5A Tournament Preview and Predictions: Jim Baggot Region
The Class 5A playoffs begin on Wednesday. In the Jim Baggot Region, Eaglecrest and Regis Jesuit are the top seeds, but lower seeds like Denver East and Mountain Vista are lurking. Plenty of other teams are dangerous as well. The…
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Continue ReadingThe Class 5A playoffs begin on Wednesday. In the Jim Baggot Region, Eaglecrest and Regis Jesuit are the top seeds, but lower seeds like Denver East and Mountain Vista are lurking. Plenty of other teams are dangerous as well. The winner of the region will earn a spot at the Coors Events Center in Boulder for the state semifinals.
Below we break down each first-round matchup:
Byes
No. 1 Eaglecrest (21-2)
The Scoop: The Raptors will be looking for their third final 4 in four years after splitting the Centennial League crown with Overland. Their guard play, led by Colbey Ross and Victor Garnes, could carry them to Boulder.
Next up: Eaglecrest will host the winner of Monarch and Highlands Ranch at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
No. 2 Regis Jesuit (20-3)
The Scoop: The Raiders, in contention for a No. 1 seed, have been a top-5 team most of the year with a level of consistency few have attained this season. They are always one of the most disciplined teams under coach Ken Shaw.
Next up: Regis will host the winner of Fort Collins and Fruita Monument on Saturday.
No. 3 Dakota Ridge (16-7)
The Scoop: The Eagles finished second in the Jeffco (12-2), both of their league losses coming at the hands of champion Chatfield. They are a veteran team that won’t get rattled in a hostile playoff environment.
Next up: Dakota Ridge will host the winner of Mountain Vista and Fairview on Saturday at 1 p.m.
No. 4 Grand Junction (17-6)
The Scoop: The Tigers emerged from the Southwestern League with an 8-2 record. 6-foot-8 Ben Rasmussen and a pair of guards, Jake Wilcox and Robi Powers, have led the way.
Next up: Grand Junction will host the winner of Denver East and Hinkley on Saturday.
Wednesday’s first-round matchups
No. 8 Monarch (13-10) vs. No. 9 Highlands Ranch (10-13), 6:30 p.m.
The Scoop: The Coyotes will be playing in what could be their last game ever under legendary coach Ken Niven, who is retiring after the season with over 500 wins on his resume. Monarch is guard-driven. Highlands Ranch, under Mike Gibbs, in his first season at the helm, is led by a tandem of Tyson Gilbert and Jack Fiddler. This matchup appears to be a toss-up.
Players to watch
Monarch
Mac Rowan, 6-0 senior guard. A Johns Hopkins University commit, Rowan is a fantastic shooter averaging 12.9 points.
TJ Jones, 6-2, senior forward. Solid player averaging 9.2 points.
Ernesto Chavez, 5-10 sophomore guard. Chavez is a quick and talented playmaker with upside. Ranked No. 33 in the 2018 class.
Highlands Ranch
Gilbert, 5-10 sophomore point guard. One of the state’s top sophomore guards, Gilbert is ranked No. 11 in the 2018 class. He is averaging 12.7 points and shooting 42 percent from downtown.
Fiddler, 6-4 senior guard. Fiddler, an unsigned senior, is averaging a double-double of 11.6 points and 11 rebounds. He’s also chipping in 3.1 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.1 blocks per game.
Brendan Sullivan, 6-5 sophomore guard. Sullivan, the No. 37 ranked prospect in 2018, has been outstanding for the Falcons with averages of 9.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.2 blocks.
Prediction: Monarch
No. 5 Denver East (15-8) vs. No. 12 Hinkley (9-13), 5 p.m.
The Scoop: The Angels, one of the most storied programs in Colorado history, will be looking for their fourth consecutive semifinals appearance. Three seasons ago, East lost to Eaglecrest in the state finals. Two seasons ago, they beat Fossil Ridge for the state title. Last season, as a No. 6 seed, they reached the semifinals before losing to eventual champion Overland. Hinkley finished in fifth place in the East Metro at 5-4 while earning one of the last four bids to the state tournament. The Thunderbirds have made back-to-back state tournaments.
Players to watch
Denver East
Deron Harrell, 6-3 senior guard. On one of the most purely talented teams around, Harrell has been arguably the most consistent as a slasher averaging 14.3 points. He is a Wisconsin football recruit.
Daytone Jennings, 6-8 senior forward. Jennings is an elite big state-wide, an unsigned senior with a ton of athleticism and scoring ability. The No. 14 ranked prospect in 2016 is averaging 16.7 points and 8.9 rebounds.
Jack Buckmelter, 6-2 senior guard. Buckmelter is another talented senior still available. The high-academic veteran is averaging 16.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists.
Kwane Marble, 6-3 freshman guard. The No. 9 ranked prospect in 2019 has started several games for the Angels, a rarity for a freshman at East. He has a world of potential.
Hinkley
Solomon Proctor, 5-10 senior guard. Experienced guard averaging 13 points.
DeWayne Carter, 5-10 sophomore guard. Averaging 11.3 points.
Omari Walker, 5-7 junior guard. Averaging 4.8 points.
Prediction: Denver East
No. 7 Fort Collins (15-8) vs. No. 10 Fruita Monument (13-10), 6:30 p.m.
The Scoop: The Lambkins, a team heavy on junior talent, finished in fourth place in the Front Range League and will likely contend for the crown next season. Five junior starters have led a group that is dangerous. Fruita, 8-2 in the Southwestern League, has two forwards that can matchup with just about anyone in Division I signee Javen Gumber and sophomore Trey Morrill.
Players to watch
Fort Collins
Jacob Pfaffinger, 6-2 junior guard. Pfaffinger is a smooth player averaging a team-leading 14.9 points. He has Division II upside.
Iseri Palacio, 5-10 junior guard. The lightning quick floor general has excelled as a distributor averaging 5.3 assists. He’s also chipped in 12.3 points and four rebounds per game and often sparks his team with his skills and speed.
Damien Murillo, 6-1 junior guard. Murillo put himself on the map this season while averaging 12 points per game and burying 52 three-pointers.
Brian Read, 6-6 junior forward. Fort Collins’ post presence is gritty and versatile defensively. He’s also well on his way to expanding his game to the perimeter, acquiring the necessary skills to play wing in college.
Fruita Monument
Gumber, 6-8 senior forward. The soon-to-be Air Force Falcon has been everything Fruita could ask for while putting up a double-double in 16 games. He averages 17.5 points and 11.6 rebounds and had 23 points and 20 rebounds in a win over Montrose in January.
Morrill, 6-6 sophomore forward. The No. 25 player in the 2018 class, Morrill is bouncy athletically and active (8.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.7 spg).
Jake Brizzolara, 5-8 junior guard. The guard is entering the tourney with momentum, seven straight games of double-digit points, and he averages 10.5.
Prediction: Fort Collins
No. 6 Mountain Vista (15-8) vs. No. 11 Fairview (9-14), 7 p.m.
The Scoop: The Golden Eagles have been one of the state’s top programs in recent years and, while this year features a younger group and they could be more like a potential No. 1 seed next year, Vista still can’t be counted out for a lengthy tournament run. Fairview has been competitive as well, led by a dominant big man in Frank Ryder.
Players to watch
Mountain Vista
Jake Belknapp, 6-8 junior forward. Belknapp has been an absolute monster this winter while having an all-state type season. The top-10 prospect in 2017 is averaging 17.4 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks.
Trey Boeyink, 5-10 senior forward. One of the premiere under-six foot players around, Boeyink is having a stellar season while putting up 16 points and 4.3 assists per game. He had 37 and 33 in two wins against Fairview and Chaparral.
Connor Staib, 6-3 sophomore guard. The No. 21 prospect in 2018, Staib is a rangy guard with a pretty fluid game. He definitely has some upside and could hang in among the better sophomores in the state throughout his career.
Isaac Essien, 6-0 junior point guard. One of the best pure point guards in Colorado missed a few games at the end of the regular season with an injury. His status for the playoffs is unknown. He’s averaging 14.2 points and 6.9 assists.
Fairview
Ryder, 6-10 senior forward. Back in Colorado, Ryder has been as purely dominant as any big man this season while posting averages of 21.1 points and 8.1 rebounds. He has signed with San Diego.
Chris Weatherly, 6-0 senior guard. The veteran has been a major perimeter threat, making 47 three-pointers and averaging 13.1 points.
Sam Grad, 6-7 junior forward. The high-academic big man is a good defensive player, as evidenced by his 1.3 block-per-game average.
Prediction: Mountain Vista