The year of 2010 began on a high note for Brett Kingma and his Jackson High School teammates as they capped an outstanding season with a run through the Class 4A state basketball tournament in March, advancing all the way to the championship game.
There was no state-tourney repeat this season for Kingma and the Timberwolves, as they lost their first two games at the Tacoma Dome and were eliminated. But 2010 was still a stellar year for Kingma, who accepted a scholarship offer in September to play his college basketball at the University of Oregon.
And for those reasons, Kingma is a finalist for The Herald’s Man of the Year in Sports for 2010.
During his junior and senior seasons, and backed by some outstanding teammates, Kingma helped the Timberwolves to a combined 45-9 record.
The highlight was the 2010 state tournament. One of the most memorable moments came in a quarterfinal game against Decatur when Kingma broke a tie game by converting a 3-point shot with 1.8 seconds remaining. He also was fouled and added the free throw to complete a 58-54 victory, putting Jackson in the state semis.
The Timberwolves won that game, too, defeating Federal Way to reach the championship game. Jackson came up short in a 67-58 loss to Kentwood, but it was a memorable season nonetheless.
The recent season was nearly as good, though it ended disappointingly. But Kingma continued to show why he was a top recruit by averaging 30.3 points a game as a senior.
In a final accolade, he was chosen the 2011 4A Player of the Year by the Washington Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association.
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