By Tilden J. Sansom

          Its game day. Shaun Knight has his lettermens jacket on and iPod in, not saying a word to anyone as he walks down the hall instead just dapping it up. He is ready for tonight. Not to play though of course, Knight’s glory days ended in the winter of his 8^th grade year. He hasn’t played organized basketball since. However, Shaun has found his new home in the bleachers of where ever his beloved Auburn Trojans play that night.

          One day in fourth period I over heard Shaun talking about looking for hotel rooms for the traditional Wenatchee basketball tournament the Trojans hoopers participate in. I asked Shaun if he was actually planning on going to Wenatchee   over his break to watch our high school basketball team play some basketball. He looked at me and stated “Im not missing a game this year, bro” then went back to to talking about finding hotel rooms!

          Knight would swear his cheering helps. He actually starts yelling at fans in the student section if they aren’t cheering. During football season he would make facebook notification pages about our upcoming games and invite everyone to them. He would also ask me if I could hear what the crowd was chanting while I was on the field, as if I wasn’t focusing on playing!

          Shaun has always been this passionate about sports as long as anyone can remember. He would still gladly accept anyone’s invitation to a game of one on one. Knights passion seems to have increased this year from past years though. It could be the fact that he is a senior, maybe it’s because he has friends on all the sports teams. I believe he is going all out more than ever now because of the loss of one of his best friends, Tucker Johnson. Tucker too was a big supporter of his home town Trojans.

          Trojan athletes should be thankful to have a fan like Knight. He never doubts his team and win or lose, and it is a guarantee he saw the game.

By Dustin Momi
 
          When you walk down the hallways of Auburn High School, it’s difficult to miss Harold Lee. He’ll always be walking with his basketball friends and his Dre Beats around his head listening to some music. However on game days, he’ll be focused just listening to his music while waiting for his game to start. The 5’9” junior, point guard is one of three returning varsity players in the 2011-2012 basketball season. He is an exceptional player who says, “It’s going to be a tough season but I’m ready.”

          Coming off a serious injury from the football season, Lee was not sure if he was going to be able to play. During a football game Lee broke his tibia. “I was thankful. It could have been a lot worse. Basketball is my main sport and I was worried whether or not I would be ready for the season tip-off against Olympia.” His football season had been over after the injury. He was put in a wheelchair for a couple of weeks. “It was the worst couple of weeks of my life. When I went to the fall league games all I could do was watch. I wanted to be in there so bad!”

          The season came and Lee’s injury was still not completely healed. He wasn’t 100% but he was still going to step on the court. Lee impressed varsity head basketball coach Ryan Hansen by dropping 16 points his first game against Olympia. He played a key role in the 49-48 comeback for the Auburn Trojans season opener. The point guard is already showing amazing talent and abilities so far this season. “I’m still not 100%, when I get there other schools better be ready” he gloats.

          Lee has been working hard this season. He hopes that by next year he’ll be at his best. He wants to attend the University of Washington to play. Fans will be eager to see where Lee takes this Auburn program.

We here at Auburnhoops.com are proud to present our first guest article by a student at Auburn High.

By Brandon Klamke

AUBURN -- Auburn was picked apart by Shorewood this last Wednesday in their non-league meeting, putting the Trojans at 1-1 overall. With a narrow win of 49-48 over Olympia the night before, the Trojans were unable to continue their success against Shorewood (1-0 overall, 0-0 3A Wesco), losing 45-63.

Despite the loss, Auburn had a few shining moments. One in particular was in the third period in which Auburn’s Harold Lee, a 5-foot-9 sophomore, rallied with three field goals and brought the score differential under 10 and gave the stands a small hint of a possible come back. This excitement was quickly humbled though as the Thunderbirds pulled away in the fourth.

Looking forward, the Trojans’ face the Tahoma Bears (0-1 overall, 0-0 North Division) on Friday and hope to bounce back. The Bears will be coming off a 66-44 non-league loss to the Franklin Quakers.

     The Men of Troy had some definite first game jitters to work out last night.  After falling behind 15-0 in the first quarter, the Trojans went on a 21-9 run during the 2nd to tie the game 24-24 at the half.  The Trojans threw a slew of different defenses at the taller and more physical Bears and forced 28 turnovers including 2 late steals which sealed the game for Auburn.
     Spencer Fisher led the Trojans with 18 points while battling much bigger opponents on the inside.  Harold Lee looked solid coming off a broken leg during the football season by scoring 16 points with 5 assists, 2 blocked shots and 2 steals.  A win in the season opener is always a good way to start.  Coach Hansen was proud of the way the boys battled and came back from some early adversity.  "They showed me great heart tonight, which I wasn't sure if this team possessed.  Now I know..."
     Tonight the Trojans take on the Shorewood Thunderbirds in a non-league match-up at Auburn.  Friday Auburn will travel to Tahoma for their first SPSL North clash.  Updates will be posted on Twitter @auburnhoops.com tonight and during every Auburn game.