Class 5A Preview: Regis Jesuit
2014: 23-3, 8-2 in Continental; lost to Denver East in Great 8
Top 100 players: Geoffrey Kelly (#29 in 2016), Marc Reininger (#71 in 2016), Connor Hobbs (#50 in 2017), Elijah Martinez (#12 in 2018), Payton Egloff (#2 in 2019)
Key losses: Taylor Kallsen, Kip Boryla, Bryan Staerkel, Tony Caseria, Nolan Ebel (Augustana in Illinois), Elijah Sanford, Colton Ksiazek, Vaughn Samson (Rhodes College), Kyle Carrington
Key returners: Kelly, Reininger, Hobbs, Martinez
Outlook: The Raiders, under legendary coach Ken Shaw, have won at least 20 games in seven consecutive seasons. They are regularly in the Great 8, even the Final 4, and claimed the 5A crown in 2009, 2010, and 2011.
After graduating nine seniors from a team that earned a No. 1 seed and reached the Denver Coliseum, some minor growing pains could be in the equation. With a program the level of Regis though and a junior varsity that finished 19-0 last year, the Raiders could be just as good or even better. So growing pains, even minor ones, might be more of a surprise than an expectation.
6-foot-6 Kelly (8.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg), a legit Division II prospect, and 6-foot-9 Reininger (3.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg) will team up to give Regis a bigger lineup than usual. Reininger, a transfer from Discovery Canyon last year, is still a bit raw, but improved over the summer with Colorado Elite and is definitely a prospect, of which level is difficult to say. Look for him to play a much bigger role this season though.
Kelly is a catalyst for both the offense and the defense and makes simple winning plays and is solid athletically and skill-wise.
Hobbs, along with sophomore Elijah Martinez moving up from the JV, will be a talented tandem in the backcourt. Both have true point guard skills and fit in nicely in Regis’ perimeter-oriented system, although they might feed the post more this season. The Raiders will also most certainly get contributions from seniors moving up to varsity this season.
Egloff, for all his talent, will likely be developing at the junior varsity level as a freshman. He could be a force for the Raiders in the coming years though.
When it comes down to it, Regis has had plenty of good players, but their system also breeds success. They typically aren’t the most athletic team among the elite programs, but they excel at moving the ball and taking excellent shots. They are disciplined and all their players tend to have high skill levels.
In 2016, look for Regis to be Regis. They’ll be firmly in the mix in both the Continental and likely the state.