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Published March 5, 2003

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   What a player. What a game. What a team.
   The Class A boys basketball tournament has produced countless memories over the years. But certain players and teams still conjure awe-inspiring thoughts when their names and heroics are mentioned.
   In conjunction with the 2003 state basketball tournaments, the Yakima Herald-Republic put together a voting panel of 20 knowledgeable tournament observers, including hall-of-fame coaches, statisticians and longtime tournament observers to determine the best in Class A/1A boys basketball in its first 45 years.
   Here are the best of the best:
:: BEST PLAYER
 The Legend of 'Handshake' Hanson
   Richard Hanson the man was and is flesh and bone.
   "Handshake" Hanson the basketball player was part man, part myth. more ...

          > SEE THE PANEL'S TOP 20 ALL-TIME BEST PLAYERS

Hanson 'Just Fascinating to Watch'
   The charismatic player known around the state to legions of high school basketball fans simply as "Handshake" did more than just shake hands and score points in bunches. more ...

:: BEST TEAM
 Bulldog Heaven in '77
   If you want a snapshot moment of the team believed by many to be -- and voted on by a select few as -- the greatest in Class 1A tournament history, this is it. more ...

          > SEE THE PANEL'S TOP 20 ALL-TIME BEST TEAMS

:: OTHER COVERAGE
 Best Players Stand the Test of Time
   Basketball aficionados don't forget. At least, they haven't forgotten Dave Hovde.
   The star center of Selah's 1963 Class A state championship team was the second-leading vote-getter from a panel selecting the best players in the tournament's history, despite the fact that his on-court heroics came nearly four decades ago. more ...

Picking the Best Is Never an Easy Job
   Yakima Herald-Republic sportswriter Scott Sandsberry describes the process for picking the all-time best players and teams. more ...

 Meet the Panelists
   Just as the players and teams featured were among the best ever in Class 1A (and before that, Class A) history, the all-star panel that voted for them is also a special group. more ...

          > READ SOME OF THE PANELISTS' COMMENTS
 

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"Tourney Titans" profiles the top players and teams in the history of the Class 1A state basketball tournament.