The Front Row with JASON ELLIOTT March 17, 2012

Some All-Star games are filled with players trying to score a ton of points and make a name for themselves.

Others are just trying to sign that next big deal.

For those players taking the floor this afternoon at Rolly Williams Court during the annual North-South All-Star game, the process can get a lot easier starting today.

A FEW of those players on the North boys roster already have signed to some four-year schools to play Division I sports.

Coeur d’Alene High senior Deon Watson signed a letter of intent to play football at Idaho, with the intention of joining the Vandal basketball team as a walk-on.

Marcus Colbert, who was part of a state championship at Post Falls two years ago, will play his college basketball at Montana State alongside Shawn Reid, who was a senior in 2010 when the Trojans won a state championship.

Luke Thoreson, who was a key contributor on the Trojans’ second-place finisher in 2012, will play at Division III Williams College in Massachusetts. A few others could move onto the next level, whether it be here at North Idaho College, the Community Colleges of Spokane or Lewis-Clark State in Lewiston.

In the girls game, Erin Legel will go from the backcourt at Coeur d’Alene to the University of Great Falls. Lewiston’s Chelsea Waters will move onto Gonzaga next year and Kaitiana Martinez of Wood River and the South team will move on to Dartmouth.

Taylor Anderson, who guided Moscow to the state 4A tournament, signed to golf at Eastern Washington.

JUST BECAUSE some of those players know where they’ll play next, it doesn’t mean this game won’t be any less competitive.

In case you forgot, a couple of state tournaments were played in the southern part of the state within the past month.

The run of the Coeur d’Alene girls basketball team advancing to the state 5A championship game was halted by a 3-pointer by Sierrna Short of Centennial, who is on the South roster.

Sarah Viehweg, who scored 23 points Marsh Valley against Timberlake in the state 3A championship game, will also play on the South.

Borah’s Ben Tucakovic will represent the Lions, who defeated the Trojans in this year’s 5A title game.

Games like these are if nothing else, fun to watch.

But what else might you expect from NIC.

Every year, they bring in the best schools for their annual holiday basketball tournaments.

Davis (boys) won a Washington state championship last month in Tacoma. The Lapwai girls finished third.

Throw in our local teams which advanced to state and most of the players have already made themselves familiar with playing at the school.

At the conclusion of this year’s Coeur d’Alene Inn-vitational, some of those players from Post Falls were proud of the fact they hadn’t been beaten at Rolly Williams Court.

Today’s a chance to finish that business.

Or in some cases, get it started all over again.

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d’Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at [email protected].