Nevada Preps Boys Athlete of the Week: Coronado’s Lantz Stephenson

Coronado’s boys basketball team was well on its way to claiming its first win over Bishop Gorman in program history Saturday.

Junior wing Lantz Stephenson helped get the celebration started early in front of a packed Coronado gym. He grabbed a loose ball, raced down the floor and threw down a one-handed dunk as the Cougars’ lead grew back to double digits with under a minute left.

Stephenson scored 18 points to help Coronado defeat Gorman 74-63 at the Big City Showdown. He added 20 points and 10 rebounds in a 59-47 win over Foothill on Friday. He was named Nevada Preps Boys Athlete of the Week for his efforts.

“It felt amazing,” Stephenson said of the win over Gorman. “We haven’t beaten them and we were the first team to accomplish it. That felt good.”

Let’s get to know this week’s boys athlete of the week. (Note: Answers have been edited for clarity and length.)

Nevada Preps: Who’s an NBA player you look up to and try to model your game after?

Stephenson: I love watching Jayson Tatum and Paul George. Mostly Paul George, the way he controls the game, plays at his own pace. I copy and watch a lot of them.

NP: If you weren’t playing basketball, what sport would you be playing?

Stephenson: I would say football. My family, they’re big on football and my older brother played football.

NP: Do you have any pregame rituals?

Stephenson: I love to pray before games. And I also talk to my dad, he’s like my mentor.

NP: What’s on your pregame playlist?

Stephenson: I listen to a lot of Drake and NBA YoungBoy, stuff like that.

NP: What other goals do you have for the season?

Stephenson: We want to win state. That’s the biggest goal. It would mean a lot especially since we came up short last year. That’ll be big if we can win state.

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.