A SPECIAL WEEK CAPS A SPECIAL SEASON

For the Riverside King boys basketball program, high expectations from the outside have always been expected.

King set the bar fairly high in 2002 when it captured a state championship in its second varsity season. The Wolves had some very successful seasons in the years that followed, but never approached the achievements from that magical sophomore season.

This changed during the 2007-08 season.

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Frank Bellino / The Press-Enterprise

King players celebrate the school's first division title, an 89-79 victory over Etiwanda in overtime.

King captured the one piece of championship hardware it had been missing, a CIF section title, and made an impressive run in the grueling Division 1 state basketball tournament. The Wolves went 32-3 and finished 17th in the final USA Today national poll.

"I think the things we accomplished this season helped put King basketball on the map," King coach Tim Sweeney Jr. said.

For their accomplishments, the Wolves have been selected the HS Game Time boys team of the year.

King captured national attention during a spectacular week that saw the Wolves knock off four very highly regarded programs, including two teams ranked in the USA Today national poll.

It started with an overtime victory over Etiwanda in the CIF-Southern Section Division 1A championship game.

"It was like Phil Mickelson winning that first major," Sweeney said. "It was nice to put that in our trophy case."

The following week, King defeated three LA City Section powerhouses over a span of four days in the state tournament. Victories at Los Angeles Westchester and Woodland Hills Taft showed outsiders just how strong the program was.

Taft was ranked No. 12 in the nation at the time and hadn't lost to a team in California. King answered every challenge and pulled out an 83-82 overtime victory over the Toreadors.

"That was a special week, and you had to be at some of those games to feel the energy," Sweeney said. "The Taft game was big because that was a very good basketball team we beat. People across the country began to take notice of what we were doing."