By Jason Cruz
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Welcome to the year-end edition of The Layup Drill. It was a great year for sports in Seattle and for Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) athletes.
2025 was the year of the Seattle Mariners as they returned to the playoffs—they won the American League West for the first time since 2001. The team were just a few outs away from going to the World Series. Bryan Woo had a breakout season as he emerged as the pitching ace on the team. Woo earned his first All-Star appearance and became the go-to guy on the pitching staff. Despite an injury late in the season, Woo was able to pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Championship Series.
Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Ichiro Suzuki poses for a photo with his plaque after the National Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Cooperstown, N.Y., on July 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
In addition to the team’s success this season, Ichiro Suzuki was inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. With almost a unanimous vote (except for one voter), Suzuki made it into the Hall of Fame in the first year that he could be considered to be inducted.
Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase answers questions during a press conference before her team’s WNBA basketball game against the Las Vegas Aces, where she spent three seasons as an assistant coach, Saturday, June 7, 2025, at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif. (Yalonda M. James/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
It was the inaugural season for the WNBA’s Golden State Valkyries and the team made the playoffs. The team was coached by California native Natalie Nakase. A former assistant with the Las Vegas Aces and Los Angeles Clippers, Nakase earned Coach of the Year honors for bringing the expansion team all the way to the playoffs.
Seattle Storm Head Coach Sonia Raman (Photo by James Tabafunda)
The Seattle Storm made a coaching change this offseason and hired Sonia Raman as its new head coach. Raman served as an assistant coach for the New York Liberty and Memphis Grizzlies. The former attorney left her job to coach college basketball at MIT. She then went on to stints coaching in the NBA and then the WNBA. The Storm position is her first head coaching job in the WNBA.
The Stanford Cardinal chose 38-year-old Tavita Pritchard to be its head coach. Pritchard is originally from Tacoma, Washington and went to Clover Park High School. He is of Samoan ancestry.
Dylan Harper was picked second overall in the NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs. Harper, whose mother is Filipino, played his one year of college basketball at Rutgers. His father is former NBA basketball player Ron Harper.
Kaitlyn Chen won a college basketball championship with the UConn Huskies after transferring from Princeton. The California native was drafted by the Golden State Valkyries. She was cut prior to the start of the season, but later re-signed with the Valkyries.
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto celebrates throwing a complete game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, in Game 2 of baseball’s National League Championship Series, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani holds the MVP trophy after winning during Game 4 of baseball’s National League Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
The Los Angeles Dodgers “ruined” baseball, as predicted by manager Dave Roberts, as they won another World Series title thanks again to Shohei Ohtani. While Ohtani was the centerpiece, the World Series belonged to Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The Japanese pitcher was the MVP of the World Series. After earning a necessary win for the Dodgers in Game 6 in Toronto to force Game 7, he returned the next day to close out the series with a save. Ohtani managed to win another Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year for the fourth time overall and fourth in 5 years.
Puyallup High School senior Mason Pike
Locally, Puyallup High School baseball player Madison Pike was voted Gatorade High School Player of the Year for the state of Washington. Pike, who led Puyallup to the state championship game, is playing his collegiate baseball at Oregon State University.
And without further ado, here’s the top 10 list:
Kolo Suliafu (Credit: University of Washington)
- Kolo Suliafu – The University of Washington women’s soccer team enjoyed a magical run in the NCAA Playoffs. It was bittersweet as their goal keeper, Mia Hamant, passed away from kidney cancer in November. Nevertheless, the team persevered and made it all the way to the Elite Eight of women’s soccer. Suliafu helped the Huskies with her defense and earned Big 10 Defender of the Year, All Big-10 First Team, and second team NCAA All-American.
Gold medalist Alysa Liu, of the United States bites her medal during a ceremony for the women’s free skating program at the figure skating world championships, Friday, March 28, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
- Alysa Liu – Ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics, Liu looks to have her eyes on the gold medal this February. Liu won the gold medal in the 2025 World Figure Skating Championships in Boston. She became the first American to win the World title since 2006. Notably, Liu retired from competing at age 16. After time away to live a “normal” life and attend UCLA, Liu got back into the skating rink and returned to competitive skating.
Joshua Van kicks Brandon Royval in a flyweight fight at UFC 317, Saturday, June 28, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
- Joshua Van – The Burmese American from Houston, Texas won the UFC Flyweight (125 pound) title in December with a victory over Alexandre Pantoja. Van defeated Pantoja by technical knockout 26 seconds into the first round when Pantoja hurt his arm and could not continue. Van is 9-1 in the UFC.
Golden State Valkyries guard Kaitlyn Chen during a WNBA preseason basketball game against the Los Angeles Sparks in San Francisco, Tuesday, May 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
- Kaitlyn Chen – Chen started her collegiate basketball career at Princeton and transferred to the University of Connecticut at the beginning of last season. Chen helped the Huskies win a National Championship. Just nine days later, Chen learned that she was drafted in the third round by the Golden State Valkyries, the latest WNBA team out of the Bay Area. Chen became the first woman of Taiwanese descent to be drafted in the WNBA. Playing for the Bay Area franchise comes full circle for Chen, who was born and raised in San Marino, California. Her parents were both immigrants from Taiwan.
Learner Tien during the men’s singles match of the Shanghai Masters in Shanghai, China, on Oct. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
- Learner Tien – The Orange County, California native started his first season as a pro with an upset victory at the Australian Open over the world’s 5th seeded player in the world, Daniil Medveded. It was the Vietnamese American’s first Grand Slam tournament. He ended the year winning the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) tour title in Metz, France. He is the first American teenager to win an ATP Tour title since Andy Roddick in 2002.
Notably, his first name, Learner, is inspired by his math-teaching mom. His sister, Justice, is named after his father’s profession, a real estate lawyer.
Cleveland Guardians’ Steven Kwan (38) watches his double hit during the eighth inning of Game 3 of the American League Wild Card baseball playoff series against the Detroit Tigers in Cleveland, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
- Steven Kwan – The Cleveland Guardians outfielder had another solid year. He won his fourth straight gold glove for his outstanding play in right field. He was selected as an All-Star for the second straight year. In addition to his play on the field, Kwan established a Chess Club in which players were matched with local youth chess clubs. Kwan was nominated for the Roberto Clemente Award, which goes to a Major League Baseball player that exemplifies a commitment to community service and understanding the value of helping others.
San Antonio Spurs first round NBA basketball draft pick Dylan Harper arrives for a news conference at the team’s facility in San Antonio, Saturday, June 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
- Dylan Harper – Harper became the first Filipino American and Asian American to be drafted in the top 5 in the NBA Draft. Harper was selected second overall by the San Antonio Spurs. Harper’s mother is Filipino American. Maria Pizarro-Harper played Division I basketball at the University of New Orleans. After her playing days, she coached Harper and his brother in youth and in high school. Pizarro still coaches high school basketball. Harper’s father is former NBA star Ron Harper. Harper played with multiple teams including with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers.
Player Kelsie Whitmore poses for a photo with a ball during a training session with the Aguila de Veracruz profesional baseball team in Veracruz, Mexico, April 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Victoria Razo)
- Kelsie Whitmore – The number one draft pick was pitcher/outfielder Kelsie Whitmore, a Filipino American who currently plays for the Savannah Bananas traveling baseball team. Whitmore was drafted by the San Francisco franchise. The 27-year-old from San Diego, California played collegiate softball at Cal-State Fullerton. Prior to that, she played high school baseball and was a part of the U.S. women’s national baseball team. The women’s league will debut in the spring of 2026.
Lauryn Nguyen
- Lauryn Nguyen – The West Seattle native helped Northwestern upset Stanford in the women’s NCAA Golf Championship. The championship capped off a successful 4 years of college golf. She was able to obtain her Ladies Professional Golfer’s Association (LPGA) card this fall with a solid showing on the Epson Tour (LPGA’s developmental tour). She also had a strong showing during Q-School. Nguyen actually received a sponsor’s exemption to play in an LPGA tournament this fall, The Annika, named after famed golfer Annika Sorenstam. Look for Nguyen to debut in 2026 on the LPGA tour.
Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Bryan Woo delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels on July 25, 2025, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
- Bryan Woo – The 25-year-old Woo had a breakthrough season this year for the Mariners. Woo was selected as an All-Star this year. The right-handed pitcher took a no-hitter into the 8th inning against the New York Yankees this past July before losing it. Woo had a career year with 15 wins, 198 strikeouts, and the most innings pitched (186) in his brief 3-year Mariners career.
Jason can be reached at newstips@northwestasianweekly.com.