Rahman named Sierra League player of the year

The Sierra League basketball coaches chose Bonsall High School senior Billy Rahman as the league's player of the year.

Rahman was also part of the all-league first team, as was Bonsall junior Emil Watkins. Bonsall junior Nate Valera was part of the all-league second team.

"All three of them deserved it, especially Billy," said Bonsall coach Chuck Colletti.

The Sierra League coaches did not have honorable mention selections. Five players were on the first team and five were on the second team. "We got three out of the 10," Colletti said.

All five coaches supported Rahman's selection as player of the year. "Everybody was unanimous," Colletti said.

"There was really no discussion about every player that we chose," Colletti said. "Everybody was unanimous for every selection for the first team."

Bonsall was in the Patriot League for 2018-19, when Rahman was chosen for the all-league first team. The Sierra League is a higher league, and Rahman's 2019-20 performance earned him second-team Sierra League status. Rahman was Bonsall's only all-league selection last year, when the Legionnaires' 4-6 Sierra League record was worth a share of third place in the final standings.

"He played all four years at Bonsall. Every year he improved," Colletti said.

The Legionnaires won the 2020-21 Sierra League championship and were undefeated in eight league games. "All the coaches definitely said that he was the difference," Colletti said. "He definitely deserves player of the year."

Rahman was also a team captain, and Colletti noted that Rahman's leadership complemented his statistics. "He had a great senior season," Colletti said.

"Emil Watkins was probably our most improved player and played consistently all year," Colletti said. "He showed his true improvement all during the season."

The 2020-21 season was Watkins' third with the Legionnaires. "His improvement just skyrocketed this past season," Colletti said.

Valera has also played basketball for Bonsall since his freshman season. "Nate being on second team was a good choice," Colletti said. "He's a pure three-point shooter, but his biggest contribution this year was on the defensive end."

The league championship was the first in team history, and Bonsall also participated in the CIF playoffs for the first time in program history. A first-round win and a quarterfinals loss gave the Legionnaires an overall season record of 16-6.