Grassroots Rewind: Colorado Premier
While the Colorado Premier girls team continues to prove itself as one of the country’s top programs, earning a coveted spot on the Nike EYBL circuit, the boys program continues to make steady growth into the competitive boys scene in…
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Continue ReadingWhile the Colorado Premier girls team continues to prove itself as one of the country’s top programs, earning a coveted spot on the Nike EYBL circuit, the boys program continues to make steady growth into the competitive boys scene in the state.
While not yet competing with the upper echelon of teams in Colorado, the program has certainly moved in the right direction toward that goal while setting a solid base foundation of fundamentals and discipline under director Mychal Martinez, with some promising performances from its 15U and 16U squads this season.
Let’s take a closer look at Premier in 2016:
15U
Record: 23-11
Best Tournament Finish: Double Pump Spring Hoops Fest, Anaheim. Premier went 3-1 and won the Gold Consolation Bracket Championship.
MVP: Avery Rembao. The 6-foot-4 guard from Loveland has the ability to be an impact player on the front range, with great size and length, and athleticism that runs in the family.
“Avery is one of the state’s best kept secrets in the class of 2019,” Martinez said. “He’s a true gym rat and wants to be coached hard. He demonstrated this willingness to improve by getting up at 6:15 a.m. this spring for skills workouts before his classes. The goal was to focus on his conditioning, ball-handling and finishing around the basket as we had identified these areas as things he needed to get better at. I can confidently say by the end of the grassroots season, many onlookers began to see these areas as a newfound strength.”
Other Standouts
Eric Kimmel, 5-11, 2019 guard. Kimmel, a Mountain Vista product, should be a backcourt player to watch of the Golden Eagles this season. “He’s close to pulling it all together,” Martinez said.
2020 guards Cam Le Van (Legend) and Caden Gigstad (Ralston Valley). Their spots on Premier gave both players solid experience heading into freshman seasons in which both players could help their teams. Each has the ability to score and are worth keeping close tabs on heading into the start of their high school careers.
16U
Record: 18-17
Best Tournament Finish: Twice made it to semifinals of bracket play: Fab 48 in Las Vegas and Power 2 Play in Golden, both in July.
MVP: Te’Rae Johnson. The 5-11 Vista PEAK guard embraced his role as the team’s floor leader, improving his game on both sides of the ball.
“It doesn’t matter if we need 20 points, a timely steal, a great pass or an opposing player shut down, he can do it all,” Premier 16U coach Andre Felix said. “He started to become a coach on the floor toward the end of our season, which benefitted us greatly.”
Other Standouts
Connor Staib, 6-4 guard. The Mountain Vista product has good length at the two-guard spot and was a big part of Mountain Vista’s strong season last year as a sophomore. After missing much of the spring due to injury, he was a big part of Premier’s success in July.
“Connor leads by example,” Felix said. “He is unquestionably our best shooter and grew into a role where he played point guard as well. His defensive prowess and ability to attack the rim and finish were huge assets to us this season.”
Brandon Williams, 6-3 guard, George Washington. Williams was another player who showed an ability to fit into multiple roles, particularly on the defensive end.
“Brandon has the ability to effectively guard the one through positions as well as most fives,” Felix said. “His hands and feet are always active and he does a great job rebounding the ball, communicating and forcing turnovers.”