Seven senior seasons worth recognizing
There are underrated and overlooked. Then there are the obscure.
There are a group of seniors who are playing at a high level and producing seasons that warrant attention, yet for a variety of reasons — maybe geographical location, their team’s so-so season, the schedule they play or simply a dim spotlight — they don’t receive their due.
Time to give some recognition where it’s deserved. Here are seven senior seasons worth recognizing.
Paxton Giertz, Seneca
This is the best, most productive player in the state no one even knows.
Giertz is an exciting 6-1 point guard who is regularly face-guarded, deals with constant box-and-ones and even a triangle-and-two with both defenders on him. He still averages 24.8 points and six assists a game and has already surpassed 2,300 career points.
Giertz is adept at creating offense for himself as well as teammates for a 21-win team that will be a Class 2A threat in the postseason.
He’s on pace to be among the top 35 scorers in state history. With 275 three-pointers and over 700 assists in his career, the Division II Hillsdale College recruit is a unique blend of shooting, scoring and facilitating.
Brady Sehlhorst, Notre Dame
The most familiar name on the list who has probably garnered the most recognition from early in his career. But the significant strides he’s made as a player since his junior year have resulted in a monster senior season.
The 6-6 Sehlhorst is averaging 22.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists a game and has done so in an efficient way. Sehlhorst, who is shooting 59 percent from the field and 41 percent from three, has had six games of 28-plus points this season.
Simon Moschin, Highland Park
No one knows Moschin, a leader and “coach on the floor,” according to Highland Park coach Ross Deutsch. But they should as the high-academic Moschin should be a coveted small college prospect.
A three-year varsity player who has led his team in scoring for two years, the 5-11 Moschin is doing everything imaginable in helping the Giants to a solid 15-8 record.
Thanks to Moschin, Highland Park is in position to win 20 games for the first time in 10 years. He’s averaging an impressive 20.4 points a game to go with 4.5 rebounds and three assists a game while knocking down 34 three-pointers.
Xavi Granville, Waukegan
Unranked in the preseason and an afterthought in the North Suburban Conference where Warren was expected to roll, Waukegan has snuck up on some people. So, too, has Xavi Granville, the 6-4 senior wing who produces in anonymity.
It’s understandable if you weren’t aware of Granville’s game last season when he averaged 17 points a game, but there’s no excuse this year. He leads a team that’s now 17-6 and tied for first in the North Suburban Conference, averaging 19.4 points and 6.6 rebounds a game.
Granville plays in entertaining fashion. He works in the post, drops in a three, showcases his athleticism in the open court and will finish with a dunk in transition.
Luca Carbonaro, Wheaton-Warrenville South
The consistent level of production over the past two seasons — 17.4 points a game last season and 18.8 points a game this season —deserves more respect.
The 6-2 guard, who has surpassed 1,000 points in his career, is literally a do-it-all for the Tigers. He averages 4.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists a game while leading his team in deflections, steals, blocks and charges taken.
Keshaun Vaval, Evergreen Park
The numbers he puts up will jump out at anyone. That includes scoring 117 points in four games at this year’s Big Dipper in December — the fourth highest point total in 51 years.
On the season he’s averaging a whopping 25.6 points a game.
A scoring combo guard who has improved his three-point shot — he’s shooting at an improved 33 percent from beyond the arc — Vaval also dishes out 4.5 assists a game.
Vaval’s journey has included previous stops at Marist and Romeoville, but he will soon surpass 1,000 points in two seasons at Evergreen Park and currently has 1,347 points in his career.
Jayden Hunt, Grayslake North
The three-year stalwart gets it done on both ends as a shifty guard offensively and a fierce on-the-ball defender. But he does so in the not-often-watched Northern Lake County Conference.
The 6-0 senior is averaging 17.1 points and 4.5 assists a game while battling exotic defenses against him. The career numbers are impressive — 1,267 points, 300 rebounds, 308 assists and 140 steals — and continue to climb.