Check out the all-district honors for Memorial, Nederland and Port Neches-Groves
Published 12:36 am Tuesday, March 15, 2022
- Forward Ke’Andre Jones reaches for a layup in the Gamble Classic. (Chris Moore/The News)
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Basketball players from Nederland, Memorial and Port Neches-Groves received all-district honors for their performances this season.
District foe Beaumont United won the 5A state championship for the second year in a row, coming out of what might have been the most competitive district in 5A. Crosby made it to the regional tournament, and Nederland made it to the third round.
PNG freshman Edison Gaspar was named the district Newcomer of the Year.
Nederland’s Tripp Parker, CJ Guidry and Derrick Rhodes made the first team, along with Memorial’s Ke’Andre Jones.
Tripp Parker drives the lane during the Bulldogs’ 62-41 win over Memorial. (Chris Moore/The News)
Nederland Head Coach Brian English said he is proud of his team.
“Each one of these guys put in extra time,” he said.
“Some kids go to practice and some kids put in time. These kids put in extra time on their own, and in the end, it paid off for them. No only did we have a really good team year, they had really good individual years, as well.”
Nederland’s Ethan Borel made the second team, along with PNG’s Torryan Hinton and Memorial’s Kendall Hilstock.
PNG’s Torryan Hinton pushes the ball during a tournament game. (Chris Moore/The News)
“When you can get a couple of guys on the all-district team in this district, that tells that we have some good talent coming up,” Memorial Head Coach Alden Lewis said.
“Those guys were huge. Jones is really versatile. He can do a lot on the court. Most importantly, he is a bright student in the classroom. He is an up-and-coming kid. He works hard. He has a bright future ahead of him. He has good talent that will show in his senior year.”
Lewis said Hilstock showed great promise for the Titans. He and PNG’s Gaspar were the only freshmen to earn district honors.
“Kendall was actually thrown into the fire quicker than we wanted him to,” Lewis said. “He adjusted well towards the end of the season. He got good experience in his freshman year. He will be very, very good for us next year and have a bigger role alongside all of our other returning guys.”
Beaumont United’s Wesley Yates Jr. took home the district MVP and fellow Timeberwolve Terrance Arceneaux earned Defensive MVP. Crosby standout Sean “PJ” Haggerty earned Offensive MVP and BU Coach David Green earned Coach of the Year.
The district could open up a bit more next year as Beaumont United makes the jump to 6A.
Memorial, PNG and Nederland’s district has had a team in the state tournament five times in the past nine years.
