"I've gotten to watch the Haines game and heard a few things about the West Valley game," Blasco said of his chances to see the Bears in action this year. "But from my understanding, they're not doing anything different than what I played in, or what I coached last year."

Bears coach Steve Potter has also only been able to scout one game in person.

"I saw them play against Petersburg early in the year, and we had a tape of the game against Ketchikan, but it was hard to watch because it was from a hand-held camera. I didn't feel well after watching the game and it wasn't because of how either team played," Potter joked. "We know who the guys that are getting all the notoriety are, and we kind of know what they do. It's the other guys who are more question marks."

Juneau-Douglas' big advantage rests down low, and on the bench. The Bears play 10-12 guys on a regular basis, and are much deeper in the post.

"I think in the Haines game, they played 11 guys consistently," Blasco said. "That's definitely deeper than we normally go. We're going to have smaller guys guarding their big guys. (JDHS's post players are) very tough, very physical, and their role is to get rebounds and put them back up. Jazz is going to have his hands full, along with our other quasi (small and power forwards). Trying to keep them off the block is going to be key."

"We have a lot more size inside," Potter agreed. "Jazz is a nice player and he was really coming along for us. I haven't gotten to see how he's been doing this year. He's not putting up the same numbers as (Saviers and Grussendorf), but he's a skilled offensive player. But we have a lot more bodies inside and we can play two or three at a time."

The Bears also have more ball handlers in the back court.

"They have five or six solid guards and they're very fast," Blasco said. "We've been talking all week about trying to contain them. Full-court defense is going to be a challenge because of how fast they are and how well they handle the ball."

Blasco said his guys will have to take it as a personal challenge when defending Juneau's quick backcourt. Sophomores Lance Ibesate and Tony Yadao are speedsters who both have a knack for making tough shots.

"We may not be as fast, but as a smart defender, if you anticipate you can give ground and beat them to a spot, and hope that slows them down," he said. "You want to make them change direction and go east-west."

Potter said he thinks slowing the tempo will be key for his team, and he will rely on overall team defense to try and limit touches and good shots for Saviers and Grussendorf.

"I don't see there being these key 1-on-1 matchups. We don't guard one guy with one guy," he said. "Sure, we'll put our better defenders on their better players, but we have a lot of guys that can defend and we'll rotate guys through. We're trying to improve our help defense and it's gotten a little bit better as the year's gone on.

"Cody and Reese are both dynamic scorers, so that's something we're going to try to slow down," he continued. "Blasco will get them to play hard and he's intense, so they'll be intense. They're going to get after it, we're going to get after it, and it should be a fun game to watch."

Two key matchups stand out the most. First, former teammates Colin Gozelski and Cody Grussendorf will likely see time defending each other. Both are of a similar size and build, and both are athletic.

"Probably Colin or Victor (Wilson) are the ideal guys I see coach Potter putting on Cody because they're two of the more athletic guys that he has," Blasco said. "They do play good team defense, though, and they'll help, rotate and switch."

Second could perhaps be the most fun matchup to watch: Alex DeRocher and Reese Saviers. Both can light it up on any given night from behind the arc. DeRocher will give away some height but is stronger, where Saviers has a length advantage.

"Definitely the Reese and Alex matchup will be fun to watch because they're both shooters," Blasco said. "They'll both be looking for their shot and they're both tough defenders. Alex is a tough, physical defender, and Reese is a tough, long defender. They're both going to match up really well. Alex has proven that he can drop 30 (points), and so has Reese."

"Reese is a good shooter, and a streak shooter. When he gets it going, you really got to watch out," said Potter. "We're not going to shut anybody out and we'll give up some buckets, even if we're there (defensively). Hopefully, they'll take tough shots."

Potter said keeping the Falcons under 50 points will be key for his team.

"I think if we keep them under 50 points, then we'll be in good shape," he said. "If we're playing in the 80s, then that's not necessarily what we want."

Blasco said his team playing hard from the opening tip to the final whistle is key for the Falcons.

"The keys to a Falcon victory is our team playing 32 minutes of quality basketball the way we've been practicing," he said. "And we can't be distracted by the atmosphere. If we play solid defense and don't get distracted, I think it's going to be a very tough game."

May the best team win.

Show up early dressed in your Crimson Bear attire. If you need new Crimson Bear gear don't worry, we've got you covered... T-shirt and our new Rally Towels will be on sale at the game!

Thunder Mountain, in its first year as a basketball program, boasts three top players that transferred from Juneau-Douglas. Each of the three, Cody Grussendorf, Reese Saviers and Jazz King, would have contributed significantly to the Crimson Bears had they stayed at Juneau's downtown school.

"We did lose Cody, who was a starter, and Reese potentially was a starter. So that's two guys," Gozelski said. "Our sophomores have really picked it up for us. Tony (Yadao) and Lance (Ibesate) have really picked it up, and Lawrence (Fenumiai) and (Eric) Sele have been doing really well, also.

"All around, we don't really have one player that sticks out. Everyone has a spot so it all works out pretty good. The ball (distribution) is well balanced around the team."

Senior guard Alex DeRocher said the team definitely has a fresh feel to it compared to last year, especially with the different personnel involved.

"Our style of play is completely different; we've just had to adjust," he said. "Colin and I were supposed to be the go-to guys this year, but like Colin said, the sophomores have picked it up a lot.

"Our best bet is to slow it down, play at our own pace and try to feed it as much as we can to our bigs because that's going to be our strong point."

Gozelski added the biggest difference has really been the style of play.

"Last year, we were more of a run-and-gun team. We'd try to press the whole game, run and get fast-break lay-ups," he said. "This year, since we lost all of our seniors plus the guys that went to TMHS, we've been more of a half-court press team. We slow it down on offense more and run more sets instead of just getting fast-break points."

Both players said the biggest thing about this budding rivalry is going to be facing off against former teammates and classmates.

"We'd do pretty well against each other in practices and stuff, but since we haven't seen them all year, it's going to be really different," DeRocher said. "It's going to show how much each team has improved.

"I think, overall, it's going to be a weird experience at first, but it's a rivalry. It's exciting."

Gozelski said the fact players on each team know one another so well is what makes it such an anticipated matchup.

"These two teams are so evenly matched - that's what makes this so much bigger."

Several Falcons ready to face old school

Whenever a new program is built, it can sometimes take years to reach prominence. But with the basketball talent that transferred from Juneau-Douglas, the Thunder Mountain Falcons have already burst on the scene.

Transfers such as King, Grussendorf and Saviers have each played a major role in the team's success so far this season.

King said through the first couple of games, people may not have been on the same page. But now they're all coming together.

"It's been tough because we're the only three players that have played at the varsity level," he said. "We're trying to get the team gathered around, but trying to figure out how to play the game at that higher level is kind of hard. But it's new and we should be learning it very well."

With a new school opening across town, students had to make the decision as to where they wanted to go. In the case of Grussendorf, it was completely territorial.

"I live on Rivercourt Way, so the school's in my backyard. I went out here last year as a junior and liked the school, liked the community, liked the teachers and just liked the administration," he said. "I got my brother to go to school here too, so it was kind of a family decision.

"So far, no regrets."

In other cases, though, even family loyalty is divided. Saviers transferred to Thunder Mountain, but his younger brother, Cort, remained at JDHS and is a junior on the basketball team.

"Me and my brother have always been really competitive, but my family's Thunder Mountain fans," Reese said. "My cousin Tanya (Nizich) is the (Thunder Mountain) head coach of the girls' team. At family gatherings, I always bring up the games and Cort's always sitting there saying, 'We're going to win,' and our whole family gangs up on him. It's pretty funny.

"I like the rivalry between us and JD already," he continued. "I loved playing at JD because I've played there my whole life and it's been my favorite court for a really long time, so I'm excited to play there again and to play against my old teammates and coaches."

Grussendorf said he's eager to see how the fans - his old fans - react.

"I just can't wait to run out and get booed. It's going to be crazy," he said. "There's going to be so many fans there that just don't want to see us win. We're going to get introduced and I'm thinking we're going to get booed or it's just going to be dead quiet, or they're going to pull the Kayhi newspaper trick where they just pull up newspapers (in front of their faces) and not look at us.

"There's been rumors and stuff, but I don't know what's going to happen. It's going to be epic, that's all I can say."

King said his biggest concern is all the size JDHS has, both in the starting lineup and coming off the bench, and how important it is for the team to stay out of foul trouble.

"They got like five big guys and I'm the only (big man)," he said. "I've been working with my coach to make sure they put up shots they're not comfortable with. Paul (Tupou), Lawrence and Sele are all football players, so they're all big bodies that can bang in there."

Saviers and Grussendorf turned to the 6-foot-2, 245-pound King laughing and said, "Well, what are you?"

King responded, "I got finesse."

Potter is a member of the JDHS class of 1983, and he played as a ninth-grader at Marie Drake Junior High.

"After I graduated, I started working (Jim) Hamey's camps in the summertime and when (George) Houston took over, I guess it was '93-'94, they were looking for a C Team coach," Potter said. "Coach Houston talked to me about doing it and I've been here ever since."

Falcons coach John Blasco is a former player under Potter, who was an assistant coach at the time, and an assistant under Potter at JDHS last season. Now Blasco has the job of leading a first-year TMHS basketball program that has already enjoyed a measure of success in its inaugural season. The Falcons are 7-5 overall, with a signature win coming against current Southeast Conference top dog Ketchikan (12-5, 3-1).

Blasco was a student assistant and then the JV coach at Linfield College in Oregon before becoming a varsity assistant for Lake Washington High School in Washington.

Potter said he had his eye on Blasco for a while after he left Juneau. Blasco provided a scouting report of a Washington team that came up for the Capital City Classic, and Potter said it's his knowledge of the game and reputation as a grinder that makes Blasco a good coach.

"He wasn't the most talented player in high school but he stuck with it and worked as hard as he could," he said. "He really didn't play much varsity basketball until his senior year and he ended up starting for us, played big minutes and was a key contributor. He's a testimony for guys that, if you keep working, good things canhappen."

Blasco agreed.

"I figured if I worked hard enough I'd earn a spot. I was never one to sit out for injuries or sickness. I just always felt like I could give it my all on the floor and help my team win," he said. "What I'm trying to get across to these kids now is that I will put in the time and the effort to be successful, and get the most out them to make them successful. I've put a lot of time into working hard for them, and I'm just hoping they'll put the time back in for me."

Blasco said he considers Potter, his first coach as a freshman in high school, a mentor.

"I always really valued him as a coach and when I was done playing for him, I was able to turn to him as a friend. I was very thankful he allowed me to come coach under him a year ago," he said. "He has a lot of knowledge of the game and he's been coaching for quite some time, and I learned a lot from him."

Blasco said the two are very similar in coaching style, though Potter is more of a defensive-minded coach. Both believe in the team-first philosophy.

"Neither one of us care about individual stuff. We only care about making sure the team is successful," he said. "I think the only difference is I have a little bit different approach, I guess just from spending some time outside of Juneau and outside the JDHS program."

Like Blasco, Potter said he wants his players to have fun.

"I like for people to enjoy what they're doing, but I also want them to work hard at what they're doing," he said. "I try and use that as a metaphor for life after basketball: You want to enjoy what you're doing, but you have to work hard at it and take it seriously or you're not going to get the results that you want."

And now, though great friends, they'll have to finally face each other.

"It's certainly going to be a new experience. I've not been involved - not since junior high - in a cross-town game," Potter said. "I think the kids are going to be excited, and they're already talking about it in the halls here. It will be fun. I think we certainly have been aware that these games were on our schedule. You could ask anybody what date other games were and they couldn't tell you.

"But everyone knew that the first time we play Thunder Mountain is February 5."

Potter said he hopes for good crowds to show up at Friday's game at JDHS and Saturday's game at TMHS, and that everyone is respectful, especially toward his former players that transferred.

"I expect there will be good crowds, and I expect that most people will be pretty enthusiastic," he said. "I'm sure there will be some bozos that will be inappropriate. Any time you get a large group of keyed up kids together, somebody is likely to do something you might not exactly like.

"But just by being involved with basketball, we're somewhat competitive by nature," he continued. "It doesn't matter who it is you're competing against. If you're going to compete, you have to give it your best. You never want to lose, period. You want to give the best effort. With kids that have played with us before, we'll certainly look to be victorious."

Blasco said the hardest part for him will be adjusting to his new bench.

"It's tough because I've never sat on that side of the floor before. It will be a new view for me from that end of the court," he said. "I'm a competitor and a coach. My time there was an unbelievable experience, but now I'm the coach at Thunder Mountain and it's time to make these guys successful. I'm going to enjoy the moment and cherish it with coach Potter. I just hope that we put forth our best effort and give the fans a good showing in what everybody's hoping will be a long-time rivalry."

Tupou is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and will serve a full-time, two-year mission trip once he finishes high school at JDHS.

"There is a lot of teaching and preaching, and I'm excited. My older brothers, my uncle and my dad have all gone and I have a cousin that's gone right now," he said. "He speaks fluent Spanish now and he didn't know any before he went on his mission trip."

After Tupou's trip, he will attend Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, where he will most likely study business to prepare for his future.

"I'll probably be a business major," he said. "I've always wanted to buy a lot of land and develop it and build houses. It always seemed like a good idea to me."

Favorite Hobby: "I fish during the summer. I fish at DIPAC (Douglas Island Pink and Chum). Ever since I was a little kid, my grandfather would take me to the docks to snag fish. He was an older guy so he'd just sit in a chair and snag all day and have me tie the hooks. I got to know him really well. In 2006, he died, and I still go there every summer. That's where I hang out all summer other than football."

Favorite basketball player: "I keep up with the Jazz because I'm a big fan of Carlos Boozer. It's pretty neat to have a guy that went here to be in the NBA."

Favorite Sports Movie: "It has to be 'Remember the Titans'. It's definitely a classic sports movie. It's amazing what that guy did."