So the Sonics aren’t coming back anytime soon, this year’s Huskies are not looking promising, the Seattle University’s Redhawks team is still getting used to playing Division I ball, and the Storm plays at the wrong time of the year (sorry, but basketball just feels better in the winter). So what is a Seattle hoops fan to do? Well, for a measly five or six bucks, you can witness some of the best basketball players in the country face off in Seattle’s Metro League. Sure, they’re a few years from the SportsCenter Top 10, but the players coming out of Seattle’s Metro League are, on average, more talented (and entertaining). Consider this: The 14 schools that make up the conference have more past players in the NBA than New York City’s 799 high schools. Last year was a great season with a top-tier team in Rainier Beach, a heated rivalry that culminated in a nail-biting state championship pitting Beach against Eastside Catholic, and a few players who are now preparing for their freshman seasons of NCAA D-I basketball. And, yes, there was plenty of dunking. This year is hard to predict, except to say it will bring something fresh and unexpected.

Read all of our picks for Sports & Adventure, and explore the rest of this year’s edition of Best of Seattle.