The 6-3 Valdez was among nine Temple and Belton players selected to the all-district squad. Wildcats junior guard D.J. Wright and Tigers senior guard Trey Lippincott were first-team players in voting by 13-5A’s head coaches.
Also, Temple sophomore guards Bron Etheridge and Lache Seastrunk were chosen to the second team.
Valdez shared the top newcomer award with College Station A&M Consolidated’s Jay Flowers.
The Wildcats (9-21) and Tigers (10-21) finished the season tied for sixth place in 13-5A with 1-11 records. Each team’s lone league win came on its rival’s home court.
Valdez led the Wildcats by averaging 13 points per game in 13-5A play, including a personal district-best 20 points against Belton in the season finale. He scored in double figures in eight of the Wildcats’ 12 district games.
Lippincott led Belton with an average of 13 points in district play. He scored a personal district-best 26 points in a home game against Killeen Ellison.
The Wildcats’ Wright averaged 8.1 points in 13-5A play.
Etheridge, who moved to point guard at the end of the season, was named to the second team. Son of coach Bruce Etheridge, he averaged 10.7 points per game in district play, including 22 to open 13-5A against A&M Consolidated.
Seastrunk, a 5-10 guard, averaged 8.7 points.
Belton’s honorable mentions were seniors Giovanni Dunn and Bobby Fajkus and sophomore Eric Braeuer.
Dunn led that trio of Tigers, averaging 7.8 points per game. Braeuer averaged 7.2 and Fajkus 6.3.
Derrick Davis, a sophomore who averaged 2.4 points per game in district play, was the Wildcats’ lone honorable mention selection.
Senior guard Allyn Cooks of district champion Bryan was voted 13-5A’s Most Valuable Player, Harker Heights big man George Nelson was named Defensive MVP and Bryan’s John Reese, a Temple graduate, was his peers’ choice as Coach of the Year.
rschneider@temple-telegram.com
