2024-25 Team Preview: Valencia Jaguars

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2024-25 TEAM PREVIEW: VALENCIA JAGUARS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>OVERVIEW</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Valencia appeared headed towards the Class 4A playoffs last January when team scorer Damian Estrada, a First Team All-District caliber player, suffered a season-ending knee injury. The Jaguars struggled down the stretch and finished 11-16, out of the playoffs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Estrada was surrounded by a group of young players, many of whom return in 2024-25. Head coach Jesse Hathoot hopes the valuable experience many of those players gained in the wake of Estrada's misfortune pays off this winter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“We had a ton of sophomores playing,” Hathoot said. “We knew it could be a struggle without Estrada. We tried to use the final eight or nine games as a building block (for next season). Even though we didn't win any of them, we gained a lot of experience. We only graduated Damian and one other senior.”          </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>PLAYERS TO WATCH</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1717301' first='Jared' last='Porter'] (G, Jr., 5-11)</strong>: Valencia's lone returning player who averaged in double figures last season. He became Valencia's top scoring option after Estrada's injury. He'll likely remain Valencia's top scorer in 2024-25. &nbsp;&nbsp;<strong>&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2283972' first='Carin' last='Bustillos'] (G, So., 6-2)</strong>: As a freshman last season, he averaged 5.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game, respectable numbers for a very young player. Got his feet wet with the varsity. Enjoyed a tremendous summer and should become a major contributor in 2024-25. “If Carin adjusts to the speed and strength of the varsity game, he's poised to have a big year and eventually become one of the better players in this state,” Hathoot said. “We're expecting him to take a big jump this year.” &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1717300' first='Jordy' last='Giron'] (PG, Jr.)</strong>: He came off the bench for the Jaguars last season but will compete for a starting job in November. He knows how to distribute the basketball and is regarded as one of the team's leaders.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1717302' first='Diego' last='Baeza'] (C, Jr., 6-1)</strong>: Baeza also plays football for the Jaguars and he'll bring great size to the hardwood. Averaged 5.4 points and 3.7 rebounds per game in 2023-24. “He'll be a matchup problem for a lot of teams in our classification,” Hathoot said. “He had a good year last year, especially in the second half. We're counting on him to make a big jump.” &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>NAMES TO KNOW</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Isaiah Rodriguez (SF, Sr., 5-11)</strong>: One of two seniors expected to be on the 2024-25 roster. Good leader.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Carlos Tafoya (SF, Sr., 5-10)</strong>: Missed about half of last season with a back injury. But he finished strong, which makes Hathoot optimistic about his contributions in 2024-25. Role player. Going into his fourth season with the Valencia varsity. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jordan Henry (G, Jr., 5-8)</strong>: Henry fills a variety of roles for the Jaguars. Hathoot described him as a ‘utility knife' type of player.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>KEY NEWCOMERS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jairius Russ (F, Jur., 6-1)</strong>: Played mainly JV last season. He stepped up his game this summer and could become a significant contributor in 2024-25. Good size. Inside presence. He'll likely battle with [player_tooltip player_id='1717302' first='Diego' last='Baeza'] for the starting center job. &nbsp;<strong>&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2882826' first='Luke' last='Terrell'] (G, So., 5-10)</strong>: He'll compete for minutes off the bench. Good shooter. Improved this summer. Objective this season is to crack the rotation. Bright future with three seasons left.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>FINAL THOUGHTS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While Valencia returns most of their players from last season. many of them will need (and are expected) to step up their games in order for the Jaguars to improve on last season's overall record and make a run for the 4A playoffs. Hathoot described the final eight games last season as a “baptism by fire” for his younger guys. He wants a lot of players to contribute.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“We want to be pretty balanced,” Hathoot said. “We definitely want to get the ball inside to guys like [player_tooltip player_id='1717302' first='Diego' last='Baeza']. The 3-point shot is a big trend in today's basketball and we want to shoot a lot of those. We have to get better at that, though. We don't want to die by the 3-point shot, either. How we play offensively will depend on matchups. We could go five guards and spread the floor. Or we could throw it inside to one of our bigs.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Defensively, Valencia was primarily a half-court, man-to-man team in 2023-24 and that should remain the case this upcoming season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Valencia is member of District 4A-5 with Belen, Grants, Highland (defending 4A champion) and St. Pius X.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/LL_Schools/status/1780641189135270114","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/LL_Schools/status/1780641189135270114 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/VHSJagHoops/status/1801653943493144946","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/VHSJagHoops/status/1801653943493144946 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>   </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/VHSJagHoops/status/1794370362677067967","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/VHSJagHoops/status/1794370362677067967 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>      </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->