Talking Humble Basketball, Dew Calderon and Katy Tompkins

Humble High school coach, Lair Crawford, is not the luckiest guy in the world when you considered his district competition. Atascocita, Galena Park Northshore, Summer Creek, Kingwood and Beaumont Westbrook would be a tough region, let alone facing them twice in district. You could be pretty good and have a losing record facing that type of schedule. Having said that, Coach Crawford is definitely optimistic about the coming season returning all five starters from an 18-14 squad. “We’re small and need to play fast in order to be successful along with knocking down shots,” Coach Crawford commented. The Wildcats will look to 6’1” Kaeden Sims (2021), 6’2” Jakobe Bradford (2021) and 6’3” Arric Jones (2021) to lead the charge this year. Kaeden is a combo guard that fuels the teams with his speed and quickness. “He just works hard on improving his game,” Crawford said. Kaeden has Abilene Christian and division 2 schools looking at him at the present time. Bradford transferred in from Summer Creek and should provide impact for the Wildcat’s this season. “He’s a slasher type player that can get to the basket,” Coach Crawford explained. Jones offers some size and plays with a high basketball IQ according to Crawford. The Junior Varsity won District a year ago, which should provide added depth. “After missing so many months of action it’ll be tough getting in shape this season,” Crawford said. Floyd Gulley and Joshua Johnson will also log plenty of minutes for the Wildcats this season.

Drew Calderon (College Park 2021) has committed to Indiana State for next year and Coach Clifton McNeely is expecting big things from the talented senior. “Drew might be one of the best shooters I’ve coached,” said coach McNeely. “I think a lot of schools have missed on him because he didn’t play with all the big AAU programs.” McNeely continued, “Drew is a hard worker, always in the gym, great defender and plays hard and is very unselfish.” Drew discussed his reason for selecting to play for Indiana State after graduation. “The connection with the Indiana State coaches was the reason I committed,” Drew explained. “The coaches felt I could come in and play right away, which was really encouraging,” As for the coming season, Drew is very optimistic. “We are missing some players right now, but several of the younger players are stepping up in practice.”

Coach McNeely will be in his 16th season with the Cavs after opening College Park in 2004. McNeely was at Austin Westlake for 10 years prior to coming to the Cavs. “We are missing three all-district players right now from a year ago,” McNeely stated. Ty Buckmon (2022) is a returning starter, who is presently playing quarterback on the football team. He was named “Newcomer of the Year” as a freshman and brings a lot of experience to the team. Also returning is 5’10” Nate Murphy (2022), who is out with an ACL injury till January. Five-9 Marvin Dock was a part-time starter a year ago, and will be a help to the team.

The Cavs should be right in the thick of things in District along with The Woodlands, Conroe and Oak Ridge. College Park lost to DeKaney a year ago in the 1st round of the playoffs. Others players looking to make an impact this season are Drake Kelley (2023), Darel Reece (2022) and Isaiah Major-Perez (2022).

In 2018 Katy Tompkins made school history advancing to the state finals before losing to Allen High School in overtime at the buzzer. Coach Bobby Sanders is back for his 8th season at Tompkins and is encouraged about the coming season. His optimism centers around the return BB Knight (2022). Knight is long and rangy with a quick release from behind the arch and shoots with incredible accuracy. His athletic ability is gaining him a lot of attention. “BB is one of the best shooters I’ve coached,” Coach Sanders commented. “He is one of the best kept secrets in the state.” Knight should be one of the top scorers in the Houston area again this season after averaging 20 points per game a year ago. At 6’5”, Knight has the size and strength to be successful at the next level. Schools that are showing interest are Yale, Western Michigan, Sam Houston as well as Michigan, Ohio State, Texas A&M, UNLV and Baylor.

Three new additions for the Falcons this year will be 6’7” Joel Oluokun (2022), who transferred in from St. John’s, a private school in Katy. His size and athleticism will be a welcomed addition for Coach Sanders. Oluokun is a raw talent with potential as shot blocker and rebounder. Don Ojaiko (2022) joined the Falcons from San Antonio Cornerstone. “Ojaiko will be one of our best on the ball defenders this year,” Sanders said. The third addition will be a talented freshmen named Luke Coughran (2024). Coughran is a dynamite youngster who can put the ball on the floor, defend and has a tremendous three-point stroke. He will contribute immediately. He showcased his talents this past summer with Houston Hoops.

“This should be the second best team I’ve coached at Tompkins,” Coach Sanders said. “We are not as talented as we were in 2018, but this is an impressive group.” Others who should impress are Nick Lancit (2022), with his point guard skills and quickness. Jason Resewehr (2021) is another player that will gain attention for the Falcons.