'WAVOR' all-star basketball game, formerly the Northwest Shootout, returns Sunday. Here are the Washington rosters

Days, if not hours removed from the end of Union's basketball season in early March, Union High School basketball coach Blake Conley's phone rang while he was at a hospital as his second child was being born.

On the other line was Mark Morris coach Bill Bakamus, tapping Conley to coach in the 2022 WAVOR game, an all-star game formerly known as the Northwest Shootout that pits the top seniors in Washington against those in Oregon.

The now-26-year tradition that has featured many soon-to-be high-major college standouts and NBA players is set to return on April 3 at Liberty High School in Oregon after a two-year absence due to COVID-19.

Conley, whose Titans finished fourth the WIAA Class 4A state tournament in early March, jumped at the opportunity to coach the boys team alongside Kelso's Joe Kinch and Connie Richardson, who recently took over at Rogers of Puyallup. Gonzaga Prep coach Mike Arte and Mead's Quantae Anderson will coach the girls team.

"If it was anything else, I would have probably said no," Conley said. "Then when I talked to my wife about it, we both said well this is just such an honor, a cool experience that you really can’t say no to something like this."

The Washington boys team is headlined by a slew of all-state and Division I talent: Two Oregon State commits - Tyler Bilodeau of Kamiakin, the Washington Gatorade state player of the year and WIBCA's 2022 Washington Mr. Basketball, and Jayden Stevens of Gonzaga Prep, as well as Washington State pledge Dylan Darling, SBLive's 2022 state boys player of the year.

The 'WAVOR' games (formerly Northwest Shootout) return tomorrow at Liberty HS. Top seniors from OR/WA playing for state pride.

Here's @SBLiveWA's 2A state POY @jonasjaclatour (⬇️), part of a strong WA team.

WA rosters: https://t.co/cjJIfEY1RZ

OR: https://t.co/Z1ZxdJkfpQ pic.twitter.com/2eWf6cJJXC
— Andy Buhler (@AndyBuhler) April 2, 2022

The girls roster features dynamic Woodinville backcourt mates Tatum Thompson (Boise State) and Veronica Sheffey (San Diego), as well as Raymond's Kyra Gardner and Mount Si's Lauren Glazer, both Washington State commits.

Bakamus has coached the Washington team three times and leads the construction of the roster on behalf of the Washington Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association. It's an effort that is as intentional as it is consequential. The team isn't always made up of the most purely talented players in the state. Those invited must commit to a busy practice schedule, team activities, travel and comped hotel stays.

Most importantly, they must commit to winning.

That's part of the reason Bakamus was so determined to snap the losing streak in 2019, especially since the Washington teams usually outweighed the Oregon teams in terms of pure talent and recruiting buzz.

"It’s not your typical all-star game," Conley said. "It’s competitive, you’re playing to win. Chemistry matters, you only get a few days of practice."

Conley attended the game in 2016 and watched Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard, a former Oregon and West Linn High School (Ore.) standout, pour 43 points and 15 assists to beat the Washington team. His former player, Dennis Kerichenko, was on the Washington team that year, one of now four Union players to be selected — along with Riley Hawken (2015), Cam Cranston (2017), Tanner Toolson (2020, game was not played) and Bryson Metz (2022).

In 2019, the Washington boys dealt Oregon a 120-102 defeat, snapping its Southern neighbor's five-year win streak behind standout showings from Federal Way's Jaden McDaniels, now a second-year forward for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Anton Watson (Gonzaga) and Cole Bajema (Washington).

"Some of the all-star games are about who can score the most points and who can have the best highlight reel," Conley said. "I'm sure we'll have some of those plays, but it's more about in those three days, who can come up with a team that is playing the right way in order to get the win."

The Oregon teams have not yet been announced.

Here are the Washington rosters, with players corresponding college commitments in parentheses:

BOYS TEAM

Quin Patterson, Mount Si (UC San Diego)

Bryson Metz, Union (Vanguard)

Dylan Darling, Central Valley (Washington State)

Carson Frawley, Camas (uncommitted)

Joshua Wood, Graham-Kapowsin (Fresno State - football)

Jonas La Tour, North Kitsap (Seattle Pacific)

Tyler Bilodeau, Kamiakin (Oregon State)

Jayden Stevens, Gonzaga Prep (Oregon State)

Tre Blassingame, Auburn (uncommitted)

Maleek Arington, Auburn (uncommitted)

Coaches: Blake Conley, Union (head); Connie Richardson, Rogers of Puyallup (assistant); Joe Kinch, Kelso (assistant).

GIRLS TEAM

Ella Gallatin, Snohomish (Eastern Washington)

Kyra Gardner, Raymond (Washington State)

Lauren Glazer, Mount Si (Washington State)

Camille Jentzsch, Lake Stevens (Eastern Washington)

Megan Karstetter, Moses Lake (Carroll College)

Kiera Marsh, Arlington (Cal State East Bay)

Veronica Sheffey, Woodinville (San Diego)

Libby Stump, Lynden Christian (Montana)

Natalie Sumrok, Tumwater (Western Colorado)

Tatum Thompson, Woodinville (Boise State)

Coaches: Mike Arte, Gonzaga Prep (head); Quantae Anderson, Mead (assistant).