Nevada C/O 2023 Standouts
As we close in on what has been a great year of high school basketball I want to bring attention to all the young men who had solid seasons. Each class had solid contributions, today I want to feature the…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingAs we close in on what has been a great year of high school basketball I want to bring attention to all the young men who had solid seasons. Each class had solid contributions, today I want to feature the class of 2023. It’s pressure enough to be a freshman and be asked to play large varsity minutes. However, each of these young men rose to that occasion and then some.
Nakalayla Fabello 5’10 PG Valley 2023- The coolest part about this job is finding young prospects who go out and make a name for themselves. That is exactly what Fabello has done all season being a freshman playing with a very senior heavy team. Fabello leads his team in scoring and steals. On the year Fabello has shown grit on the offensive side of the ball and that pit-bull mentality on the defensive side of the ball as he has multiple 4 steal games. He has shown a mature scoring ability and he has an understanding of how to control the offense. He typically leaves his imprint all over the court. If I had to describe his game in one word it is consistent. He has given Valley an excellent building block for their future Valley has a 11-8 record and 7-4 division record.
Joshua Valencia 6’3 C GV Christian 2023- If I had my say he would be a top 10 on the 2023 rankings list. It’s hard to really place him at any one position he is 6’3 but he also is 250 he has the body of a PF but the height of a guard. It is unfair to label him anything except a ball player. The funny thing about Vegas big men you often just put the tallest kid in the middle and say go play center. Valencia had an amazing freshman year averaging 16 points 8 rebounds 1.5 steals 1.0 blocks. Seeing Valencia play he has an old man game he reminds me a lot of Zach Randolph minus the height. Like Randolph Valencia knows how to use his body to his advantage. This young man is a thumper on the inside. Going against him on the inside a defender better pack his lunch. He gets inside when he wants shooting 57% on the year and most of his work is done in the paint. Valencia has had 10 double-doubles this year the best performance in my opinion was a 22 point 14 rebound performance.
Keanan Bey 6’5 SF Bishop Gorman 2023 (#11PHN 2023) – The thing that makes Gorman so great as a team is they have created one of the better farm systems in the state. There ability to continue to develop the next star is impressive. Bey is currently wreaking havoc in the JV level at Gorman. Bey is a raw prospect once he is called up to the varsity level he has all the intangibles to be a great player for years to come. Bey is a prototypical SF he can stretch out and hit open jump shots, and he is a solid defender. Bey is very long and he does a lot of great things. He is at the perfect school to catch the eye of potential colleges and for his own personal development.
Earnest Brown 5’8 PG Las Vegas (#8 PHN 2023) – Brown is a super quick jittery guard. Year one the question that had to be asked was how would he play along side Taviontae Jackson? In spurts he has played well and in other moments he has been quiet. Going forward I do believe Brown can have more ball handling responsibilities. He has a strong body and a fleet of hand ball handle. Brown is a player that can certainly get better the more he plays and understands his role.
Jordan Morency 6’2 G Silverado (#5 PHN 2023)- Morency has shown flashes of what he could be in certain instances. He is a young man with an advanced game. Morency is a versatile scorer who can score from all 3 levels.His performance against Clark showed how much promise he has. In that particular game he scored 13 points along with 4 rebounds and 10 assists. As his role and minutes expand the more we should see from Morency. Silverado had an excellent freshman class and Morency will be apart of a bright future. This summer if he can polish his outside shooting and sharpen some of his decision making he will be just fine.
Karson Roberts 5’10 G Bonanza 2023- Roberts is a young man that really benefited the most playing varsity ball this year. Playing along side sniper Kendall Burrell Roberts on some nights was given the responsibility of being the second best player on the court. Often times he rose to that occasion. He played on a very senior heavy team and he didn’t make a lot of mistakes on the floor. He has a mature game which helped him end the season strong with a 21 point 4 rebound 4 assists 1 steal game against Shadow Ridge. It wouldn’t surprise me going forward with Burrell and a number of his teammates graduating that he becomes the star of this team. He got that much needed experience this year and contributed strong games and doing everything that was asked of him.