By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
Under the leadership of first-year head coach Ryan Webb, the Seattle Academy boys’ basketball team is off to a tremendous start. In just their second year in the Metro league, the Cardinals are currently ranked No. 1 in the Metro League’s Sound division, with an impressive 14–3 overall record and an 11–2 league record.
Webb, who brings more than 20 years of coaching experience to the program, including eight seasons as an assistant coach with the Seattle Storm, says that his primary focus has been establishing strong standards, expectations, and a positive team culture. However, he admits that holding the top spot in the Sound Division is an added bonus and a testament to the team’s hard work.
“We didn’t really have a goal of being first in Metro Sound but just playing to our standard and expectations every day,” said Webb. “We saw the success behind that, and being firstin the Metro Sound means a lot. We were just talking about what it means to be first and get that playoff spot, and it is great for the boys to experience that.”
Consistency is at the center of Webb’s coaching philosophy, and he believes it extends far beyond simply winning games.
“How do we respond to adversity, coaching, and our teammates? Consistency is something that we are constantly talking about,” said Webb. “We have an acronym called MOB, and that stands for mindset over BS. No distractions and where is our mindset at? And these are the kind of things that have been somatic in our year, and they all go into how we want to play.”
Webb said the biggest difference between this year’s team and those he has coached in the past is that any player on the roster is capable of contributing in any game.
“It is really hard to compare them to a professional team like the Storm, but the biggest difference is that any 1 of the 12 players on our team can play at any time,” says Webb. “We just have this depth and level of buy in from the guys that is special.”
“This year they are kind of seeking this next level of standard and expectations, and with that, the thing that really stands out is their level to buy in and how they respond to adversity,” added Webb.
In the fall of 2024, Seattle Academy moved up from 1A to 3A, a big step for the program as it has to adjust to tougher competition and sports culture that comes with being part of one of the strongest leagues in the state.
“The Metro League is probably the toughest conference in the state,” says Webb. “You have real deal athletes, and the speed, athleticism, and physicality are absolutely different compared to 1A. Everybody knows Metro football and basketball, and how fun and competitive those games are. I think it was a little bit of a shockwave when we transitioned to Metro because here was this little private school coming into the atmosphere that is the Metro League.”
“I remember one of our games this year the opposing teams were yelling when we were going through our starters, and I was like well yeah what do you expect, welcome to Metro League basketball,” added Webb.
This year, it appears that the gold standard of the Metro League is the Rainier Beach Vikings. Boasting the number one player in the country in Tyran Stokes and a national ranking, The Vikings currently hold the number one spot in the Metro League’s Mountain, or top, division. However, Webb believes that his team could compete with the top teams in the Mountain division, if they had the opportunity.
“I think we would compete hard and give those top teams a good game,” said Webb. “From top to bottom, I think we would definitely be a very competitive team in the Metro Mountain division.”
However, due to the way the Metro League is structured, there are no crossover games between the Sound and Mountain divisions.
“I think that there could be some changes in the future in terms of being able to have some crossover games throughout the seasons, because even though we might be the winners of the Sound, we can’t even play for a Metro League championship,” Webb said. “And that is a goal of ours. We want to be in the same division as Beach, O’Dea, and Eastside Catholic. We want to be in a competitive conference, not to say that the Sound isn’t competitive, but we want to set our sights on teams that are winning state every year from Metro, and we want to be able to go up against those teams.”
As the team enters the second half of the season and approaches the 3A Boys State Championship on March 7, Webb said he is excited by his team’s ability to sustain its success while continuing to play at a high level, which speaks to their potential for the remainder of the season.
“The excitement of getting that first round bye for the district qualifying bracket if we get the number one seed and then getting through that bracket to move on and where we could see some crossover with some of the Metro Mountain teams is what really excites me,” said Webb. “Just knowing that we have four games left to really continue on this journey of playing the way we are playing and sustaining it to get that opportunity to show people that Seattle Academy is the real deal.”
“We aren’t out here looking for respect, it is more like ‘wow I didn’t know these guys at Seattle Academy could play this hard’,” added Webb. “There are always these sneaky athletes that come through Seattle Academy, but we are kind of making some noise a little bit in terms of how we’re playing, but we also like being kind of quiet.”
