Team Preview: Cleveland (Rio Rancho)

<p style="text-align: left;">The Cleveland Storm went 11-1 in a shortened regular season last spring and went on to win their district title and secure the #1 seed in the 5A Class. They eventually went on to win their 1st state basketball championship in school history led by great Coach Sean Jimenez. Despite losing many key senior players, expect Sean Jimenez and the Cleveland Storm to remain in the mix for the 5A State Championship like they consistently are every year. </p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">[player_tooltip player_id="1208584" first="Antonio" last="Avila"]</span>- 6’2 Shooting Guard "Cleveland" Class of 2022</p> <p style="text-align: left;">Senior Guard [player_tooltip player_id="1208584" first="Antonio" last="Avila"] is coming into this season looking like Cleveland’s best potential scorer according to coach Sean Jimenez. He is one of the best athletes around New Mexico with his ability to play multiple sports. He is one of the top guards defensively and is a lock-down defender that takes on the challenge guarding the opposing teams best offensive players. He had 10 points in  the 5A State Championship game last season vs Las Cruces. Expect Antonio to have a big impact for the Storm this year. </p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">[player_tooltip player_id="1158654" first="Daniel" last="Steverson"]</span>- 6’2 Point Guard "Cleveland" Class of 2024</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1158654" first="Daniel" last="Steverson"] is also a defending state champion that saw some important playing time last season as a freshman. After a busy off-season working on his game and attending numerous camps and tournaments, [player_tooltip player_id="1158654" first="Daniel" last="Steverson"] is poised to have a big season for the Storm this year. He will be the starting Point Guard this season and is a great passer with great basketball IQ who makes his teammates better. According to Coach Sean Jimenez, "what separates Daniel is his work ethic and is always the first and last person in the gym."</p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">[player_tooltip player_id="1208589" first="Cole" last="Savage"]</span>- 6’4 Small Forward "Cleveland" Class of 2022</p> <p style="text-align: left;">Big man [player_tooltip player_id="1208589" first="Cole" last="Savage"] is a returning player from Cleveland’s championship team from last season and will have a big role for the Storm this year. Last season in the state championship game vs Las Cruces, he made a big three pointer late in the game to secure Cleveland’s win in the state championship. He is very athletic and will be a key player for the Storm this year by playing big minutes and contributing on the boards with his rebounding. </p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Josiah Ortiz</span>- 6’3 Shooting Guard "Cleveland" Class of 2023</p> <p style="text-align: left;">Cleveland’s Shooting Guard Josiah Ortiz according to Coach Sean Jimenez is one of this teams high energy players that does all of the little things to help teams win games. He hustles and dives on the floor for loose balls and plays great defense for the Storm without fouling. He is also one of the teams top shooters and has great ball handling which gives Cleveland multiple players that can bring up the ball and run the offense. </p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">[player_tooltip player_id="1124238" first="Elijah" last="Brody"]</span>- 6’3 Shooting Guard "Cleveland" Class of 2024</p> <p>Last season [player_tooltip player_id="1124238" first="Elijah" last="Brody"] was a true freshman player who made a huge impact right away that is very similar to teammate [player_tooltip player_id="1158654" first="Daniel" last="Steverson"]. He is a hard worker who puts great effort and time in the gym who is always looking to get better and improve his game. He is very athletic and plays multiple sports. He is a very underrated passer and has great basketball IQ for a player that in going into his sophomore year campaign. </p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">[player_tooltip player_id="1280522" first="Elijah" last="McNeil"]</span>- 6’2 Small Forward "Cleveland" Class of 2023</p> <p style="text-align: left;">Junior [player_tooltip player_id="1280522" first="Elijah" last="McNeil"] is another player according to coach Sean Jimenez that is a high energy guy for this team that does everything that doesn’t show up in the box scores at the end of games. He gets the team and crowd going with his hustle and energy plays. He hustles for loose balls on the court and takes charges with his great anticipation defensively.  According to Coach Sean Jimenez, "He is the glue guy for this team."</p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Damian Molina</span>- 6’0 Guard "Cleveland" Class of 2023</p> <p style="text-align: left;">Junior Guard Damian Molina has had a great summer working on his game and after attending a few scrimmages for the Cleveland Storm, it is clear that Damian Molina will have a huge role for the Cleveland Storm this year. He was the teams best shooter through the preseason scrimmages and can space the floor with his shooting and scoring. He has a nice pure shot and will is probably the teams most consistent shooter. </p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Nic Trujillo</span>- 6’0 Guard "Cleveland" Class of 2023</p> <p style="text-align: left;">Nic Trujillo is a solid Guard that will have a solid role this year despite not having much varsity experience. He was the teams leading scorer on the JV roster last year and can be a nice addition for the Cleveland Storm making a run going back to back this season. According to Coach Sean Jimenez, Nic Trujillo will be one of the 5 starters this season and is a great multi sport athlete that can impact the game in various ways. </p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">[player_tooltip player_id="1076684" first="Michael" last="Ortiz"]</span>- 6’5 Power Forward "Cleveland" Class of 2022</p> <p style="text-align: left;">Cleveland big man [player_tooltip player_id="1076684" first="Michael" last="Ortiz"] is the enforcer for the Storm and a key inside presence that will be a huge X-Factor this season. He is one of the teams leaders and will be a key starter for the Cleveland Storm this year. He is a player that has a ton of varsity experience that some of the underclassmen will look up too this year. He is the teams top rebounder and shot blocker on defense with his presence inside the paint. </p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Noah Padilla</span>- 6'0 Guard "Cleveland" Class of 2024</p> <p>Sophomore Guard Noah Padilla is another player who doesn't have a ton of varsity experience but according to Coach Sean Jimenez, will be one of the teams key and core players. He has great basketball IQ and is very athletic at the Guard position. He is one of the teams top shooters that can space the floor and will get his share of plays ran for him because when he gets going and in rhythm, makes the Cleveland Storm a hard team to beat any given night. </p>