5a Varsity State Championship: Standouts & Evaluations

The 5a varsity State Championship lived up to the hype. It was everything people wanted. Both schools came out and played a tough game against each other. In the end the victor was Cleveland High School. Below is a list of standouts from the game.  Nathan Hasberry Nathan Hasberry 6'3" | SG Cleveland | 2021 State NM 6’4" F, 2021 Cleveland High School: Nathan Hasberry Nathan Hasberry 6'3" | SG Cleveland | 2021 State NM showed out again. The senior brought it against Las Cruces. There was no stopping the duo of Tre Watson Tre Watson 6'6" | PF Cleveland | 2021 State NM and Nate Hasberry. Both feed off each other and know where to find each other on the court. Nate works very well off the dribble and can attack from all angles. He made it very difficult to stop him when he got the ball in his hands. Las Cruces would collapse on him and Nate just kicked out to open players. He also played some very intense defense against Coach Benjamins tough offense.  Evan Gonzales Evan Gonzales 5'10" | PG Cleveland | 2021 State NM 6’0" G, 2021 Cleveland High School: Evan was a major handful for the Las Cruces offense. He shot the ball very well and was able to make some serious plays when the Cleveland offense needed him on multiple occasions. He shoots the ball in high numbers and is a very effective 3 point shooter from the corners. He gave the Las Cruces defense multiple issues from different areas of the court.  Tre Watson Tre Watson 6'6" | PF Cleveland | 2021 State NM 6’8" F, 2021 Cleveland High School: Tre is a solid forward who moves very well. His footwork is exceptional and he is an absolute beast around the rim. He is a strong finisher who plays a nasty in  your face defense. He gave 6’11" center Isaiah Carr Isaiah Carr 6'11" | C Las Cruces | 2022 State NM a very hard time because of Watson’s size and strength. At 6’8" Tre is a handful for any team he plays.    Isaiah Carr Isaiah Carr 6'11" | C Las Cruces | 2022 State NM 6’11" C, 2022 Las Cruces High School: One of the best rim protectors that I have seen in a long time. He is by far the best rim protector I have ever seen from New Mexico. Isaiah had 7 huge blocks against a very tough Storm team. He made it very hard for Storm players to get near the rim because of his crazy wingspan. Cleveland had to make some major adjustments to get around Carr’s size and length around the rim.  Isaiah ended up with 13 points , 12 boards and 7 blocks. He showed why he is ready for Division 1 College play.  William Deuce Benjamin 6’3" G, 2022 Artesia High School: Deuce is a very impressive player to watch. He is extremely bouncy and finish very strong at the rim. Cleveland struggled in the first half with Deuce’s athletic ability. Just when they thought they had him trapped Deuce would step off a ball screen and hit a three. They tried to contain him multiple ways and failed at all of the attempts until the second half. Deuce was attacking the rim at will and was able to create the Bulldawgs entire offense. Congratulations to the Cleveland Storm on winning their first championship.