Offensive Player of the Year: Ashley Gonzalez, Harvest Christian
Harvest Christian's Ashley Gonzalez looked natural when she picked up a basketball.
Gonzalez averaged 22 points and 4.5 assists per game this season, leading the Eagles to the TAPPS 1A state title.
Gonzalez named Monitor's 2023-24 Women's Basketball Offensive Player of the Year
The senior guard scored more than 3,000 points in his four years at Harvest Christian and will play college basketball next season at Southwestern Assemblies of God University in Waxahachie.
Gonzalez was versatile offensively and at times looked far superior to his opponents skill-wise as the Eagles played and won against some of the Valley's best teams.
Co-Defensive Player of the Year: Emily Carranco and Madison Martinez, Edinburg High School
In basketball, defense wins titles and helps create offense. Edinburg High School, the Valley's best team, did just that, led by two of its best players in Emily Carranco and Madison Martinez.
Carranco was great at leading the zone, using his length to cut off passing lanes, downshifting to contest shots, and gathering rebounds. Carranco had five defensive rebounds, three steals and one block per game for the Bobcats this season.
“(Carranco) did a great job being our tallest girl,” Edinburg High School head coach JD Salinas said. “She didn’t have a lot of blocks, but she had good timing, especially when we needed that play.”
Martinez said the Bobcats held defensive practice Wednesday after a difficult game Tuesday.
Martinez locked down on the perimeter, led the team with four steals a night, and also grabbed 3.5 defensive rebounds per game. Salinas praised Martinez's IQ while playing defense.
“Personally, I prefer defense over offense,” Martinez said. “It felt like everything happened naturally, so when I saw my stats updated at the end of the season, it felt good. I enjoyed playing defense.”
Martinez signed to play college hoops at Concordia. Carranco signed with Texas A&M University-San Antonio.
Both players turned defense into offense. Carranco averaged 23 points and Martinez averaged 17 points per game.
Utility Player of the Year: Janai Coleman, Edinburg Vela
The Upper Valley had a lot of talented players who could do it all, and one of those versatile players was Janai Coleman.
Coleman did everything in his power to help the SaberCats win the Monitor's Player of the Year award.
The senior guard averaged a double-double and helped the SaberCats to 31 co-district wins, a 5A championship and a 5A area round victory.
Coleman covered the entire court for Edinburg Vela, averaging 20 points, 10 rebounds, 3.5 steals, and 2 assists per game. Coleman easily beats players off the dribble and has a nice step back that allows him to drop low and easily go for the bucket.
“I did the best I could, even with my injuries and body pain,” Coleman said. “I love the sport of basketball, and I wanted to get to the top again, so I just worked hard.”
Coleman showed off his ability in an area match against Gregory Portland in Falfurrias.
A versatile athlete, he decided to remain in Edinburg to play college basketball. Coleman plans to sign with UTRGV.
Newcomer of the Year: Ebony Chatman, Sharyland Pioneer
Sharyland Pioneer's Ebony Chatman lights up District 31-5A as a freshman, averaging 15 points and eight rebounds per game as the Diamondbacks, who missed the playoffs last year, share the District 31-5A title. contributed to that.
Chatman won Monitor's Newcomer of the Year award.
The Diamondbacks freshman led the team in scoring with three steals, two assists and one block per game.
Chatman and the Diamondbacks also won the bidivision playoffs, and Chatman received extra defensive support from opposing teams in key games late in the season.
Chatman said he still has some things to work on, citing offensive rebounding and defense as areas to work on.
“I’ve worked and played basketball all my life,” Chatman said. “So it feels really good to finally start seeing it.”
The next three years look bright for Pioneer's Chatman.
Sub-5A MVP: Leila Perez, Donna Idea
Donna IDEA's Layla Perez averaged a near triple-double her senior year and won the District 31-3A MVP award for the second consecutive season.
Perez is the Monitor's sub-5A MVP for the 2023-2024 season.
The Upper Valley has a number of teams competing in Class 5A and 6A UIL basketball. Class 3A teams, especially those from his IDEA school system, are still improving, and Perez has been a central figure in that development.
“Growing up in IDEA, no one talked about athletics,” Perez said. “We've always been the underdog. Usually people don't know who we are, and any opportunity given to us to put ourselves out there and get everyone's attention, will do it.”
“This program has given me the freedom to grow as a person and show the little girls at school that you can do it too. It's a dream come true. I achieved my first 1,000 points at IDEA Donna when I was little. “I had a goal to do that, and it was really amazing to accomplish that and make history,” Perez said.
Perez averaged 19 points, 11 steals and nearly nine rebounds per game. Perez helped Donna Idea to a bi-district playoff victory this season and also received all-region honors.
“She spent her summers and offseasons perfecting her technique and skills. She mentored my eight juniors and taught them the ropes of Lady Titan basketball.” is a two-time 3A All-Region team, two-time District 31-3A MVP, two-time Rookie of the Year, Monitor Sub-5A MVP, and of course, a First Lady Titan, attracting attention from young athletes. “He leaves behind a great legacy: scoring 1,000 career points,” said IDEA Donna head coach Andrew Sierra.
Coach of the Year: John David Salinas, Edinburg High School, Jaime Gonzalez, Harvest Christian.
There was some great coaching in the Upper Valley during the 2023-24 season, especially in the Edinburg area where three of the top teams are based.
Edinburg High School's John David Salinas led the Bobcats to a 36-3 record and a district title and area round victory, while Harvest Christian's Jaime Gonzalez went 42-1 and won the TAPS1A state title.
Gonzalez praised the team for maintaining its vision and working hard in practice every day.
“As long as we were getting better, that was the goal every day,” Gonzalez said. “When you have a vision in mind and work on it every day, you make memories along the way and try to enjoy it as much as possible. The end result when you get there is always rewarding. That's what we did this year. That’s what I preach and practice.”
Gonzalez said that trend was reinforced by the Eagles' successful defense of the state title the past few seasons.
Edinburg's two coaches will help develop some of the best talent in the Valley and lead their programs to success during the 2023-24 season and likely into the future, with both programs still rich in talent. is.
All of Edinburg High School's losses were by single digits, the highest being an eight-point loss to San Antonio Harlan, and Harvest Christian's only loss was a six-point loss to Edinburg High School.
Salinas is always quick to praise the hard work of his staff and, of course, his team, which was the best in the Valley.
“I knew it was going to be good, but I didn't expect it to be 36-3,” Salinas said. “This is an incredible record and probably the best record in EHS history.”
