Catching up with former Mercer Island and UW standout Scott Didrickson

H

S and College Years

Mercer Island High School 1988-91

University of Washington 1991-95

Best HS Memory: Playing home games at Mercer Island. It was a blast to play in big games there...big crowds, the Animal Band playing loud and pulling the drummer around the court in a cage, running out of the locker room with the maroon and white warm up ball, etc...I loved every minute of it and felt really lucky to be a part of it.

Impact my HS coach had: I wouldn't be who I am today if it weren't for Coach Pepple! He's a legend because of how many games he won, but he's so much more than that. Because of the way he pushed me, and believed in me I wanted to pay him back by being the best I could be and winning a state championship for him. But, I never did get a state title...sorry Coach! In the end, I consider him a friend to this day and someone who taught me everything about pushing yourself to reach your goals and becoming the best you can be. That stuff translates into real life and is bigger than just basketball. I'm so thankful to have played for Coach P.

What are you doing now: I live in Bellevue and work with Young Life, a ministry to middle school and high school kids. I love working with teenagers, and it's a privilege to get to tell them about Jesus when the time is right. I've got 3 sons that play basketball so I get to do a lot of coaching and cheering them on.

Best Player I played against: Mark Pope and Donny Marshall. They were both incredible players who played with such toughness. I think they both deserve a lot more recognition about what they brought to basketball in Washington. It's no wonder they both had solid NBA careers. I felt really fortunate to have played AAU on the same team with them where all 10 of us played Division 1 basketball...and those 2 made the NBA.

Advice to HS players now: Anyone can become a great shooter! The 3 point line is changing the way the game is being played, so you can become great by living in the gym and outworking guys. Along the way, don't get wrapped up in thinking that your value in life is all about basketball. There's so much more to you and to your life than how many points you score or how far you make it in the state tournament.

Opinion about AAU....it's great for getting game experience. But there's nothing like playing for your high school team in front of your friends and big crowds. AAU is fun and can be a great place to get better, but your best basketball memories will be suiting up with your friends playing for your school. I know that sounds a little old-school but I think it's still true.

Favorite HS rivalry....the Mercer Island/Redmond rivalry in the late 80's and early 90's was so fun. Great coaches: Ed Pepple and Jerry Koester. Great players: Gary Patterson, Jeff Potter, Jack Estep, Travis DeCuire, Grant Tracy, Bobby Hopkins, Charlie Barokas, Derek Looney, and I could list a lot more. I'll never forget playing Redmond at Mercer Island in 1989 when we were #1 and they were #2 in state. The ticket line was wrapped around the school by early afternoon and the gym was standing-room-only and electric. We got the best of them that night and got a Kingco Championship, but they got us when it mattered most that year and got the State Championship. 30 years later I've gotten over it....I think.