Coronado High School basketball coach Jeff Kaufman is pictured inside his office adjacent to the Cougars’ gym on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023.
Friday, Nov. 24, 2023 | 2 a.m.
The mural of photos adorning the walls of Jeff Kaufman’s office at Coronado High School shows how dominant his Cougars basketball program has become.
There’s an image of Jaden Hardy, a McDonald’s All-American at Coronado and now in his second NBA season with the Dallas Mavericks. There’s Sebastian Mack, who graduated last season and is starting at UCLA, and Pop Isaacs, who last season was the Big 12 Conference’s Freshman of the Year at Texas Tech.
All that’s missing: Photos documenting a state championship.
Kaufman hopes to add those images in a few months.
The Cougars, with a roster of players expected to make an impact at the next level, are the No. 1 team in the Sun’s preseason top-10. The season begins this weekend.
“We have a few goals in mind,” Kaufman says. “First, for our kids to be good students, and of course, to put a good product on the floor to win a state championship. That’s all that matters. Guess what? We don’t have one. Other schools (we are competing against) do. Let’s change that.”
Bishop Gorman was the state’s dominant force through the 2020 season in winning nine consecutive state championships. Liberty won in 2022 and Durango in 2023. The 2021 season, when Hardy’s Cougars would have been the favorites, was canceled amid pandemic closures.
Parity will be a common theme this season, with Coronado, Gorman, Durango and Arbor View projected to be contenders.
Kaufman feels he has the team that could be the last one standing. In the past, Coronado has had a dominant scorer like Hardy but lacked in other areas.
“This team is different,” Kaufman stresses. “This team is made up of a bunch of blue-collar athletes who will get dirty and scrap and who are going to play hard. This team has so many weapons who can do everything. We are eight (players) deep.”
Senior guard Josiah Cunningham, who has scholarship offers from Southern Utah and Columbia, averaged in double figures last season and is considered one of the city’s top players. Tee Bartlett, a 6-foot-11 junior post player, has scholarship offers from Washington, Xavier, Mississippi State and others. His size alone gives Coronado an edge.
And he won’t be the only matchup problem, as junior Lantz Stephenson is 6-foot-6 and junior JJ Buchanan is 6-foot-5. Most teams are lucky to have one player with that kind of height.
“We definitely have the size this year,” Kaufman said.
Coronado will spend the preseason traveling out of state seven times to compete in a who’s who of tournaments, including the Nike Extravaganza in Los Angeles and Tampa Slam in Florida. The expectation is those games will showcase that toughness Kaufman believes will be his team’s calling card and prepare the Cougars for the rigors oftaking on Gorman, Liberty and the others in February.
Coronado won’t hide from the preseason projections and hype. In fact, Kaufman said the Cougars are constantly bringing up the goal of winning a state title. After all, it’s time to add to the mural.
Here’s the rest of the Sun’s preseason top-10:
Bishop Gorman
Last year: Lost in the Class 5A regional semifinals
Players to watch: Ryder Elisaldez, who is committed to the University of San Diego, is a three-year varsity contributor and Gorman’s most experienced player. He’s joined in the backcourt by junior Nick Jefferson, who has scholarship offers from the University of Texas-San
Antonio and Southern Utah and is poised for a breakout season.
About the Gaels: The Gorman roster features many inexperienced players in key positions, but coaches anticipate the Gaels will quickly develop into a championship-contending squad. Gorman last won state in 2020 and last year didn’t reach the tournament, giving the current team plenty of motivation to regain its claim as the city’s premier team. One point is certain: The Gaels will be tested. They are scheduled to play in a who’s who of national tournaments in the preseason, giving the younger players plenty of opportunities to make a name for themselves.
Liberty
Last year: State runner-up
Players to watch: The Patriots have many capable players, including guard Kaeden Castillero, who averaged six points per game last season and is a three-year varsity player. Senior Andre Porter, a UNLV football commit, on the interior and Tyus Thomas in the backcourt each were key contributors in last season’s run to the state title game.
About the Patriots: Liberty has played in back-to-back state championship games, dethroning Gorman to win the title in 2022 and blowing a second-half lead in falling last season to Durango. But those Liberty teams were led by DJ Thomas, a generational talent who reclassified and left high school after his junior season to enroll at UNLV. The Patriots will have a different look and feel without Thomas running the show, looking for someone to step up and lead the way — possibly Tyus Thomas, a sophomore and DJ’s brother.
Arbor View
Last year: Lost in the first round of the Class 5A regional
Players to watch: The Aggies went from a likely contender to state favorite when Pharaoh Compton, a 6-foot-8 forward who signed with San Diego State, returned to Las Vegas from a prep school in Arizona. Compton, a four-star recruit, will likely be the best player on the court every night. He’s joined by Arbor View’s core group of players — Maximus Romero, Jalen Dickel, DeMarion Yap, Brian Townsend and Sebastian Knox — whose experience is unmatched after mostly competing the past two seasons together.
About the Aggies: Arbor View was close to breaking through last season, when it lost by one point to Gorman and gave Coronado fits in a six-point defeat. And during nonleague games, the Aggies won 15 of 16 contests to open the season. Arbor View is four seasons removed from the program’s lone berth in the state tournament, growing each year with its foundation of younger players. Townsend led them in scoring last season and Romero also averaged in double figures, but coaches sense they have a roster of players who can make the big play when called upon. More important: They have the confidence they can win against the perennial power programs in the city.
Mojave
Last year: Class 4A state champions
Players to watch: Junior CJ Shaw, who holds a scholarship offer from UNLV, averaged 26 points, six rebounds and four assists per game last year in being named Class 4A Player of the Year. He’ll be joined by returners Zarshon Cousin and Zaccarion Jackson.
About the Rattlers: Mojave, which spent the past two seasons building its program in the Class 4A, is embracing being realigned to the top classification and feels it has one of the state’s top teams. The Rattlers went 2-1 in nonleague games last year against Class 5A schools to show they won’t be a pushover, even if the one loss was a 30-point setback to Gorman.
Desert Pines
Last year: Lost in the first round of the Class 5A regional
Players to watch: Desert Pines has a core group of returners led by junior guard Prince Davis (nine points and two assists per game last season), who coaches say have made noticeable improvements in their game. Forward Damonte Duhart, at 6-foot-7, averaged nearly 10 rebounds per game last season, and sophomore Curtis Coleman is expecting to have a strong season as a first-time starter.
About the Jaguars: Desert Pines, a perennial top-10 team, was leading Bishop Gorman by as many as 12 points in the second half in the first round of the Class 5A regional playoffs last season before squandering the lead in the final three minutes. The Jaguars’ players will tell you they expected to win that game. They will also tell you they aren’t afraid of playing against any team in town. Greg Burrell, one of the would-be top Desert Pines players, intends to graduate in December to enroll early at UNLV on a football scholarship. Yet, Jags coach Dame Harris is confident in the players in his program, saying they’ve played 15 nationally ranked teams in offseason leagues and more than held their own.
Centennial
Last year: Lost in the first round of the Class 5A regional
Players to watch: Senior guard RJ Nance, who signed with University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, averaged 16 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals per game last season. Gavin Ahlstrom is well on his way to being an elite outside shooter, and sophomore Jaxon Price is expected to make an impact.
About the Bulldogs: Centennial made significant strides last season in coach Karen Weitz’s maiden campaign. The legendary girls coach and Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame member guided both the Bulldogs boys and nationally ranked girls programs for the first time last season. The boys found their way late in the year with wins against Faith Lutheran, Foothill and Desert Pines to close the season. And in the playoffs they kept the game interesting against eventual state champion Durango before losing by 11. The expectation is the Bulldogs continue to improve, especially with Weitz’s focus on stingy defense and fundamentally sound play on the offensive end. Many agree, the Bulldogs will be a tough out in the playoffs in February.
Foothill
Last year: Lost in the first round of the Class 5A regional
Players to watch: Zak Abdalla, a junior guard, is considered one of up-and-coming players in Southern Nevada. He averaged 17 points and six rebounds per game last season, and has the outside shooting touch to instantly take over a game. Senior Shawn Salazar (nine points per game in 2022-23) and Chris Natale (seven points) also return to give Foothill a strong foundation.
About the Falcons: Foothill posted a 5-6 record in Class 5A games last season — good enough to narrowly stay in the classification during realignment. The Falcons take pride in giving opponents fits, such as narrowly losing last February to state power Liberty by five points. Coach Chris Crunk is one of the area’s respected young coaches and gets the most out of the roster. The opposition is always on upset alert against Crunk’s Falcons because they play tough defense and compete until the final whistle.
Spring Valley
Last year: Lost in the Class 4A regional quarterfinals
Players to watch: The return of senior guard Alijah Adem from a knee injury makes Spring Valley an instant contender. Adem is one of the state’s top players in averaging 26.4 points, 7.8 assists and three steals per contest in 2021-22 and leading Spring Valley to the Class 4A state title game before missing all of last season after tearing his ACL. Senior Jamison McCall, a starter two seasons ago, also returns from an ACL injury. Jordon Cosby, who last season averaged 12 points per game, should benefit from having quality playmakers back in the lineup.
About the Grizzlies: Spring Valley, especially with its top players back from injury, is relishing the challenge of being elevated to Class 5A. Coach Paul Blair feels he has some of the best players in Southern Nevada, and the schedule gives them an opportunity to prove it. The Grizzlies turn every game into a track meet, quickly pushing the ball up the court to create scoring opportunities and playing pressure defense. The goal is to lead the classification in scoring average and, come February, be a spoiler in the postseason.
Silverado
Last year: State runner-up in Class 4A
Players to watch: The Skyhawks have a handful of notable returners, including Cyril Franklin Jr., Marcell Simpson and Michael Andersen.
About the Skyhawks: Silverado needed a 3-pointer at the buzzer to advance in the first round of the Class 4A playoffs last season, and then went on a run all the way to the state title game. The expectation is they’ll continue to grow in coach Franklin’s second-year at the helm, although another postseason run will be a challenge after the program was elevated to the top class.
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