Key Things I Learned About Spanish Springs 13-4 Start
When we talk about teams who can make a deep run come playoff time Spanish Springs is a team that should not be left out of the discussion. Ranked currently as the 7th best team in the state, they are…
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Continue ReadingWhen we talk about teams who can make a deep run come playoff time Spanish Springs is a team that should not be left out of the discussion. Ranked currently as the 7th best team in the state, they are a team that can make the arguement of being the best team in Northern Nevada. The Cougars have been so close in capturing a state title the last few seasons. They have dominated their conference for three straight years. They fell to Arbor View in the quarterfinals a year ago. Can Spanish Springs get that elusive title that has avoided them?
Who Are Their Key Players? And What Have They Done So Far?
Mason Whittaker 6’5 SG 2020 (#44 2020) – Whittaker has made a solid case for Player of the Year. He is certaintly the key that starts the car. Thus far he is averaging 18.8 points 4.8 rebounds 2.3 steals. In a guard heavy state it is important to have a reliable player that can compete with the other great players. The most important word I used was compete that is all the sharpshooter from Northern Nevada does. He has a terrific motor and is the best defensive player on the team. As indicated he is averaging 2 steals per game. His highest scoring game so far this season was a 35 point performance against Eastlake and a season high 7 steal game against Liberty. Whittaker is a do everything kind of player. He will be the bigest factor moving forward.
Cordell Stinson 6’6 PF 2020 (#46 2020) – If Whittaker is the key than Stinson is the engine. Without Stinston being a dominating force inside the cougars would be missing the attitude. Stinson is one of the more agressive rebounders in the state. He is currenty averaging 8.9 rebounds along with 12.8 points. He has a feathery soft touch around the basket. I would consider him a solid stretch four. He is shooting 42% from the 3pt line. His friends and family may know him as Cordell I like to refer to him as the Folsom Cali killer. As I will get to later one of Spanish Springs best wins of the season came against 15-6 Folsom. This game reallly illustrated the player Stinston can be he scored 28 points 15 rebounds 3 steals and 3 blocks. Whittaker and Stinson make for a solid 1,2 punch.
Trey Hummel 6’3 SG 2020 – Hummel is one of the better high school wide recievers in the state his year on the gridiron was spectacular netting 15 TDs and over 1,000 yards. He is sleek and slender with the ultimate football built. He can also ball he has a 20 point game and 11 rebound game under his belt already. He’s a high IQ player who adds signifcant contributions for his team. The ultimate hustle player.
What Does Their Strength of Schedule Indicate?
So far this year Spanish Springs is 13-4. They are 5-0 at home 4-0 on the road and 4-4 on neutral sights. Spanish Springs started off the year playing and beating a solid Folsom team. Folsom this year has a record of 15-6. Spanish Springs also has what I would call a very impressive win against Monterey Trail High School. This win stands out to me because this California school has one of the better freshman tandems in Kevin Adams Jr and Varick Lewis. Lewis is one of the better freshman scorers you’ll read about. Lewis on the season is averaging 22 points and 6 rebounds, to beat this team on a neutral sight gave them the expereince they need when playing dynamic backcourts which Nevada has a lot of. Keep in mind Spainsh Springs held a 7 point halftime lead against Bishop Gormon in a playoff game two years ago. Playing in big games isn’t foreign for them.
Non-State wins are important. However, it is those big in state wins that matter the most. So far Spanish Springs is unbeaten against Nevada opponents including last weeks victory over highly ranked Bishop Manogue. The 1,2 punch of Whittaker and Stintson came up big in this one and Spanish Springs walked away with a 62-49 home win over their in state rival. They also knocked off McQueen led by stellar senior guard Kareem Rowe.
What’s Next?
The next few games is where Spanish Springs will really get into the meat and potatoes of their schedule. They still have two very tough rivalry games against 14-3 Reed High School. Reed is coming off a strong victory over Elko. The feature matchup here will be between Mason Whittaker vs Trey Stevens two of the better sharpshooters in all of Northern Nevada. Spanish Springs also plays a tough Reno High School team as well. These games are needed to see where you stack up against other really good teams in your state come playoff time. If not now than when? That is a solid question to ask when speaking about a team that is full of seniors. The SR leadership for this team is high. So this has to be their year. So far their senior leadership hasn’t dissapointed if they have shown anything it’s that they are battle tested and have the capabilites to make a deep run.
Predictions?
I do believe they have what it takes to eclipse last seasons mark where they won 23 games and another conference title. I believe this team is capable of another deep playoff run. How far they go is up to them and fate. They are a veteran team. I predict Mason Whittaker will make First-Team All State. When we talk about some of the best players in Northern Nevada he has to be considered if not the best top two. I think his numbers, production and overall expereince puts him in the category of a First Team All-State kind of player.