Boys Basketball All-District & Coach Chapman’s Senior Tributes!
Rylee Spaulding gets two points while 1st Team All-District Selections, Rico Griffin and Patrick McAuliffe look on. [Photo Credit: Mark Robinson / MJR Photography / www.mjrphotog.com]
Canyon Lake’s All-District for Boy’s Basketball was announced recently and The Lake had two players finish on the 1st Team and four other players that were recognized.
DISTRICT 28-4A BASKETBALL HONOR ROLL 1st Team: Rico Griffin Patrick McAuliffe 2nd Team: Tyler Pauly Honorable Mention: Nic Rivera Rylee Spaulding Peyton McMullen
Hawk Proud
Head Coach Lucas Chapman talked about the above players and Seniors for this years team.
Canyon Lake worked through injuries as their season finished just short in making the Playoffs.
Way to Go Hawks!!
Coach Chapman’s thoughts for the players mentioned above as well as the Seniors below:
Rico Griffin
In my opinion, Rico will go down as one of top players in our program’s history, if not the top player. He finishes his career at the top or 2nd in many stat categories, which shows how much of an all-around player he was. He not only could score and get to the free-throw line, but rebound, get steals, and pass the ball as well. Aside from his play on the basketball court, he is also a tremendous young man, who has a very bright future. He has been a joy to coach. It feels like he has been around for forever, so we will miss him in our program. I am thankful for all that he has done and that I was able to coach such a great player and young man.
Patrick McAuliffe
Very proud of the season that Patrick had, especially considering all that he went through. He started the season off with a devastating injuring. There was moment where it looked pretty grim for him being able to complete the season. When he first came back from his injury, it was a struggle, and I didn’t and he didn’t know if he was going to be able to come back and be the player we thought he could be. There were some mental hurdles for him to get over, and he was able to fight through those and play really well down the stretch. I am very proud of how he was able to overcome that adversity and excel.
He is a fierce competitor and plays really, really hard. It was fun being able to coach someone with that tenacity and work ethic. We will certainly miss him.
Way To Go Hawks!!
Tyler Pauly
Tyler is a young man with a ton of ability. He is able to see the floor and game in a way that you cannot really coach or teach. In our closing games, he played extremely well and made some big plays for our team. I was very proud and pleased with his maturity over the course of the season. He really matured and got to a point where he was leading on team on the offensive end of the floor. I am really excited that we get to have him around for another year. He will certainly be the engine that drives our team next year.
Nic Rivera
Nic is a great young man, who had a solid career for us. He will go down as one the best defensive players in our program’s history. It may not show on the stat sheet, but he was a guy that we could put on their best player and feel that he could cause enough problems for him to score. He is a great competitor and athlete, and we will miss him in our program.
Rylee Spaulding
Rylee is another great young man, who really excelled and had a great season. He is one of the best low-post players that we have had. He had some big games for us this year and really played well down the stretch. Most of all, I appreciate Rylee’s consistency and reliability. He was consistent each day in his mental approach and showing up ready to work. He was a great communicator on the court and always asked questions to get better. As a coach, you really appreciate and enjoy that.
Hit-Man says Way To Go Hawks!!
Peyton McMullen
Peyton really came out of his shell this season. Physically and athletically, he is very talented. He has an instinct for the ball on the defensive end of the floor. He does a great job of passing the ball and seeing the floor for a big man, and he was able to improve and be more aggressive scoring the ball. I am excited that we have one more season with him. He really had a break-through season this year, but I think he will be really special next year.
Seniors to get some love as well…
Ben Rowe
Ben is one of my all-time favorite players to coach. He is an outstanding young man, who was a great teammate and a solid player in our program. His consistency and reliability is matched by few that I have coached. I really appreciate how he was able to fill in and play multiple positions and roles for our team this year. We asked him to do a bunch of different things, and he always took it in stride and did it to the best of his ability. We will miss him in our program, as a player and a young man.
Trent MacRoberts
Just like Pat, Trent overcame a bunch of adversity this season. He had a devastating injury to start the season, and it took a really long time to come back to be an impactful player again. I know it was a tough season for him and not the way we wanted to finish out his career, but he played really well for us in our last few games. He is another great young man, and I know that overcoming the adversity he faced this season will make him stronger and tougher as he moves out into the real world.
Kyle Morris
Another great young man and team player. I know Kyle did not play as much as he would have liked, but the way he handled himself this season is extremely admirable. Not once did he openly complain or make it about himself or let it effect his effort in practice. With that said, he was able to come in at times and give us some really good minutes. He was always ready to go, and when his number was called, he was able to perform. I really appreciate Kyle’s selflessness, which I believe is one of the best traits people can have.
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Thanks Coach and way to go players as the Hawk Nation salutes your dedication to the sport you love and wish you well. Especially the Seniors as they prepare for their next chapter.
Go Hawks!!
