Foothill using depth to big advantage

The Foothill boys basketball team has something that every team at every level of basketball strives for. It doesn’t turn heads like a 40-point night, but it’s essential to every squad with postseason dreams.

Foothill has a bench. Specifically, the Falcons have a deep unit that has led them to an undefeated start against Nevada teams (14-3 overall), and has positioned them well for a strong run to a Southeast League title.

“You want that depth, especially because later in the season kids kind of get worn down,” coach Kevin Soares said. “But if you can spread those minutes out throughout the season, then they might have fresher legs come the postseason.”

That’s not to say Foothill doesn’t have stars. Junior Marvin Coleman leads the team with 8.3 rebounds per game and 5.8 assists, and his 13.8 points per game barely trail senior Mauricio Smith’s 13.9 for the team lead. Throw in sophomore Jace Roquemore and his 9.4 points per game and the Falcons have a trio that can carry a team.

It’s just that the stars don’t need to carry the Falcons the way other teams’ stars do. Outside of Foothill’s big three, senior T.J. Johnson is making better than 85 percent of his free throws, senior Steven Ayala has connected on 13 of his 17 field goals and senior Carl Fischer has 10 blocks in 16 games. Thirteen Falcons have played at least 11 games this season.

“It’s team basketball. One player can’t beat you,” Coleman said. “We are different from most teams because every night anybody can score at any time.”

Then there’s Kai Gamett. The senior sharpshooter might not post double-digit point totals every game, but he has made his presence felt by doing the thing that you need to do if you’re a 5-foot-10-inch basketball player: shoot.

And shoot he has. Gamett started the season by hitting 17 of his first 35 shots from 3-point range. While he has cooled down, he is still shooting nearly 39 percent on 3s, which leads the team. Of his 54 field-goal attempts, 44 have been from that range.

“When I’m on the court, I like to be the best shooter on the court, and if I’m open I have to make it,” Gamett said. “My team expects me to make it, so whenever I’m open, I shoot the ball. Part of me just knows it’s going to go in.”

Only one other team in the Southeast League has a winning record. Overall four of the Sunrise Region’s 11 teams sit above .500, so this could be the year the Falcons make some noise.

Foothill last won the Southwest League in 2014. The Falcons’ last Sunrise Region title was in 2008. They have played in the state tournament twice but never won it. All of those numbers could be updated if the Falcons accomplish what they think they can.

“We play to win titles,” Soares said. “First of all, we want to win our division. Secondly, we want to win region. And thirdly, we’d like to win state. In that specific order, that’s what we’d like to do.”

Contact Justin Emerson at jemerson@reviewjournal.com or (702) 387-2944. Follow @J15Emerson on Twitter.