By Tom Waddill
Sports Editor
HUNTSVILLE — Seniors Jeremy LaDay, Marvin Dunbar and Justin Gilbert refused to listen to the people who said the Hornets were headed for a subpar season in 2009-10.
Huntsville’s run was done, some folks said last fall. That only fueled the fire for LaDay, Dunbar and Gilbert.
Dubbed the “Big Three” by their head coach, LaDay, Dunbar and Gilbert came to work every day, and hit it even harder on game nights. That talented trio led Huntsville back to the Region III tournament, where they lost a tough battle to the eventual state champions, Houston Yates, the top-ranked team in the country, according to several polls.
For their efforts, LaDay, Dunbar and Gilbert were voted to the All-District 18-4A team. LaDay and Dunbar were first-team selections, while Gilbert was voted Defensive Most Valuable Player. Four other Hornets — sophomore Kriston Minor, junior Jason Nwisienyi, junior Trevion Byrd and senior James Driscoll — were recognized for their work as well.
This week, LaDay landed on two more postseason teams. The Hornets’ top scorer and rebounder, LaDay was named to the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches all-region and all-state teams. He averaged 20.3 points and eight rebounds during the Hornets’ run to the Region III semifinals.
“When you look at that all-region list, there are maybe five kids on there from the Houston area,” Hornets coach Larry Carlson said Tuesday. “To be thrown in there with the best of the best from the Houston area, that’s quite impressive.
“The all-state list, there are even fewer Houston kids. That is the top 20 players out of about 3,000 kids playing on the Class 4A level. I think Jeremy deserved it. His play during this playoff run kind of cemented the deal for him.”
LaDay led the Hornets, second-place finishers in 18-4A, past two ranked teams in the state playoffs. After beating San Marcos in the bi-district round, Huntsville knocked off No. 25 C.E. King and 14th-ranked Del Valle before running into Yates.
LaDay poured in 35 points in the Hornets’ win over C.E. King, then he had 25 points and eight rebounds against Del Valle.
“Jeremy carried us offensively this season,” Carlson said, “and he led us in rebounding. That’s quite an accomplishment for a guard. He replaced Justin (Ennis) for us, but he was even more athletic. He could shoot it from the outside, plus he got to the basket more than any other player we’ve had in a while.”
Carlson said he was glad to see Dunbar and Gilbert get the recognition they deserved from the district’s coaches. Like LaDay, Dunbar (nine points per game, four assists and four rebounds) was a unanimous first-team selection. According to Carlson, Gilbert (11 points, seven rebounds and 3.5 steals) was the only player who got any votes for Defensive MVP.
“Marvin, being his third year on the varsity, he worked really hard for this honor,” Carlson explained. “Most of the guys on that (first-team) list are scorers. Marvin’s not. He’s a true point guard who is complimentary to a good scorer. He makes things happen. He’s able to handle the ball and get our other guys involved.
“Gilbert’s kind of like George (Perry). He can guard the big guy and he can guard the little guy. His leaping ability is unreal. He came up with a bunch of blocks from behind, those kind of LeBron James highlight-film blocks. He always matched him up with our toughest guy to guard and Justin seemed to get the job done most of the time.”
Terrell Reese of Brenham earned District MVP, Willis’ Quan West was chosen Newcomer of the Year and Brenham’s Bruce King was voted Coach of the Year.
Carlson said he was excited when the coaches in 18-4A chose two Huntsville players who are coming back in 2010-11 for the second team. Minor hit some huge shots for the Hornets this season, and Nwisienyi made giant strides as an inside player who can contribute both offensively and defensively.
“Kriston carried us against Montgomery and he also pulled the Brenham game out for us,” Carlson said. “He was one vote away from being Newcomer of the Year, but there were just so many good young kids in our district.
“I was also glad to see Jason on there. He always ripped down a lot of rebounds and he blocked shots. I’m looking for some really big and good things from Kriston, Jason and (Daniel) Hazlewood next season.”
