6A: Mountainside Mavericks – 2025-26 Season Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As the high school season approaches, rosters are being released and I'm going to be previewing each team from the 6A and 5A levels. I'll go over each team's key players going into this coming season, list the returners/newcomers, and key departures. Here is the preview of the Mountainside Mavericks (6A) of the Metro League.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Head Coach: Dustin Hewitt (9th Season at Mountainside, 102-77 Record)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last Season's Record: 11-14 </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Key Players</strong>:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1582931"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-692ffafdc74e8"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The 6-foot senior often ran the point when he was on the floor and did a great job of balancing his own offense with finding teammates. Vizconde's jumper was on target for most of the two days as there were very few open looks he didn't knock down. He was able to effectively balance his shooting with drives to the basket, where he was able to get baskets or find open teammates for their own opportunities. The rising senior will be counted upon heavily this upcoming season for his leadership. (JT)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1787373"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-692ffafdc7620"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Mountainside lacks size up front this season, so Nicholson has stepped in to play “big”. This has meant that a lot of his offensively opportunities are near the basket, but the junior has done the job by converting at a high rate. During the LSI, he shot 15-for-25 from the field and the lefty often finished plays around the hoop through contact. (JT)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2124993"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69309b6ca5e21"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Brown is one of those players that does a little bit of everything well and that's exactly what we saw of him at MaxHoops. The 6-foot-3 junior scored at will at all three levels, but his game wasn't just about getting buckets as he also was tough on the boards, consistently looking to get teammates involved, and was a factor on the defensive end. He's not going to make a lot of noise with flashiness, but when it's all said and done Brown makes the plays that impact the game. Whether it was hitting the open shot, finding the open man, grabbing a key rebound, or locking down on defense he did it all for his team. He's an all-around player and a winner. (JT)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Returners</strong>:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Baylor Hansen (Class of 2026)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2205004' first='Noah' last='Herrmann'] (Class of 2026)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2026059' first='Jayden' last='Reyes'] (Class of 2027)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2124996' first='Palmer' last='Ochoa'] (Class of 2027)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2471813' first='Ryder' last='Eck'] (Class of 2027)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Newcomers</strong>:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1625268' first='Cayden' last='Williams'] (Class of 2026, Transfer from Aloha)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2204985' first='Conley' last='Smith'] (Class of 2026)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jayden Hoang (Class of 2026)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Key Departures</strong>:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Peyton Reyes (Graduated)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Additional Contributions by Jed Tai</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->