Allonzo Trier, a sixth-grader at Sequoyah Middle School in Federal Way, was featured in The New York Times Magazine this week.

Credit: Lauren Greenfield, for The New York Times

Trier is ranked No. 1 in his class, according to Clark Francis at HoopScoopOnline.com. This story is about much more than how Trier stacks up against other basketball players. It's a long piece, but describes the path Trier is on. Here's one paragraph from Michael Sokolove's story:

Trier has his own line of clothing emblazoned with his signature and personal motto: “When the lights come on, it’s time to perform.” His basketball socks, which also come gratis, are marked with either his nickname, Zo, or his area code, 206. He’s expecting a shipment of Under Armour gear soon, thanks to Brandon Jennings, last year’s top high-school point guard and now a highly paid pro in Italy. He is flown around the country by A.A.U. teams that want him to play for them in tournaments — and by basketball promoters who use him to add luster to their events. A lawyer in Seattle arranged for Trier’s private-school tuition and academic tutoring to be paid for by the charitable foundation of an N.B.A. player, and the lawyer also procured free dental care for Trier.

The story isn't all about Trier. It looks at the men who run summer basketball camps, AAU coaches, college coaches and parents of these boys.

It's well worth 10 minutes of your time.

After 20 straight days of work without a day off, I took some time off last week to visit some family on the East Coast. This blog has been stagnant since then, so we've got some catching up to.

We've got spring sports previews in the works, but first I want to touch on some things that deserve a mention:

-- Franklin point guard Peyton Siva has been named the Gatorade State Player of the Year. Bellarmine Prep's Abdul Gaddy earned the honor last year. Both will play in the McDonald's All-American in April at Miami.

-- High school coaching legend Ed Pepple has retired. Pepple coached at Mercer Island for 42 seasons, compiling a record of 952-302 and winning four state titles.

-- Auburn Riverside is searching for a new girls basketball head coach. When Ed Rosin was hired in September, it was on an interim basis, AR athletic director Doug Aubert said. The Ravens took fourth place at the Class 4A state tournament after former coach Adam Barrett led the team to back-to-back 3A titles.

"I thought (Rosin) did a wonderful job," Aubert said. "It's always tough to be the guy that replaces the guy."

I haven't been able to speak yet with Rosin to ask if he'll apply for the position. Aubert said he wants to have a coach in place by the end of April.