Rats - it's that darn Chuck Martin again.
With the exception of last year, when the long-time Alaska basketball coach took a year away from the prep game to coach in the college ranks, it seems like Martin is always standing smack in front of Juneau's state championship designs.
And so it is again.
He has a different team this year - he's the first-year coach of the Wasilla Warriors - but his intent remains the same.
In short: to step on Juneau's toes at the Big Dance.
"I've been fortunate enough to go to state each year I've coached," Martin said. "I can't ever remember a major, major upset. I told our kids not only could this be the biggest upset of the season, but of the decade. I don't know if we can do it.
"(Juneau coach) George Houston is a good coach with an experienced team, and they'll be better than the team that came here in December and January."
The 22-2 No. 2-ranked Bears lost their only two games of the season on that trip - to East Anchorage and Chugiak - and have won 11 straight since, including the Region V title and their record seventh-straight Southeast championship last weekend.
Martin has had similar success. In 1990 he led 3A Houston to the first of two straight state championships. He went to Colony in 1992 and his teams advanced to five final-four appearances over the next six years, including the state championship in 1997. Juneau won that game, the first of two straight state titles.
"We knocked on the door a lot of years but we just couldn't knock it down," Martin said.
The Crimson Bears and Knights developed one of the most intense rivalries in the state during that period.
"There's a little history there," Juneau coach George Houston agreed. "But it's still just Juneau against Wasilla."
Last year Martin accepted an assistant coaching position at Division I Liberty (Lynchburg, Va.) under head coach Randy Dutton, a former Anchorage Christian and West Anchorage coach. The duo did a nice job turning the struggling program around, helping Liberty win nine games, but they were still axed after the season.
So Martin went back to the Mat-Su Valleys, immediately turning around what had traditionally been a Region III doormat. The Warriors capped the regular season with a seven-game win streak and hopped into the sportswriters' basketball poll for the first time in many years after beating then No. 5 Bartlett. They are currently tied for eighth with Valdez.
The Warriors (17-8) fell to Colony in the Region III championship - after holding a 12-point lead in the third period - but Martin helped them gain their first state playoff berth since 1991.
"Certainly the school is excited, it's a good group of kids," Martin said. "I didn't make any promises, but I felt with the kids we had we'd be tough by March."
The Bears are usually at their best then, too. After a strong showing last weekend, it appears they're on top of their game again as the state tourney looms.
"We're playing really good, a lot better than early in the season," said senior guard Rob Ridgeway at Monday's practice. "We're starting to come together, playing good strong defense, we're moving the ball well. I can't wait, it's gonna be a lot of fun."
Agreed standout Carlos Boozer, "I think we're playing really well and I think we'll get better this week. We improve every time we step on the floor."
And there's room for improvement, junior forward Evan Tromble said.
"Like in the Sitka game (the 4A region championship on Friday), we played well for some spurts then we didn't. We need to be more consistent. We're up 24 (points), then they come back. A lot of it is just mental, staying focused."
He said it's easier to retain that focus in the state playoffs, and for that reason he thinks the Bears will take Wasilla as seriously as they must - or they'll be watching from the consolation bracket.
"I don't think we'll let that happen," he said.
Still, there's no doubt the Bears will be sorely tempted to look ahead to Friday's semifinals, when - if all goes according to script - Juneau will meet No. 1 East Anchorage. As heated as Juneau's rivalry is with Martin's teams, the T-birds remain the Bears' true arch-enemy.
But the Bears will never get the opportunity at winning a third straight state title - a feat that's never been accomplished at Juneau-Douglas before - if they lose sight of the Warriors.
"Juneau-Wasilla is first and foremost," Houston said. "I'm sure East is saying the same thing. There are obstacles in our way. Now it's one and done. Your dream is gone if it (a loss) happens. No second chance. You've gotta be ready to go from the outset."
Agreed Boozer, "We gotta take care of Wasilla first."
He said the Bears know little about the Warriors, but that doesn't matter.
"You just make sure that you're prepared, we can't be worried about who we're playing against," Boozer said. "You just make sure that you're ready yourself; it's like getting ready for a blind date."
Martin said Boozer could be the difference in Thursday's game, and the whole tournament for that matter.
"I think we can match up with them except for Carlos," Martin said. "My problem with Carlos is that he is so good, you can be in the game late but he's still going to be the determining factor. Your chances aren't good because of him. The team with the dominant player usually wins the state championship."
The Warriors don't match up with Juneau height-wise. Post Ryan Hewitt, at 6-foot-6, will have a tough time fronting the 6-9, 245-pound Boozer. But all of the Wasilla starters are above 6-foot, so the team isn't tiny.
Ben Luer (6-2 junior guard) was voted all-conference; Nick and Justin Buzby (6-2 junior forwards) are excellent ballplayers, though Justin, "probably the most physically gifted of our players," according to Martin, has been hampered with injuries all year. Morgan Leeds (6-3 junior) rounds out the starting five.
"I told our kids, our problem is we have to learn there is no substitute for experience," Martin said, noting Juneau has plenty of that. "This isn't a vacation for us; we'll try to win three games, but every minute at state will make it seem less daunting next time."
Houston feels pretty good about how his team has progressed this year.
"I think right now we're OK. We're playing pretty well, not perfectly, but hopefully that's yet to come," he said. "That (Region V tournament) is the first time Wilson, Carpeneti and Boozer all played good games back-to-back this year."
That trio, and the rest of the Bears, will need three straight great games if they are to return with their third straight state title this weekend.
