MarJon Beauchamp speaks out, Butch Goncharoff finds a new job and Mike Colbrese throws first pitch: News & Notes

MarJon Beauchamp, the top-ranked recruit in the state of Washington in the class of 2020 according to 247 Sports, will finish his prep career at a prep school in Arizona.

News broke this week of Beauchamp’s decision to transfer to Bella Vista Prep, a Puma-sponsored basketball academy in Scottsdale, Arizona, making it his fourth school in as many years.

In an interview with The Seattle Times, Beauchamp, a five-star recruit according to 247 Sports, cited his future as the reason for transferring. His father, Jon Beauchamp told reporter Jayda Evans the following:

“It was cool at Beach; they did what they were supposed to do. My son wasn’t mature enough at the time to just go to a prep school (after leaving Garfield). But the prep school is the ultimate goal. These public schools just don’t compete with an athlete from a prep school. The training, the work on their body, everything is just more. I’m not bashing anyone — the ride was cool — but we’re thinking about the future.”

Beauchamp headlines this week’s News & Notes from around the state of Washington high school sports.

Here are the rest:

• Longtime athletic director of the Kent School District Dave Lutes retired after 29 years, marking a career littered with state titles among other accomplishments. He reflected on his career with Sandy Ringer of The Seattle Times.
• The Washington Huskies’ run to the semifinals of the NCAA softball tournament was fueled by Redmond grad Sami Reynolds’ playmaking. Reynolds reflected on the season in a piece by Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald.
• Muckleshoot Tribal School senior Rosalie Fish won three individual state championships at the 1B state track meet last month, and as Dave Trimmer explains in feature that ran in The Seattle Times, she did so while running to raise awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.
• Cedar Park Christian football coach Butch Goncharoff was named an assistant on Seattle’s forthcoming XFL team, which will debut in 2020. Goncharoff is perhaps most known for his time coaching Bellevue into a powerhouse before being removed as coach after a Seattle Times investigation uncovered a litany of violations.

• Former Ballard volleyball coach Tami Reese has been hired as the next volleyball coach at Issaquah, per the Issaquah Reporter.
• Retiring executive director of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association Mike Colbrese Retiring WIAA Executive Director Mike Colbrese throwing out the first pitch tonight. pic.twitter.com/lyDhRUlHe7— Lauren Smith (@smithlm12) June 6, 2019">threw out the first pitch at the Seattle Mariners game on June 5. Colbrese stepped down from his post after 27 years. The News Tribune's Lauren Smith captured the footage.

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Andy Buhler is a reporter for Scorebook Live Washington. To hear him every week on the Scorebook Live Today podcast, subscribe here. Follow him on Twitter @AndyBuhler and reach him via email at andy@scorebooklive.com.