Most UNLV coaches would like to make Southern Nevada athletes a key part of their recruiting efforts, but it’s not always so easy. Many are wooed by top programs and eager to experience life elsewhere.

Bishop Gorman running back Biaggio Ali Walsh, left, (7) takes a football from a coach as he runs a drill during team practice at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas on Wednesday, July 23, 2016. (Richard Brian/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow @vegasphotograph

Bishop Gorman running back Biaggio Ali Walsh (7) runs a drill during team practice at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas on Wednesday, July 23, 2016. (Richard Brian/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow @vegasphotograph

Bishop Gorman football players, including running back Biaggio Ali Walsh, second left, (7) wait for their turn to scrimmage during team practice at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas on Wednesday, July 23, 2016. (Richard Brian/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow @vegasphotograph

Bishop Gorman running back Biaggio Ali Walsh (7) cools off after a scrimmage during team practice at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas on Wednesday, July 23, 2016. (Richard Brian/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow @vegasphotograph

Bishop Gorman running back Biaggio Ali Walsh, center, (7) runs a football during team practice at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas on Wednesday, July 23, 2016. (Richard Brian/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow @vegasphotograph

Bishop Gorman running back Biaggio Ali Walsh, left, (7) fakes a catch during team practice at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas on Wednesday, July 23, 2016. (Richard Brian/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow @vegasphotograph

Bishop Gorman running back Biaggio Ali Walsh, left, (7) walks past a teammate during team practice at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas on Wednesday, July 23, 2016. (Richard Brian/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow @vegasphotograph

Bishop Gorman running back Biaggio Ali Walsh (7) listens in to his coach during team practice at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas on Wednesday, July 23, 2016. (Richard Brian/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow @vegasphotograph

Bishop Gorman running back Biaggio Ali Walsh (7) looks on during team practice at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas on Wednesday, July 23, 2016. (Richard Brian/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow @vegasphotograph

Bishop Gorman running back Biaggio Ali Walsh (7) runs a drill during team practice at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas on Wednesday, July 23, 2016. (Richard Brian/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow @vegasphotograph

With temperatures hovering around 100 degrees, Biaggio Ali Walsh leaves Fertitta Field after another sweaty morning practice at national football power Bishop Gorman High School.

This is his Las Vegas team, his Las Vegas school.

Ali Walsh, a running back who was the Review-Journal’s state Male Athlete of the Year for 2015-16, moved from Chicago to Las Vegas when he was 7, and Southern Nevada has been his home since.

But the grandson of boxing legend Muhammad Ali will be moving into a new home, having chosen California over UNLV and other schools.

“I would like to get out and see new things,” Ali Walsh said before making his choice. “A lot of people want to go to a college that’s best for them, and that’s what I want to do, too. But I also want to be in a place where I want to live, and from what I’ve seen in California, that’s what I want my surrounding to be.”

Ali Walsh is far from unusual, particularly in a transient area such as the Las Vegas Valley. Many local athletes, especially those with opportunities to play in a power conference, are eager to experience life elsewhere and often on a more prominent stage.

It’s a challenge for UNLV coaches, who usually prefer to begin locally when building their programs, and Ali Walsh said he likes what he has seen from Rebels second-year coach Tony Sanchez even if he didn’t choose to play for his former Gorman coach again.

Sanchez, who previously spent six seasons guiding Gorman, has shown locals can be convinced to stay. He made the city a central part of his recruiting and marketing efforts, and earlier this year signed three locals.

To make even further inroads in attracting recruits, Sanchez has been helping raise funds for an on-campus multipurpose building. Many other schools, including in the Mountain West, have such facilities.

“We have to invest in some of those things,” Sanchez said. “If we get that facility built, we will keep more kids home because of it. We need to win games. The town’s got to show up. We’ve got to fill up Sam Boyd (Stadium) so our kids know this is important. All these things are happening, and it’s all encouraging.

“The great thing is there’s not a single local kid that we have offered who has not come and spent time on our campus. If you talk to the local kids, I don’t think there’s one that doesn’t think we’re going to get it done.”

First-year basketball coach Marvin Menzies is determined to make Las Vegas a strong part of his recruiting.

“I have always had the philosophical approach that you need to take care of home first,” Menzies said. “Giving our local high schools and local programs full attention will be one of our annual priorities. Looking at all of the schools on all of the different levels locally will be something our staff does.”

This would be a good year for Menzies to make inroads with local athletes because it’s a particularly strong recruiting year for Las Vegas-area players. Findlay Prep’s P.J. Washington, Gorman’s Charles O’Bannon Jr. and Centennial’s Troy Brown Jr. are ranked among the top 30 recruits by ESPN.com, and all are considering the Rebels.

Getting any or all would be quite a boon for Menzies and what he’s trying to accomplish at UNLV because there is little doubt about those players’ talent.

The area has produced top athletes in multiple sports through the years, including many who have gone on to excel at the highest levels.

Baseball is one such sport, and UNLV has made local recruiting a priority. But like other sports, keeping all the top talent in Las Vegas can be a challenge.

“Every kid is different,” baseball coach Stan Stolte said. “You can’t really put a finger on it. It works both ways when you go into other cities. Sometimes a Southern California kid wants to get out of (Los Angeles) and he wants to come to Vegas. It hurts us in some cases and helps us in some cases.”

Contact Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow on Twitter: @markanderson65