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Nathan Hale
206-252-3680
Fax: 206-252-3681
10750 30th Ave. N.E.
Seattle, Washington
98125
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Where Are They Now: Curt Peterson
Wednesday, December 29, 2004
By DAN RALEY
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
He's an accountant for Starbucks, which means he's actually a bean counter. He's been with the company for eight months. He's seen Howard Schultz once but has never met him, which seems odd considering his boss's affection for all things basketball.
Working three floors below the coffee king and enthusiastic Sonics owner at Starbucks' south Seattle headquarters is Curt Peterson, most valuable player of the 1976 Division II NCAA Tournament while spearheading Puget Sound's championship run, one-time Detroit Pistons draft pick and a former 7-footer.
"I've shrunk a little in my old age," he said. "I'm 6-11 now."
Peterson, 51, limits himself to only the occasional soft, left-handed shot at a local fitness center these days, cognizant of back and ankle injuries that once disrupted his playing career. There was a time when teams around the city, then the nation, couldn't keep him from shooting or scoring. That happened almost overnight.
At Nathan Hale High School, Peterson went through a Hulk-like transformation between his junior and senior seasons. From little-used sub, he stretched out to a fearsome 6-9 center worthy of All-Metro honors and capable of scoring 18.6 points per game. His efforts were largely responsible for the Raiders' fourth-place finish in the 1971 state tournament and 19-5 record.
Hale could only envision what might have happened had Peterson not come crashing down with a season-ending ankle injury in the state semifinals at Edmundson Pavilion and his team leading eventual titlist Puyallup at the time.
His championship wasn't that far off, though.
Looking for a college, Peterson was recruited by Montana, Portland, Portland State, Seattle Pacific and UPS, as well as several two-year schools. But he never heard from the team closest to his Lake City home.
"I thought I could play at the University of Washington, but who knows, maybe not," he said. "Not too many people came knocking on my door. It was 'He's too weak, too skinny, not aggressive enough.' "
Peterson accepted a scholarship from UPS, a small-college power at the time, and proceeded to grow an inch a year until he topped out at 7 feet for the grateful Loggers. As a fifth-year senior in '76, he demonstrated the benefits of having an able big man.
The Tacoma team won its final 13 games while posting a 27-7 record. At the Division II Final Four in Evansville, Ind., the Loggers downed Old Dominion 83-78 the first night and Tennessee-Chattanooga 83-74 in the title game. Peterson, with long hair and a handlebar mustache, outplayed All-America center Wilson Washington in the semis, outscoring him 18 to 10, and came up with 20 points and 10 rebounds in the finale, and was handed the MVP trophy.
"On the way to the first game, we were in our rental cars and we got pulled over by sirens," Peterson recalled. "It was Old Dominion. They were riding in limos with a police escort. We said right there, 'We have to beat those guys.' "
As national champions, the team flew home on Continental Airlines and was treated to free champagne, with Peterson getting the extra benefit of a first-class seat. Not long after that, the Pistons drafted the promising center in the seventh round.
However, Peterson, who had averaged 20.9 points as a UPS senior, skipped rookie camp and went on a six-week tour of Europe with an all-star team of mostly Division I players.
"After I got home, I called the Pistons and asked if I could come back, and they said I had to pay my own way and pay for a motel," he said. "I realistically didn't feel I had a chance, but I wanted to find out."
Peterson got a taste of the big time, scrimmaging with and against Pistons center Bob Lanier. He was one of seven or eight guys competing for a couple of roster spots, got cut after 2 1/2 weeks, and returned home with a few Detroit shirts and shorts as keepsakes.
He had other tryouts with the Denver Nuggets and Sonics before spending a year playing in Sweden and joining the local AAU leagues.
Today, Peterson lives in Shoreline with Ann, his wife of 15 years. He's still a huge basketball fan, but mostly watches on TV. He hasn't been to a Sonics game since KeyArena was remodeled.
"I don't fit into the seats anymore," he said. "They're 10 percent smaller."
Maybe his new boss will loan the old center his courtside tickets some time.
Woolley Makes All-Metro League Team
Congratulations to junior Michael Woolley for being selected to the All-Metro second team. He becomes the first Raider to be honored as an all-league selection since Jon Fulwiler made all-league second team for the 2000-01 season. Woolley finished the year with 287 points scored, good for a 13.1 point per game average, and has now scored 507 points in his career.
All-Metro First Team:
Terrence Williams, Rainier Beach
Nick Scott, Lakeside
Chad Troyer, Seattle Prep
Sexton Brown, Cleveland
Conor Mullen, O'Dea
Co-MVP's - C.J. Giles, Rainier Beach; Mitch Johnson, O'Dea
All-Metro Second Team:
Michael Knight, Seattle Prep
Pat Beach, Eastside Catholic
Pat Lee, West Seattle
Spencer Hawes, Seattle Prep
Woolley, Nathan Hale
Senior Night
Hale seniors played in their last regular-season home game on Friday, Feb. 6, a 52-34 win over Ingraham. Individual pictures can be found by clicking on the pictures icon.
Back (l-r): Dan Seidel, Elliot Rivera-Flodine, Addison Smith, Mark Heald, James Collins.
Front (l-r): Ben Smith, Brittany Gable.
Hale Wins Title
With a 53-39 over Tottenville High School on Tuesday, Dec. 30, the Raiders secured a division title in the San Diego Surf 'N Slam tournament. Michael Woolley led the Raiders with 23 points, including a 6-6 showing from the free-throw line in the decisive 23-10 fourth quarter. Addison Smith led the Hale charge in that quarter, scoring all seven of his points in the stanza. After the game, Woolley was recognized as the division's Most Valuable Player while teammate Elliot Rivera-Flodine was named to the all-tournament team as well.
Selection of the 2004-05 Boy's Basketball Team
The selection of the team will be based on the following criteria:
1. Quickness
2. Attitude - dependability and work ethics
3. Grades - 2.5+
4. Defensive ability
5. Willingness to condition
6. Size or potential to grow
7. Shooter or offensive skills
8. Team player
9. Fundamentals - consistently makes the right play, not the most spectacular
10. Will the player run the break everytime?
11. Will the player accept coaching?
12. Aggressiveness
13. Basketball I.Q.
14. Leadership ability
15. Positive representative for our program and school
Words of Wisdom
"When a gifted team dedicates itself to unselfish trust and combines instinct with boldness and effort--it is ready to climb."
--Pat Riley
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