***High school coaches can continue to fill out the Season Preview Form to provide information on their teams. This is not required to be featured, but it does help provide context to put together the previews.

St. Patrick

Outlook:

St. Pats made it all of the way to the supersectional last year after growing and peaking at the right time of the year. Four-year guard EJ Breland (Pittsburg State) is hoping to get Shamrocks back. Breland should surpass 1,000 career points this year and is a tremendous ball-handler and long-range shooter who hit 40 percent of his long-range looks last year. 6-foot-7 big Nevaeh Hawkins is another multi-year player who will give high-flying athleticism inside on both ends. Hard-working, 6-foot-6 junior forward RJ McPartlin is entering his third varsity season and has flashed solid skill and an interior presence.

Look for senior guards Cooper Kavanagh and Anthony Favia to give them toughness and three-point shooting in valuable minutes. Sophomores Omar Ajanovic and Steven Quach should also give the Shamrocks a nice boost. Ajanovic is a versatile, 6-foot-6 forward and Quach is a reliable, quick point guard who will add another ball-handler to the group. There is a lot of reason for optimism at St. Pats.

Key Players:

Sr – EJ Breland (6’1 Guard) – 14.8 PPG

Sr – Nevaeh Hawkins (6’7 Forward) – 5.8 PPG/6.7 RPG

Jr – RJ McPartlin (6’6 Forward) – 5.3 PPG/6.2 RPG

Sr – Cooper Kavanagh (6’1 Guard)

Sr – Anthony Favia (6’2 Guard)

So – Omar Ajanovic (6’6 Forward)

So – Steven Quach (5’10 Guard)

Prospect For College Coaches To Keep An Eye On:

EJ Breland (6’1 PG, 2025) – Pittsburg State commit

Breland has shined as a perimeter shot maker in his time at St. Pats, hitting five-plus threes on a regular basis. He’s also been a rock steady ball-handler who has the type of shiftiness that will translate nicely to a college game with more space. Breland has learned to be a weapon on the ball and a spacer or zone buster when needed as well. Look for a big season as he looks to will the Shamrock to another deep run.

Nevaeh Hawkins (6’7 PF, 2025)

Hawkins still has plenty of room for growth but the physical tools are off the charts. His run-and-jump athleticism separates him as a rim runner and shot blocker coming over from the help side. With the right system, he could develop into a solid college big.