Gators’ height a big edge

Nick Christensen

Monday, Nov. 29, 2004 | 9:06 a.m.

Two years ago, Green Valley went undefeated in league play, then lost to Valley by 4 in a Sunrise Region semifinal.

Last year, the Gators were 8-4 in league play, then lost by two in a Sunrise quarterfinal to Valley.

This year, under first-year coach Adam Patai, the Gators have higher expectations. And in a city that generally doesn't produce tall basketball players, Green Valley has three 6-foot-7 who that could set the tone for Sunrise basketball this year. In fact, an informal poll of Sunrise coaches picked Green Valley as the top team in the Southeast this year.

Sophomore Billy White and seniors Alec Shaw and Matt Gonzales make up Green Valley's Big Three, with point guard Jordan Ragan directing traffic and providing the backcourt support.

"We've got good size... we've got a little bit of everything," Patai said. "It's a matter of putting it all together."

Gonzales said he has been focusing on off-the-court improvements to his game.

"Two years ago, I never was in the weight room before," Gonzales said. "The coaches said I needed to get bigger, and in the summer I was hitting the weights two times a day. Now no one can push me around like they used to."

Ragan has high expectations for his team this year.

"I see us winning the region and state," Ragan said. In that pursuit, his role is "being a leader, distributing the ball, getting the big men's heads in place."

Patai, who was an assistant at Liberty High School last year after coaching Bishop Noll in Indiana, said he's trying to sell his past successes on this year's team.

"Defense is something we want to emphasize strongly. My last few years at Indiana we had some teams that were rated in the Top 20 in the state for defensive average," Patai said. "Regardless of our talent we can go out and guard people.

"We've got good size, we've got a little bit of everything. It's just a matter of putting everything together."

As for the rest of the Sunrise Region, Coronado and Foothill still have boys' teams to contend with in the Southeast Division. Coronado returns senior guard Travis Stuman and bring on 6-foot-8 center Kyle Knowles after going undefeated in league play last year. State runner-up Foothill lost Jamaal Smith and Brandon Baker, but brings back forward Kevin Kreier.

Valley continues to be strong in the Northeast, and will have time to get a jump on Las Vegas while the Wildcats wait for several football players to finish their season. Rancho and new school Canyon Springs could make waves in that division.

The Sunrise Region continues to play second fiddle to the west side in girls' basketball -- one of the supposedly better teams in the Northeast, Las Vegas, gave up a state record 91 points to Centennial on Saturday -- but Rancho and Valley also return strong teams. Coronado, Silverado, Basic and Silverado are tentative preseason favorites in the Southeast Division.