Christopher Hawkins has Canyon Springs poised for playoff run

After winning three consecutive Sunrise Region titles, the Canyon Springs boys basketball team struggled to reach .500 last season, and coach Freddie Banks knows why.

“Last year, without a point guard, you can’t do anything,” Banks said.

That hasn’t been a problem for the Pioneers this season. Senior Christopher Hawkins has taken over at the point, and has the team poised for another strong postseason run. Canyon Springs (20-2) hosts Silverado (11-16) in the Class 4A Sunrise Region quarterfinals at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The Sunset and Class 3A Southern Region tournaments also begin Tuesday at host sites.

“Chris has made a big difference,” Banks said. “When you have a point guard that can shoot the ball, play defense, run the court for you, it makes a big difference. The one year he’s played for me, he’s done a tremendous job.”

Hawkins, who sat out last season after transferring from Quest Academy, led the team in scoring, averaging 17.1 points during the team’s eight Northeast League games. He thinks the team is ready to push for another region title. The Pioneers have won six region championships, five since 2010.

“It feels great to go into the playoffs with this team I have behind me,” Hawkins said. “I feel like we can make a real big push this year.”

The addition of Hawkins isn’t the only change for Canyon Springs according to junior guard Kevin Legardy. He said improved defense has been one of the biggest factors in the team’s turnaround.

“And we move the ball more,” said Legardy, who averaged 15.6 points in league play. “We didn’t play as a team last year. We’ve got more confidence now. We see we can play with anybody now. And we’re just ready.”

Hawkins said the team has played well as a unit since returning from a trip to California in late December.

“It’s just chemistry,” Hawkins said. “We know where everybody wants to be, how we play with each other. And we just go out and play.”

The Pioneers have won 10 consecutive games since a 74-57 loss to top-ranked Clark on Jan. 5. Still, the team hasn’t received as much hype as the top three teams on the Sunset side: Clark, Bishop Gorman and Centennial. Those were the top three teams in the final Southern Nevada boys coaches poll. The Pioneers were fifth behind Coronado (15-9) despite having a better winning percentage than any area team in Class 4A or 3A.

“You know what, we’ve always been overlooked,” Banks said. “Ever since I’ve been doing this we’ve been overlooked. But I always tell my kids, ‘look, it’s about us and them.’ And if we come out and play like we normally do, we’re going to be fine.”

Legardy said the Pioneers are prepared to prove the doubters wrong.

“We just want to make a statement, because everybody talks down on us,” Legardy said. “So we’re trying to prove everybody wrong.”

Contact prep sports editor Damon Seiters at dseiters@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4587. Follow @DamonSeiters on Twitter.