Hug's Johnson commits to Montana State, others weighing options.
Hug (Reno, Nev.) forward Tre Johnson knows where he will be playing basketball next season (Montana State) but several players in southern Nevada remain undecided on their college choices.
At least seven seniors from the Las Vegas valley could sign a letter of intent when the spring signing period begins next Wednesday, including Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) point guard Cory Joseph and Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) point guard John Loyd. 
John Loyd, Bishop Gorman
File photo by Louis Lopez
Joseph, who is ranked as the No. 20 player in the country according to MaxPreps.com, is still mulling over offers from Connecticut, Minnesota, Texas, UNLV and Villanova. Reportedly, the frontrunners are Texas, where Findlay Prep teammate Tristan Thompson has signed, and Villanova, although Joseph appears to be in no rush to make a decision. He is fresh off winning the 3-point shooting contest at the McDonald's All-American Game and taking MVP honors while leading the Pilots to the title at the ESPN RISE National High School Invitational.
Loyd, who helped the Gaels to their second straight Nevada 4A state title and the No. 7 spot in the final Xcellent boys basketball rankings, reportedly is deciding between Creighton, Northwestern, Santa Clara, Southern Methodist, Texas Christian and Virginia.
Johnson, meanwhile, is expected to be the only player from northern Nevada to sign with a Division I school. A three-sport star in football, basketball and track at Hug (Reno), the 6-foot-7 Johnson averaged 19.3 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks per game as a senior. He also had offers from Sacramento State and Boise State before the school fired coach Greg Graham.
"All the people I talk to who know about basketball are always telling me that once I just focus on basketball I should grow a lot as a player," Johnson told the Reno Gazette-Journal.
Cimarron-Memorial (Las Vegas, Nev.) guard Kevin Olekaibe, who led the state in scoring at 35.6 points per game, has visited Fresno State and will trip to San Francisco on April 23. The 6-1 Olekaibe is also hearing from Boise State, Florida International, St. Joseph’s and UCLA.
Foothill (Henderson, Nev.) guard Evan Roquemore has been offered by Air Force and Eastern Washington. In addition, the 6-3 standout is drawing interest from Ball State and Fairfield, although he could go the prep school route.
Brandon Glanz of Coronado (Henderson, Nev.), a 6-5 forward, has an offer from Idaho State, while Joseph's Findlay Prep teammate Godwin Okonji, a 6-8 forward, is deciding between several schools, including Hawaii, Missouri, New Mexico and Texas Tech. Also, Findlay Prep guard Marko Petrovic has been offered by San Francisco.
GARRITANO REACHES MILESTONE
Green Valley (Henderson) baseball coach Nick Garritano earned his 300th career victory on Tuesday when the Gators beat Coronado (Henderson) 12-3 in a Southeast League game. Garritano, who did his best to keep the accomplishment quiet, is in his 12th season as Green Valley's coach and has won two state titles since taking over for legendary coach Rodger Fairless.
“We had no idea it was his 300th win today,” Gators shortstop Brett Harrison told NevadaPreps.com. “He’d never say anything about it. He’s a real humble coach, and he’s always here for us. He’s never here for himself.”
Harrison hit a two-run home run in the fourth inning to put Green Valley (14-4, 2-1) ahead for good.
FINDLAY PREP DEFENDS TITLE
After a turbulent season, Findlay Prep (Henderson) played arguably its best basketball of the season when it mattered most as the Pilots defended their title at the ESPN RISE National High School Invitational.
Cory Joseph scored 17 points to lead Findlay Prep to a 59-46 win over Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) in the championship game Saturday in Baltimore. Joseph was named the tournament MVP after averaging 20.3 points over the three games.
The Pilots (32-2) overcame the midseason departure of guard Jabari Brown, who returned home to Oakland, Calif., and the program's uncertain future to finish No. 5 in the final Xcellent 25 boys basketball rankings and avenge a 54-51 loss to Montverde on Jan. 30.
“I told our guys, 'This is one of the two teams that beat us, and you should hate losing more than you love winning,’ ” Pilots coach Michael Peck told NevadaPreps.com.
Findlay Prep is affiliated with Henderson International, which announced Feb. 26 it would no longer operate its high school campus after this school year, leaving the basketball program in limbo. Peck said he anticipates the situation will be resolved by the end of the academic year on May 28.
David Schoen works at the Las Vegas Review-Journal, and is a former Associate Sports Editor and Turn2 columnist for the Oakland (Calif.) Tribune. You can reach him at ByDavid1@aol.com.
