There I was, sitting at court side at the Tacoma Dome writing up Todd Beamer's state boys basketball story as Auburn was introduced for the ensuing game.
Suddenly the word caught my ears, "Mentink."
As in Chase Mentink, a starting guard for the Trojans.
I wondered if he was related to the three Mentink brothers -- Jarrett, Justin and Rick -- that I knew from when they competed in sports at Decatur during my days at the Federal Way News.
Sure enough, a Facebook Messenger note to youngest brother, Rick, brought the answer.
Chase is the son of oldest brother Jarrett Mentink and his wife, ROOT Sports Northwest television reporter Angie.
"He's a good little player," wrote proud uncle Rick.
Then I got to thinking, a lot of former area athletes have been writing about their offspring and their athletic accomplishments on Facebook.
Take former Decatur baseball and golf standout Steve Murphy, for instance.
His daughter, Emma, just celebrated her senior game as a member of the University of Washington women's hockey team by scoring her first goal.
His son Eli is currently playing baseball at Enumclaw High School -- where Steve serves as the golf coach.
Then there is former Federal Way and University of Hawaii star running back Travis Sims, whose son, Lando, has followed in his footsteps at Hawaii.
And former Federal Way baseball and football standout Milt DeAsis has a son, Brogan, who starred for the Sumner High School football team and is now bound to play for Weber State.
Justin Mentink lives is Sumner, too, and has had sons Jay and Jaxen on the Spartan baseball team he helps coach.
And former Thomas Jefferson baseball player Marc Bolam has sons Carter and Preston on the Emerald Ridge team this spring. Carter is a senior and Preston made the team as a freshman.
If you know of any other next generation athletes, be sure and let me know under comments, on Facebook or on northwestwanderings@gmail.com. I can put them in Keeping Track, or in another column if I get enough.
Some athletes I covered in the early 1980s, for instance, could have grandchildren competing by now.
As for younger area graduates who are still in sports themselves, I always want to hear about them, too.
Then there are the former area athletes from before I worked at the News and their descendants.
Like my brother, Dave, who played tennis at Thomas Jefferson in 1971.
He is the grandfather of Lake Stevens swimmers Wyatt and Hannah Keith and middle school baseball player Garrett Keith, as well as Leif and Merritt Clinton, who wrestled this winter in Virginia.
Guess I'm a proud great uncle!
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