5 to look out for in 2015

Before I get going, I’d like to personally wish a happy and prosperous New Year to every, single student athlete, coach and fan in the Houma-Thibodaux area.

Top to bottom, each guy and gal that I cover deserves a pat on the back for a job well done in 2014. The people who take the time out of their schedules to watch the games are worthy of a shoutout, too, because without their love of sports, my job would be a lot less interesting.

This issue marks my fifth anniversary with this newspaper, and throughout the ride, I’ve built friendships and connections that will last forever – something I’m grateful for.

I’ve also seen some of the most exciting, entertaining games that I’d ever witnessed in my 27 years of living. To be able to be a witness to those events are why I’d take my job over almost any other in the world, and for that, I feel extremely blessed.

Now, let’s get to business and delve into the meat of this final Casey’s Corner column of the year.

The 2014 calendar year was awesome for local sports, and I’ve had more fun this year than I have in any other year at our paper. We had good teams and good storylines across almost every sport, and the 11 high schools that I cover truly kept me on my toes at every turn.

Through our pages, we’ve done the best that we’ve could to tell the stories of the players within those teams to paint an accurate, unbiased picture of who the young men and women are that make up our local sports scene.

Some folks have gotten a ton of ink in the past 12 months – players like Justin Williams, Theresa Plaisance, Peyton Bonvillain, Jewel Triggs and local other standouts who have made 2014 their personal playgrounds.

But today, I want to focus on the next generation, so to speak – the young men and women who are on the cusp of superstardom and will become big-time hot commodities in 2015.

Keep an eye on these folks – I’m warning you all now. Many of these kids will be the big-time newsmakers in the next year. Pay no mind to the order. We’ve listed these players alphabetically.

CASEY’S TOP 5 for 2015

1. Terrebonne High swimmer Alec Adams

Swimming is one of those sports that fly a bit under the radar locally because the meets take place in the middle of the day, and the sport runs smack-dab in the middle of prep football season. But in 2015, look out for Alec Adams. He’s going to be a force for the Terrebonne Tigers. As an underclassmen last season, Adams was a state runner-up, scoring points for Terrebonne at the LHSAA State Swimming Meet. Adams swims a ton of events and will be someone to keep an eye on in the next 12 months. If he was a runner-up in 2014, he just might be in line to bring home the gold the next time around. Circle August and September on your calendars and make sure that you remember the name Alec Adams. While you’re at it, don’t forget about the young men and women at E.D. White, Vandebilt and South Lafourche, either. Those three teams are always among the best in Louisiana in the pool.

2. South Lafourche freshman guard Traya Bruce/freshman forward Victorianna Nelson

There’s something really special going on right now south of the Intracoastal Canal on the plains of Lafourche Parish. The South Lafourche girls’ basketball team is several games above .500, and they’ve already beaten and/or played very competitively with some of the best teams in the state. And guess what? Two of the team’s best players are freshmen. Point guard Traya Bruce and power forward Victorianna Nelson are already starting for the Lady Tarpons’ varsity squad – each player already having a big impact on the team’s season. Bruce and Nelson are both versatile players capable of running opponents into submission. By the time this season ends, our area will all know their names. By the time next season rolls around in the fall and they are sophomores, look out. This core group of young ladies have a very real shot at making a deep playoff push before their careers are done. Yes, they are that good. Trust me. I’ve been watching them play since they were about 8 years old. They can go with the best of them.

3. Nicholls quarterback Tuskani Figaro

People already know who Figaro is after he rushed for more than 1,000 yards in the 2013 season. But after redshirting in 2014, many folks aren’t aware that Figaro is still on the Colonels’ depth chart. They will be reminded next year – in a big way. With new coach Tim Rebowe at the helm, we fully expect the excitement to return to Nicholls football next season. With that excitement and renewed energy, there’s a good opportunity for Figaro to take the field and pile drive through opponents with his big-play rushing ability. It’s a bold prediction, but I’m going to state it right now – loud and clear. Tuskani Figaro will lead the Southland Conference in rushing next season. I think the Colonels will struggle because they just don’t have a depth of talent on their roster just yet. But I think Figaro will be a big-time standout.

4. Ellender guard Justen Harris

All throughout Justen Harris’ career, he’s been the so-called “second option” within a basketball offense. At Vandebilt, Harris was a role player behind Lionheart Leslie and Elijah McGuire – a key cog in the team’s Class 4A powerhouse. Now at Ellender, Harris is often overlooked because of standouts like Leland Alexander and some of the other dominant players within the Patriots’ team. But in his senior season, we expect Harris to thrive and have a great next few months to lead the Patriots on a deep playoff push. The talent is there – Ellender has so much of it that boys’ basketball coach Cornell Scott was touting recently that this year’s team is among the deepest he’s ever had as a coach. And the experience isn’t bad, either, as Harris and several of the team’s other leaders have been seeing big-time playing time for the past several years.

5. South Terrebonne football/basketball standout DeVontavean Martin

Every once in a while, there’s this player that is so good that you can just tell he’s a supreme athlete – even before the game starts. That was my experience with DeVontavean Martin a few weeks ago as I watched South Terrebonne’s basketball team play. I could just tell from watching the layup line that Martin was a stud – the way he moved and handled himself was different. The aurora and confidence that he was one of a champion. Martin didn’t disappoint – he scored well more than 20 points in the game. We expect that success to continue in 2015, and I think that Martin will become a household name – a dual-threat, two-sport athlete almost like Elijah McGuire was when he was at Vandebilt. On the football field, Martin is a beast wide receiver. With a whole offseason and summer to get stronger, he’s likely to add strength to his frame and additional quickness to his skillset. He’ll score touchdowns this fall early and often.