Two of South Texas’ premier scorers and defensive stoppers were straight out of District 32-5A in Mercedes senior guard David Clower and Weslaco East junior Jediah Rivens.
The pair of primetime players provided must-see highlights throughout the season by hammering home dunks or coming up with emphatic stops on the defensive end to lead this year’s group of The Monitor’s 2022-23 All-Area Boys Basketball superlatives.
Offensive Player of the Year: David Clower, Mercedes
Clower, a guard, lit up scoreboards across the Rio Grande Valley during his senior year to take home The Monitor’s 2022-23 All-Area Boys Basketball Offensive Player of the Year award.
| Mercedes David Clower (5) on a drive to the basket against Harlingen High during the Pioneer High school torunament at Pioneer High schoolon Friday Dec.9,2022 in McAllen, Tx. (Delcia Lopez/The Monitor | [email protected]) Delcia Lopez |
Clower, who stands 6 foot 2 inches, scored 22 points per game, but proved capable of doing more than just hurting teams with points. He also averaged six rebounds, two steals and two blocks per game.
His exclamation-point slam dunks and shooting stroke from beyond the 3-point line allowed him to play at his own pace, pick his spots and fill up stat sheets every time he touched the floor.
Defensive Player of the Year: Jediah Rivens, Weslaco East
Rivens, a guard, was the centerpiece of the Wildcats’ defense and was consistently tasked with defending the opposing team’s top scorer or offensive weapon.
| Weslaco East’s Jediah Rivens (3) attempts a basket against Harlingen South in a District 32-5A game at Weslaco East High School on Friday, Jan. 6, 2023, in Weslaco. (Joel Martinez | [email protected]) Joel Martinez |
The Monitor’s 2022-23 All-Area Defensive Player of the Year, Rivens routinely made it difficult for players with suffocating defense from the opening tip to the final buzzer.
Rivens’ height, reach and heads-up play makes him a tough matchup for anybody and was named District 32-5A’s Defensive Player of the Year.
He helped lead Weslaco East to a bi-district playoff upset over Sharyland Pioneer in which the Wildcats held the Diamondbacks to just 27 points.
Newcomer of the Year: Axel Garza, Edinburg Vela
Garza, a guard/forward, made an instant impact during his first year playing varsity ball for the SaberCats.
| Edinburg Vela’s Axel Garza (13) drives to the basket against the Corpus Christi Flour Bluff defense in a Region IV-5A area round play game at Falfurrias High School on Thursday, Feb. 24, 2023, in Falfurrias. (Joel Martinez | [email protected]) Joel Martinez |
He led Vela in scoring, rebounds and blocks, and ranked second on the team in assists and steals per game, earning The Monitor’s 2022-23 All-Area Boys Basketball Newcomer of the Year award.
The 6-foot-5 inch Garza led a young SaberCats squad to a 25-14 mark overall and back-to-back district titles with a 16-2 record 31-5A. His combination of size and skill made it tough on opposing defenses on a nightly basis as he averaged 15.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.8 blocks per game.
Garza was also named District 31-5A’s Co-Most Valuable Player.
Utility Player of the Year: Mando Treviño, McAllen Memorial
Mando Treviño, a junior, provided the Mustangs with one of the Valley’s top scoring options and a defensive player unafraid to take on tough challenges.
| McAllen Memorial’s Mando Treviño drives to the basket for a layup against McAllen High during a District 31-5A game on Dec. 13, 2022 at McAllen High School. Joel Martinez |
Treviño, The Monitor’s 2022-23 All-Area Utility Player of the Year, led the Mustangs to a 27-7 season and into the area round of the playoffs for the second consecutive season.
Trevino’s ability to find ways to the rim and consistent stroke from long range made him a challenge to slow down offensively as his attacking consistently created scoring opportunities around him.
Treviño was also voted Co-Most Valuable Player in District 31-5A.
Sub-5A Player of the Year: Vlady Rivera, Progreso
Progreso guard Vlady Rivera helped Progreso put together a 27-win season and picked up The Monitor’s 2022-23 All-Area Boys Basketball Sub-5A Player of the Year honors in the process.
| Progreso’s Vlady Rivera (3) attempts a basket against Monte Alto in a game at Progreso High School on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023, in Progreso. (Joel Martinez | [email protected]) Joel Martinez |
Rivera’s play throughout the season helped Progreso secure its first bi-district playoff victory since the late 1990s.
The senior sharpshooter led the Red Ants’ charge on the court by averaging a team-high 18.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.4 steals, 1.2 blocks and 1.1 assists. He finished with 123 made 3-pointers on the year.
Most Improved Player: Sebastiane Lopez, Edinburg Economedes
Lopez, a guard, upped his scoring average by nearly 20 points from his junior to senior season to earn The Monitor’s 2022-23 All-Area Most Improved Player recognition.
| Edinburg Economedes senior guard Sebastiane Lopez is The Monitor’s 2022-23 All-Area Boys Basketball Most Improved Player. Courtesy Photo |
After averaging 6.8 points as a junior, Lopez led District 31-6A in scoring with 24.4 points per game and recorded one 40-point game, nine 30-point games and 19 20-point games during his senior season. He also averaged 5.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game.
Lopez’s jump in production helped Edinburg Economedes reach the playoffs for the third consecutive season. Lopez was recognized by District 31-6A coaches as the district offensive player of the year.
Coach of the Year: Lucio Rodriguez, Edinburg Vela
Losing the top 10 scorers on a team due to graduation may seem like a tall hurdle for most, but it was a challenge Edinburg Vela and head coach Lucio Rodriguez met head on.
| Edinburg Vela head boys basketball coach Lucio Rodriguez reacts to the action on the court against Corpus Christi Flour Bluff in a Region IV-5A area round play game at Falfurrias High School on Thursday, Feb. 24, 2023, in Falfurrias. (Joel Martinez | [email protected]) Joel Martinez |
Rodriguez coached the SaberCats to their second consecutive district championship and into the area round of the playoffs to be named The Monitor’s 2022-23 All-Area Boys Basketball Coach of the Year.
The SaberCats went 16-2 in District 31-5A, arguably the toughest, and definitely the deepest district, in the Rio Grande Valley, with Rodriguez at the helm. He coached the SaberCats past Brownsville Pace in the bi-district round of the postseason and will return a solid core of players looking to chase a third straight district title next season.
Rodriguez was also voted District 31-5A Co-Coach of the Year by the district’s fellow coaches.