basketball or football — or both — in college.

He was strongly considering becoming a preferred walk-on for the University of Washington football team.

But then he took a visit to the Boise State campus, and visited with Broncos head coach Leon Rice — who himself grew up in the Tri-Cities, and is a Richland High graduate.

“I love the campus,” Young said. “And I see Boise as a bigger version of the Tri-Cities. A lot of the city looks the same as the Tri-Cities. But Boise is a bigger town.”

Young said he likes Rice’s offensive system.

“It’s similar to what Chiawana does,” Young said. “You score when you can if you have the shot. I mean, I like to play in the half court set too.”

But it’s more fun to run a fast-paced offense, finding looks for the open guy, he says.

Meanwhile, Young also stepped into the BSU football coaches’ office and introduced himself, talked to them to gauge any interest of him playing some football too.

“They seemed pretty chill about it,” Young said. “I think they liked the idea of me walking on, with a basketball scholarship.”

Meanwhile, Young is out with the Chiawana track and field team, where he’s already clocked an 11.14-seconds time in the 100 meters (making him No. 2 in the state). Young also is part of the Riverhawks’ 4x100 relay team, and is high jumping.

He did take a little time off after football ended March 31 to let his body rest.

“I had a little Turf toe, and I was beat up mentally and physically,” Young said. “I told out track coach to give me a week to rest up and I’ll be ready.”

In this tightened high school sports season, Young will be playing basketball for Chiawana too.

“I think we have 16 games,” he said. “That’s not bad. It just means we wont have any non-league games.”

But he’ll go into the season knowing he has his future lined up at Boise State.

“Yes,” he said. “It hasn’t been a straight line (to here).”

Indeed.

Young caught a number of eyes as a Chiawana sophomore, getting an offer to play basketball at Idaho State.

But he was hampered with injuries his junior year that limited his time on both the football field and the basketball court.

“These past 1½ to 2 years, with colleges looking at me, and then the injuries hit, I was stressing out,” Young said. “Now that I’ve finally committed, it’s taken a lot of stress off of me. And it takes the pressure off of my parents with that full ride, rather than taking a preferred walk-on deal.”

Hydroplanes

Seafair officials announced Wednesday morning that there would be no live events this summer, which means no unlimited hydroplanes and the Homestreet Seafair Trophy Race. Events surrounding Seafair will be virtual.

Races already are scheduled for H1 Unlimited include Guntersville, Ala., in June, and Madison, Ind., in early July.

The HAPO Columbia Cup, set for late July in the Tri-Cities, still is being planned.

Tickets are being sold for the event, but it all depends on what phase this area is in at that time of year.

“Planning continues until it appears that’s not the case,” said Kathy Powell, Water Follies event director.

Meanwhile, boat owner Kelly Stocklin announced recently that Dave Villwock, the sport’s winningest driver, is set to return this season to drive one of Stocklin’s two boats he’ll have ready to race.

Villwock is 67, and he has 67 career victories.

Tri-City Americans

The Western Hockey League announced that two more Tri-City Americans games have been postponed as the team works through a positive test for COVID-19 that occurred last Saturday.

A game this coming April 24 at Everett and a scheduled home game against the Spokane Chiefs on April 25 have been postponed.

That makes five Americans games having been postponed since the COVID announcement.

In other news, the Canadian Hockey League — the governing body that oversees the three major junior leagues in North America, including the WHL — announced that there would be no Memorial Cup for the second consecutive year.

The Ontario Hockey League announced this week that it would not be playing at all this season.

Notes

▪ Congrats to Tri-Cities Prep senior David Grewe, who tossed a perfect game, striking out 15, as the Jaguars baseball team defeated 2B EWAC rival Columbia-Burbank 8-0 to complete a doubleheader swept of the Coyotes on Tuesday. Prep took the opener 12-4. The Jags are 6-0

▪ Selah senior Noah Pepper, who has been a constant thorn in the sides of 2A CWAC opponents since he was a sophomore, signed a letter of intent on Tuesday to play men’s basketball for Central Washington University.

▪ Eastern Oregon University finished its spring football season by beating Montana State University Northern 21-6 on April 11.

EOU running back John Lesser (Liberty Christian) was the standout in the game, rushing 29 times for 172 yards for an average of 5.9 yards per carry. Lesser scored the game’s first touchdown on a 4-yard run.

The redshirt junior tweeted after the game that he was done with football, although he does have one year of eligibility left.

Lesser’s teammate, linebacker Moses McAninch (Kennewick), had three tackles and half of a sack.

▪ Liberty Christian senior Emma Reed, who is an outstanding softball and basketball player, has signed a letter of intent to play women’s college basketball beginning this fall for George Fox University.

Last year, Reed — as a junior — was named first-team All-EWAC East girls basketball for the Patriots.

She’ll be playing for Liberty Christian starting in a couple of weeks, when the shortened spring basketball season begins.