Basketball coaches nominate 23 to the first or second team from around the district
All five starters plus one off the bench were selected to the elite all-district South Houston High School boys’ basketball team that won a District 22-6A championship via playoff proceedings this winter.
Tied at 9-3 with Memorial and Deer Park when the dust settled, it’s no wonder three teams shared the special prizes, including one that missed the playoffs by a bucket.
Runner-up Deer Park had their best campaign in recent memory, which is why head coach Ryan Bright was named coach of the year and Nicholas Buffalo was selected as the defensive MVP.
Pasadena Memorial post player Robert Miller, Jr., who was one of 25 original players nominated for this year’s Guy V. Lewis Award, was named district MVP, and Pasadena High School presented the Kevin Juarez duo , the last remaining Pasadena District championship team in 2021, picking up Offensive MVP honors and sophomore Mike Matthews receiving Newcomer of the Year honors.
South Houston’s first team selections included the trio of Josh Larry, Jordan Buckner, and Kamron Webb. Deer Park nearly matched that by placing Josh Anderson and Malachi Miller on the First Team, while the Mavs were represented by Gary Brown on the 10-man roster.
Dobie, fourth and final post-season winners, had Dylan Jackson and Camren Fowler voted out for the first team. Rounding out the roster of early players were Channelview’s Kailum Galtney and Pasadena’s Elijah McNeil.
Securing Second Team recognition from the South Houston field were Mijai Mickles, Josiah Ware and Joseph Buckner. The coaches sent Deer Park’s Ryan Clemons and Andrew Aguilar to the 13-member roster, while Memorial’s Sebastian Farias and Sean Dansby were honored.
Dobie filed the tandem of Jaden Shanklin and Julio Cisneros and Pasadena was represented by Jesse Hernandez, Jr.
Despite a very tough campaign by Sam Rayburn this winter, opposing coaches have lauded the efforts of Jayden Baxter and Samuel Leal to get them into the Second Team.
In the honorable mention contingent, the South Houston duo of Dashan Jefferson and Syntrel Evans were nominated along with Channelview’s Nehemiah Jordan and Chris Johnson, the Dobie trio of Malachi Hobbs, Kyler Thomas and Kai Conerly, Evan Goodson of Deer Park, Nick Zepeda of Memorial and Chance Arriaga, Hector Manriquez and Mauricio Vela of Pasadena, and Jeremyah Vela of Sam Rayburn.
