Foothill basketball returns many key players, should be a contender

By Jesse Granger

Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2016 | 1:47 p.m.

The Foothill High basketball team struggled at times last season in finishing fourth in the Southeast League. But it may have been worth it.

Foothill returns 11 players and four starters this season. Its top five scorers each also return, meaning the Falcons likely will contend for a league championship.

“This year we are just trying to win the Sunrise Region,” veteran Foothill coach Kevin Soares said. “Last year was kind of a rebuilding year for us and we made it to the second round, so this year we are trying to come out on top.”

Despite the youth, Foothill won a playoff game last season before being eliminated by Eldorado in the Sunrise Regional semifinals.

“(Last year) I learned that you really need to count on your teammates,” said senior forward Mauricio Smith, who averaged 10 points and a team-best eight rebounds per game last season. “If I can go out and count on my guys that we are going to come out on top.”

Marvin Coleman will be facilitating the offense after averaging nearly three assists per game as a sophomore.

“Marvin’s job is to get everybody involved,” Soares said. “(He needs to) get Mauricio the ball and get Jace Roquemore the ball.”

Roquemore played significant minutes as a freshman last season and is expected to contribute even more this year.

“T.J. Johnson is probably overall our best one-on-one player and we are going to depend on him to score some,” Soares said.

The Falcons are already showing signs of having one of the most balanced offenses in the Southern Nevada. Five different players scored in double-figures in Foothill’s 80-63 season opening win over Palo Verde on Tuesday.

“Offense wins games but defense wins championships,” Coleman said. “At the end of the day we want to win championships so we just have to do it.”