Cruzen rolls through fourth season as varsity starting point guard

MIHS senior is averaging 10.2 points per game.

Four years ago, freshman Tristen Cruzen jumped into the varsity starting point guard position midway through the season for the Mercer Island High School (MIHS) boys basketball squad and he’s held onto that spot ever since.

Cruzen’s a senior now and said he has blossomed into a more confident and vocal leader over the years.

Head coach Gavin Cree feels that it’s significant and special that captain Cruzen has been leading the way at varsity point guard for 25% of the coach’s 16-year journey as the head guy.

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“This is really rare for boys basketball and in our storied history, very few names have done it,” Cree said.

This season, the 6-foot-2 Cruzen is averaging 10.2 points and four assists per game, has a high 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio and has drained 40% of his 3-point shots.

“I’ve always been a very hard worker. I started getting the younger guys to work out with me, and get shots up after practice, which is something I think that will probably go a long way for them. They’ll probably continue to do that for when they get older,” said Cruzen, adding that having confidence will guide the youngsters through their MIHS hoops experience.

MIHS, a class 3A squad, notched a pair of recent league wins over 4A Lake Washington (62-59) and 4A Bothell (56-45) to raise its record to 4-5 in the KingCo Crest Conference and 10-9 overall at press time. It was LW’s first league loss of the season and the Islanders triumphed with a huge game-winning shot by sophomore Jayden Yuen.

Cruzen said that MIHS will have to be focused, disciplined and diligent to succeed the rest of the season and in the 3A KingCo tournament.

Off the court, Cruzen attends Running Start classes at Bellevue College and is enjoying his pre-calculus course and the challenging microeconomics course.

The Reporter asked Cruzen a series of questions to get a behind-the-scenes glimpse into his life:

What would you say is the best piece of advice that you’ve ever been given?

I feel like there’s a lot. I’d say my old assistant coach from last year, Shain Scott, he taught me a lot of stuff about “show me, don’t tell me.” So I think that’s one thing I kind of started living by is that you can always say, ‘Oh, I’m going to be the best at this or I’m going to do this.’ But you’ve got to really show people through your hard work and your dedication to what you want to succeed in.

What’s a special skill that you’d like to learn?

I actually had just gotten a guitar for Christmas, so I’ve actually been kind of practicing when I have my own free time. It’s kind of my little side hobby that I’ve been practicing.

What do you got? Acoustic? Electric?

Acoustic guitar (Alvarez). My mom’s a teacher at a school in Seattle, and she teaches Stone Gossard’s kid. He’s a guitarist for Pearl Jam. So he recommended me to get this acoustic guitar that I got.

What kind of music do you listen to?

I listen to all types of music, to be honest. My dad was in a band when he was in college or something, so I grew up listening to a lot of rock music from him. And then a lot of my friends listen to rap music, so I also listen to a lot of rap music, rock music, and I also love country music, too.

What’s a couple of your favorite movies?

“Good Will Hunting” was one I really liked when I watched that one. “Interstellar” was a good movie. “The Shawshank Redemption” was also one I really liked. Those are probably my top three.

What’s the biggest challenge that you’ve ever faced that you overcame?

Just being on varsity since I was so young. The pressure that came with it. Being a freshman and having to balance school and having to also succeed in sports.

What’s your favorite restaurant on the Island?

I love Riviera Maya on the south end. The Mexican restaurant. I also like Mioposto a lot, too.

Mercer Island High School’s Tristen Cruzen drives to the hoop. Photo courtesy of Linda Kercher

Mercer Island High School’s Tristen Cruzen drives to the hoop. Photo courtesy of Linda Kercher