By Chris Parker
Southwest boys basketball has all the pieces in place to climb over the .500 mark for the first time since 2013-14. An experienced core of upperclassmen returns including three all-conference players.
Senior Cruz Marquez was a Second-Team All-SWCL selection last season. He averaged 18.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 3.4 steals per game.
“(He is a) very athletic guard who can attack and shoot the ball,” Southwest head coach Rusty Roe said. “(He is a) great on the ball defender.”
Fellow senior Caden Uthe was named honorable mention all-conference. He averaged 13.7 points, 3.6 assists, 2.6 steals and 3.4 rebounds per game last year.
“(Uthe is a) long point guard who sees the floor well and has a great IQ for the game,” Roe said.
Junior Zak Corwin rounds out the returning all-conference players. He also earned honorable mention all-conference honors averaging 10.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 1.9 assists per game last year.
“(Corwin is a) great rebounder for Southwest. He became one of our biggest threats for three-point shooting,” Roe said. “He has a great ability to go coast-to-coast and finishes strong at the rim.”
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The junior trio of Rayden Blackburn, Lucas Paulsen and Brandon Brooks along with sophomore Brendyn Paulsen all are also expected to contribute for Southwest.
Roe on Blackburn: “Perhaps the most overall athletic player returning for the Trojans. He has proved that he can defend the basket very well and has the ability to block shots in transition. If he proves to be stronger with the basketball this season it will be hard to keep him out of the starting lineup.”
Roe on Lucas Paulsen: “Lucas has a great amount of potential as a guard for us this year. He plays very physical and has the size to help. His scoring has improved greatly and his in-game decision making has improved as well. Look for him to make a big impact in games this year.”
Roe on Brooks: “Guard with very good length. Very dangerous three-point shooter when he gets hot. Brandon is willing and capable of playing multiple positions on the floor and is a very unselfish player wherever he is needed.”
Roe on Brendyn Paulsen: “Big man inside who can step out and has a good three-point shot. Has become more comfortable inside. He has put a lot of work in and has increased his overall strength. Growing a couple more inches since this past year will help as well.”
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The Trojans open the regular season Nov. 19 at home against Exeter.
“We have mostly juniors and seniors with a great amount of varsity experience. We should also be a deep team with several guys competing for spots,” Roe said. “I believe our community and school have high expectations for our basketball team. We are glad to get to play with these expectations on us. However, our job is the same as any other year; just show up each day and do the best we can with what we have.”
