Shreveport well-represented on 5A squads

So none of our boys basketball teams in Shreveport-Bossier City won a state title. One player came home with a bigger personal award.

Huntington's imposing junior center, Kendrick Washington, The Times' All-City Player of the Year, was named the Class 5A Player of the Year by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association.

Washington's numbers were impressive, averaging a double-double in points and rebounds. But it's the stats that don't show up in the box score that are even more important.

Washington -- along with teammate Eddie Bolden -- were Huntington's defensive erasers this year. They could fluster a team's inside game without blocking a shot. The number of shots they changed spoke for itself.

Another Shreveport representative -- Southwood coach Steve McDowell -- took home girls Coach of the Year honors. McDowell won the acclaim after leading the Lady Cowboys to their 10th state title -- all under his watch.

Unlike Washington, McDowell wasn't our Coach of the Year on the All-City team. That speaks to how high a bar he has set for himself.

It also speaks to the supremely consistent winning program he has built out on Walker Road although you'd never hear those words coming from his mouth.