THE FRONT ROW WITH MARK NELKE: April 25, 2014

One of the best three-sport athletes in recent Timberlake High history is graduating this year and he has a plan to stay involved in athletics past his playing days.

Timberlake senior Keegan Scott has excelled in football as a middle linebacker, part-time fullback and placekicker, as a guard in basketball and is wrapping up his first season competing in track and field, in the high jump and the 400-meter dash.

Timberlake athletic director Tim Cronnelly had some praise for Scott that basically says it all.

"He's one of the best, if not the best, players in my 10 years as an athletic director here," Cronnelly said. "He's very respectful, he's involved in his church. He treats everyone with respect."

SCOTT SAID he's leaning toward playing basketball at The Master's College, an NAIA Christian school in Santa Clarita, Calif., roughly 30 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. The team recently hired Ken Sugarman, who was the head coach of the women's basketball team from 1995 to 2008.

Scott's older sister, Zoe, is graduating from The Master's College this spring. Zoe, who attended University High in Spokane and who turns 22 on May 20, was an All-American in women's basketball. She shattered the career three-point record, sinking 239, while shooting at a 35.8 percent clip.

"I want to be an athletic trainer to stay around sports," Scott said. "My sister majored in kiniseology and she likes it, that's what I'm looking at studying. They're pretty solid, they're in a good conference. I like this area, but at the same time maybe I can live somewhere like California."

Scott has also received an offer from Corban College, another NAIA school, in Salem, Ore.

Walla Walla Community College and Blue Mountain Community College in Pendleton, Ore., have also shown interest.

"I think he's going to be real successful at the next level," Timberlake boys basketball coach Tony Hanna said. "He's strong in every facet of the game. His court sense is real high, his work ethic is incredible. He's in the gym every day working on his game. You never see him satisfied."

AS A junior, Scott helped the Tigers reach the state boys basketball tournament for the first time in school history. Timberlake lost 59-55 to Fruitland in the first round of the 3A tourney and lost another close one in the consolation bracket, 76-69, to Buhl.

Scott, who averaged 11 points a team-leading 2.5 steals per game that season, and his teammates are very proud of their accomplishment.

"To turn the program around and go to state during my junior year was awesome," Scott said. "We went two and out, but we went there, so it was nice."

Despite the fact Timberlake did not reach state in boys basketball this season, the 18-year-old Scott improved in his third season as a varsity starting guard. The 6-foot, 180-pounder led the Tigers in every major statistical category, finishing with an average of 19.2 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals per game.

"I was the point guard during my junior year," Scott said. "They switched me to shooting guard. It was kind of easy, because I had the ball in my hands."

And that's not all there is to Scott, who spent some of his time helping younger athletes become better.

"He's the kind of kid who spends time with others," Hanna said. "If we needed a big play, we'd go to him. You knew he was going to make the right decision."

SCOTT SAID being a three-sport athlete is fun but it has taken its toll at times.

One example was when he hurt his knee playing basketball last June, which forced him to miss nearly the entire football season as a senior. On Nov. 9, in the quarterfinals of the state 5A football playoffs, Scott kicked three extra points, in a 35-21 loss to Fruitland, when Fruitland scored 21 points in the second quarter.

"I had my meniscus repaired in my knee," Scott said. "Against Fruitland, we played them tough but we really struggled on offense."

As a junior, Scott stood out while playing three positions in football.

"He was the best middle linebacker in the (Intermountain) League," Timberlake football coach Roy Albertson said. "Keegan has always been a hard worker. He was one of our team's leaders. He's done some good things in every sport he's tried."

KEEGAN MOVED with his parents back to Spirit Lake before his freshman year at Timberlake. The family lived in Spokane and Keegan attended kindergarten through eighth grade there, and he would have attended University had his family stayed there.

"We always had a lakeside cabin in Spirit Lake," Scott said. "So we decided to just move back there."

Heidi, his mother, is a professor at Gonzaga University and holds leadership training courses. Michael, his father, works on home loans and mortgages for Sierra Pacific Mortgage in Spokane Valley.

SCOTT ATTENDS Spirit Lake Baptist Church and once participated in a church event in Pikeville, Ky. This summer, the church plans to hold a sports camp in Belize.

"We'll teach them soccer and basketball," Scott said. "It'll be a lot of fun."

Bruce Bourquin is a sports writer at The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2013, or via email at [email protected] Follow him on Twitter @bourq25