Newport High School will kick off the 2008-2009 boys basketball season with its traditional Red and Gold night on Friday, Nov. 28 at the Newport gym.

The Red and Gold night will begin at 3 p.m. with a barbecue and later, live scrimmages between the select high school and alumni squads.

It will be an interesting year for the Knights, who will play their first season in the 4A ranks of KingCo, after long competing in the 3A conference.

Newport also will honor former player Bruce Case, a standout player with the Knights as well as with the University of Washington.

Case led the Knights to the state championship game against Renton High School during his junior year in 1967. Case scored 20 points in the semi-finals as Newport upset previously unbeaten Central Valley to reach the championship game. Case averaged 16 points per game that year, and bettered that with 17 per contest his senior year.

Former coach Bill Green called Case “possibly the best all-around athlete I ever coached,” and former Newport coach and NCAA Division I referee called Case a “terrific player and a terrific person.”

Case also was an outstanding receiver in football for the Knights, as well as a talented shortstop in baseball. During his time at Newport, Case was an All-KingCo and All-State performer in both basketball and football.

Case moved on to the University of Washington, where he played three seasons under coaches Marv Harshman and Tex Winter on the UW basketball team. He received the Inspirational, Academic and Hustling Husky awards during his time on the team.

After leaving the UW, Case played professional basketball for six years with the Melbourne Tigers in the Australian Professional League, helping the Tigers to two national championships.

Case has coached high school basketball at Jefferson High School in Federal Way, where he is currently the head of the IT Department.