Analysis: Boulder, Fossil Ridge, Longmont, Overland

<p>Other than the mud slinging all over the windshield on slushy I-25, Saturday morning was a perfect time to make a drive up to Fort Collins to catch Fossil Ridge hosting a four-team scrimmage with Longmont, Boulder and Overland – a quality lineup of perennial postseason squads.</p><p>Let’s say this first: It’s November. Teams have been practicing officially for about 10 days, with another 10 to go until the season opener. So much is still being learned. That being said, there were some observations to be made after a good morning of hoops.</p> <h2>BOULDER</h2><p>The Panthers, who made a run to the 5A Sweet 16 last season, have a new coach in Jack Clarke, but one who knows the program well. He’s a Boulder alumnus who was an assistant at the school the past three seasons before taking over in April for former coach Eric Eisenhard, who moved to Texas.</p> <p>Clarke’s team is well organized and hard-working, with solid size for the Front Range League on both the perimeter and down low. Seniors <strong>Landon Taliaferro</strong> (6-4) and <strong>Jack Boyle </strong>(6-5) are high-IQ players who can fill in at multiple positions. Both are solid shooters and tough through contact.</p> <p>Boulder also has an intriguing player in the post in 6-foot-5 junior <strong>Peter Chopra</strong>, who has good length, soft hands and nice touch around the basket. He runs the floor well and finishes at the rim. As he gains size, he has the look of a productive prospect at a small-college level. Chopra was active around the rim Saturday and had multiple dunks in transition. A Boulder assistant said Chopra is still growing, so it will be interesting to see just how much.</p> <p>Boulder also has an intriguing young point guard in Davis Kang.</p> <h2>FOSSIL RIDGE</h2><p>The Sabercats have graduated 15 seniors the past two seasons, so Matt Johannsen’s group is still trying to fully gel as it heads into the season. The talent is clearly there, though. <strong>Braxton Bertolette</strong>, who averaged 12.7 points per game as a sophomore, can score in bunches as well as anyone in the state when he gets going. I liked what I saw from him Saturday in terms of using the pump fake and using a floater in the lane. He’s savvy when it comes to scoring the basketball. And the Sabercats do a good job of putting him in good position off cuts and screens. Think: Rip Hamilton, Reggie Miller.</p> <p><strong>Jackson Everhart </strong>is a strong senior leader at 6-foot-4. He can shoot it, plays hard on the defensive end and has solid athleticism.</p> <p>A very intriguing piece of the pie for Fossil Ridge is 6-foot-7 stretch four <strong>Cameron DeHart</strong>. The lefty can shoot it very well from mid-range and can hit it behind the 3-point line. He’s a player with a high ceiling who had some nice moments on Saturday. He could be a key cog for the Sabercats thanks to the versatility he brings.</p> <h2>Longmont</h2><p>The Trojans had only seven players in action on Saturday. After all, half of Longmont’s team also plays for the school’s football team, which is currently in the middle of another deep playoff run.</p> <p>One player Longmont did have available was <strong>Justinian Jessup</strong>, the 6-foot-5 wing who is ranked No. 2 in our 2016 class and is a Boise State signee. Even though they weren’t matched up directly, it was neat to see Jessup and our No. 1 player, De’Ron Davis (more on him in a minute) on the court at the same time.</p> <p>The biggest thing that stands out about Jessup is his ability to make his teammates better. He is constantly creating space and getting to exactly where he needs to be on the court to make himself available for easy passes. It’s those kind of little things that add up to make a great player.</p> <p>Longmont&#39;s 6-foot-4 forward <strong>Kevin Mitchell</strong> looks like he has put a lot of work in on a solid mid-range jumper.</p> <h2>Overland</h2><p>I love the hunger that I am seeing from <strong>De’Ron Davis</strong>. He is now able to play on the perimeter, a point of emphasis as he knows that’s what will be asked of him in the college game. His trimmed weight has made him more nimble and explosive. It was a dunk show for him on Saturday.</p> <p>Overland is going to be a load for anyone to handle this season. In addition to the best player in the state in years getting better still, the Trailblazers have relentless guards in <strong>Jervae Robinson</strong> and <strong>Reggie Gibson</strong>. They love to get out in transition, and they know how to wear teams down.</p> <p>One player I think will surprise a lot of people with Overland this season is <strong>Alijah Halliburton</strong>. The 6-foot-3 guard will end up playing Division I in football, but he could be a college basketball player if he decided to go that route. He’s as athletic as anyone on the team, and brings a toughness to the team when he is on the court. He constantly harassed guards on the perimeter Saturday, leading to transition opportunities he often finished with dunks.</p> <p>Senior guard <strong>Tyler Stevenson</strong> will miss about a month for Overland after suffering a broken hand in practice this week, but the Trailblazers should have plenty of depth to keep rolling. Freshman <strong>Steven Hayes </strong>and junior <strong>Nick Holmes</strong> will be solid off the bench.</p> <p> </p> <p> </p>