The two-man game between point guard Cyrus Wallace and shooting guard Diego Riker made Dos Pueblos a tough basketball team to beat this season.
Both could handle the ball under pressure, find each other for open shots and knock down the three-pointer. Their contributions were instrumental in Dos Pueblos completing a worst-to-first season in the Channel League.
The league coaches recognized Wallace and Riker’s importance and named them Co-MVPs on the all-Channel League boys basketball team.
“Cyrus and Diego contributed to our success in numerous ways,” said DP coach Joe Zamora, who took the Chargers from 1-7 records the previous two years to a perfect 8-0 mark this season. “Their leadership, unselfishness, and competitive nature propelled us to a great season and a Channel League championship.”
Wallace averaged 14 points, three assists, 2.5 steals and shot 51 percent from the three-point line. Riker was a 48 percent shooter from behind the arc, made 81 per cent of his free throws, averaged 13.2 points and two assists per game.
“They knew how to find each other in the flow of the game and they had the ability to confuse defenses and make teams decide who they had to stop,” said Zamora.
In addition to Riker and Wallace being honored as MVPs, DP’s Thomas Jimenez and Marcellous Gossett earned first-team accolades.
San Marcos and Santa Barbara each placed two players on the first team. For the Dons, senior Ben Brown and junior Morgan Peus were selected, while juniors Jackson Stormo and Ryan Godges were the honored Royals.
Channel League Boys’ Basketball
2016-2017 Season All League Selection
Most Valuable Players
Cyrus Wallace, Dos Pueblos, junior
Diego Riker, Dos Pueblos, senior
Coach of the Year
Joe Zamora, Dos Pueblos
First Team
Thomas Jimenez, Dos Pueblos, senior
Marcellous Gossett, Dos Pueblos, senior
Jackson Stormo, San Marcos, junior
Ryan Godges, San Marcos, junior
Ben Brown, Santa Barbara, senior
Morgan Peus, Santa Barbara, junior
Second Team
Devin Cole, Buena, junior
Josh Edwards, Buena, junior
Tito Mendez, Buena, junior
Dylan Shugart, Dos Pueblos, senior
Stef Korfas, San Marcos, junior
Evan Thomas, Ventura, senior
Forrestt Hancock, Ventura, senior
Honorable Mention
Coby Barbar, Buena, junior
Colton Huyck, Dos Pueblos, senior
Daniel Arzate, Dos Pueblos, junior
David Frohling, San Marcos, junior
Ryan Fay, San Marcos, junior
Aiden Douglas, Santa Barbara, sophomore
Mikey Davidson, Ventura, junior
Connor McDermott, Ventura, junior