5A/4A Southwestern League Player of the Year candidates

<p>We’re almost there as the end of the season is upon us with most schools already having had senior night. There are some tight races with conference winners and some that teams that already have the league won. With that, we focus on who we believe has the chance to be the conference MVP. Here, we take a look at the 5A/4A Southwestern League contenders.</p> <p><strong><u>The Favorite: </u></strong></p> <h2><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/marcus-labonde/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/marcus-labonde/">Marcus Labonde</a></a> – Fruita Monument</strong></h2> <p>Fruita Monument is undefeated in league play and it looks like it will remain that way as <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/marcus-labonde/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/marcus-labonde/">Marcus Labonde</a></a> has been a man amongst boys this season. He is the engine for the Wildcats and he has willed his team to countless victories as they sit at 15-5 on the season. He can shoot the ball, he’s efficient from inside of the paint, he sees the floor well and understands when to take over in games. He is currently putting up a league-high 20.9 points a game and is also leading the conference in assists at 6.1a game while also being amongst the top in boards at 6.3 rebounds a game. He does it all for Fruita Monument and has them riding high as they are preparing for a state tournament run where they surprise a team or two. This is a good team led by a solid player and he is having a great year as I feel he will easily be the Southwestern Player of the Year.</p> <p><strong><u>The Second Favorite:</u></strong></p> <h2><strong>Luke Hutto – Montrose </strong></h2> <p>Montrose is a team that is in the Top-10 for 4A and the interesting thing about them is they are led by a sophomore standout Luke Hutto. Hutto leads a very good sophomore class they have over there and is the best player on the team already as he is putting up a team-best 14.7 points a game as well as 7.7 rebounds as well. He is already a captain as an underclassman and takes the responsibility seriously while being a player that leads by example. He is a hard worker, that scores in bunches as well as refuses to be outworked for any rebound. He boxes out, gets out on the break and is also able to put the ball on the floor as well. Hutto is a player that is now on my radar as he is helping lead one of the best team’s in all of 4A and they seemed to have found their player for the next couple of year’s which has to be a good feeling. Come Senior year, Montrose might just be the team to beat as they surely will be good for years to come.</p> <p><strong><u>The Third Favorite:</u></strong></p> <h2><strong>Sean Alex – Montrose </strong></h2> <p>Montrose is a team that is led by a pretty good sophomore core but their senior point guard is the piece that holds it all together. Sean Alex is a guard that has varsity experience as he has been on varsity for multiple years now but is enjoying his best season as he is putting up a career-high 12.4 points a game and also helping in other areas as well. The senior captain is at 2.7 rebounds and assists and also is playing the passing lanes as well as anyone in the conference which has him at just above two steals a game. He is turning those steals into easy scoring opportunities. He is a guard that plays great perimeter defense and also controls the pace for Montrose. When he is able to get himself going while establishing a scoring lane for his sophomore standout as well Montrose is at their best and while I do not believe that he will win the conference player of the year it is worth noting how good of a season he is having.</p> <p><strong><u>The Longshot:</u></strong></p> <h2><strong>Ian Barnes – Fruita Monument </strong></h2> <p>Fruita Monument will most likely win the conference title as they have a pretty good group that plays well together and have plenty of scorers that can get going at any time which makes them a tough bunch to slow down. One player that has stood out this year is senior forward Ian Barnes who has been able to score (9.7 ppg) and also has been a rebounding machine at 6.6 boards a game which is right there for tops on the team. He is a big man that does his work inside, he is a bruiser with strength, can defend multiple positions and has been a player that Fruita Monument has relied on for multiple years now. This year he is doing all of the dirty work for the Wildcats and his work inside has gone a long way.</p> <p><strong><u>Won’t win, but still a great season: </u></strong></p> <h2><strong>Anthony Flint – Durango</strong></h2> <p>Sophomore guard Anthony Flint is on a middle of the pack team in Durango that has had an up and down season. They played well out of the conference but have seemed to struggle in conference play for whatever reason. While this is not the year that they wanted to have, they do have a bright spot to look forward to not just this year but the future in Flint who is a high volume scorer that is not afraid to take shots. He also plays really well off of the ball and is shooting as well as anybody else in the state at 59% from beyond the arc. He has an inside-out game and once he starts to help the team in other ways such as rebounding or dishing it is when he will make the jump. He does not have a chance to win the player of the year but had a respectful year, especially shooting the basketball.</p>