This, of course, is a question with no definitive answer. It’s completely subjective.

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He’s in the conversation, we know that much, after a season in which he averaged 37.5 points and 6.4 assists for the Bears, and often single-handedly carried that team.

But is Bryce Alford the player of the year?

Remember, gang, his father, Steve, said there was no way the Mountain West Conference POY could come from any team other than the league champion. So, following that logic, does that mean Bryce can’t be a prep POY since La Cueva didn’t win a state title? (Gotta give props to Lobo beat writer Geoff Grammer for that one; he tweeted that very question at the recent MWC tournament in Las Vegas, Nev.)

Of course, Alford most assuredly was the metro’s best player. The state’s best player, too. All-America material, to be sure.

If I were voting on the second most valuable player from the metro, I’d have picked Sandia’s Tim Brennan.

The Matadors’ 6-foot-5 power forward was tremendous for Sandia. I enjoyed his tenacious nature around the basket. He was the best finisher from inside 5 feet of anybody I saw in 2012-13.

Eldorado’s Cullen Neal was an obvious first-team selection; he and Alford were both on my first team last season, as well.

From my seat, I thought Neal shot the ball better as a junior than as a senior, but as EHS coach Roy Sanchez reminded me when I mentioned shooting comparisons, Neal benefited greatly from last season’s point guard, Cameron Glasrud, who helped free Neal for more open looks.

The first team is rounded out by Valley’s stellar junior guards, Joe Anaya and Adonis Saltes.

Anaya, after Alford and Neal, was arguably 5A’s most versatile scorer. It’s hard not to love his game. He can drive, he can shoot, he knows how to create shots.

Saltes, the transfer from Farmington, is perhaps a little less polished than Anaya, but this kid can fill the basket as well as anyone whose father doesn’t coach at the University of New Mexico.

The second team is usually a little harder to whittle down to five, but this was the group I settled on: Atrisco Heritage’s Corbin Waquie, Eldorado’s Zach Lee, Los Lunas’ Ben Romero, St. Pius’ Micah Sanchez and Rio Grande’s Mike Torrez.

Girls

I am equally enamored of the five girls on the Journal’s All-Metro first team.

To me, the list starts with Los Lunas post Teige Zeller. The 6-foot-2 junior was a dominant force at both ends of the floor, most of the time while opponents threw every defense imaginable at her in an effort to stunt her contributions.

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There is a great contrast between a player like Zeller and someone like Cibola’s post, Kassandra Harris, who is only 5-9 but has an entirely different method of operating effectively in the paint.

Harris is quick and aggressive and extremely athletic, which allows her opportunities to score.

The rest of the first team are guards — Sandia’s Astrea Reed, La Cueva’s Alexa Romano and Hope Christian’s Marissa Perry.

Romano’s scoring was perhaps slightly down from her freshman year, but her game continues to evolve as she understands how to involve teammates, especially at the offensive end.

Reed is a fantastic player with great court sense. She is the female equivalent of a player like Valley’s Anaya, someone who knows how to create, how to score, how to lead.

Perry was the Huskies’ leading scorer, and she was remarkably consistent — her awful outing in the Class 3A finals against Lovington notwithstanding. I would not dream of penalizing her for one poor game.

My second team is filled with guards — Hannah Fenske of Volcano Vista, Jordan Gutierrez of Valley, Jourden Williams of Manzano and Natalie Zamora of St. Pius. The fifth member is Eldorado post Kerstin Strong.

As I said, choosing an All-Metro squad is entirely subjective. I hope I’ve chosen wisely.
— This article appeared on page D6 of the Albuquerque Journal