San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
Plenty of area talent on tap for inaugural All-Star event
More than 120 high school athletes are set to participate in the San Antonio Sports All-Star Basketball Games scheduled for Sunday at Northside Sports Gym.
There will be four games (two girls and two boys) spread across two divisions based on school size. In addition, there will be skills competition and a coed 3-point shooting contest.
Games from smaller school divisions (Class 4A-1A and private schools) will be held during the day. The girls game begins at noon and the boys starts at 2:15 p.m. Team Gold girls is coached by Boerne’s Amy Ruede, and Team Gold boys is headed by TMI’s Bruce Bowen, the former Spurs star. On the girls side, Team Black will be coached by La Vernia’s David Farber, and on the boys side Antonian’s Rudy Bernal will coach Team Black.
The larger school games (Class 6A-5A) will be held at night with the girls starting at 6 p.m. and the boys at 8:15 p.m. Team Gold’s coaches are Judson’s Christina Camacho (girls) and Brennan’s Koty Cowgill (boys). Clark’s Rihana Morgan (girls) and Reagan’s John Hirst (boys) lead Team Black.
The skills challenge and 3-point contest are scheduled between sessions from 4:45-5:30 p.m.
The San Antonio area’s leading boys scorer, guard John Jackson from Seguin, was selected for participation. Jackson averaged 27.9 points and 9.8
rebounds. Other notables include Reagan guard Aidan Richard, an Express-News Player of the Year finalist last season, who averaged 19.3 points per game, and Cole guard James Livingston (19.5 points), who led the Cougars to the state tournament.
In addition, San Antonio Veteran Memorial guards Gervai Maeweathers and Devin McCloud, who were part of the Patriots’ Region IV-5A championship teams the last two years, were selected. TMI’s senior guard Ojani Bowen will play for this father for the final time. Last season, they were part of the Panthers’ TAPPS state championship squad. Jay’s Elijah Baldwin, who ranks among the state’s top rebounders (12.4), is also playing.
Top girls players include Clark’s Arianna Roberson, the Duke signee who was also selected to play in the McDonald’s All-American Game on April 2 in Houston; Brandeis senior Rian Forestier,
the Southern California signee who averaged 25.8 points, 13.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 4.1 steals; and Lytle’s Calyssa Sevier, who became the third girl from Greater San Antonio to surpass 3,000 career points as she averaged 26.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 6.6 steals.
Boerne’s Averi Aaron and Abby Smith will play for Ruede for the final time. Together, they helped the Greyhounds make three trips to the UIL state tournaments over the last four years.
Roberson, Sevier and Smith are entered in the skills challenge. Top participants in the 3-point contest include O’Connor’s Luke Bledsoe, who made 107 from the arc, LEE’s Debi Hernandez, who made 103, and Seguin’s Desiree Zuniga, who made 101.
Ticket information is available at SanAntonioSports.org. Tickets are $20 for each session. The skills challenge and 3point contest are included in the evening session.