PHC Player of the Year Candidate: Daylen Kountz
With the countdown to the start of the 2016-17 season ticking down quickly, we are hitting the ground running with our season preview content. Among the content we’ll providing periodically until the start of the season is a look at…
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Continue ReadingWith the countdown to the start of the 2016-17 season ticking down quickly, we are hitting the ground running with our season preview content.
Among the content we’ll providing periodically until the start of the season is a look at 20 candidates for the Prep Hoops Colorado Player of the Year Award. Our inaugural award last season went to Overland’s De’Ron Davis.
So who is today’s candidate?
Daylen Kountz
Kountz is as calm and polite as they come when you meet him off the court. He’s laid back, courteous and always has a big smile at the ready.
When he gets on the court? That’s a different story.
Kountz, particularly over the past year, has played with a unique intensity on the court. The fluid nature in which he plays, the glides to the basket with a few easy steps, hide the motor that keeps charging forward.
You can measure the intensity in the way Kountz punishes the rim when he finishes a dunk or the way he chases down a fastbreak from the back and ends the play with an emphatic rejection.
These are the qualities that earned the 6-4 wing a scholarship offer from the University of Colorado, the same qualities that give him a good shot at taking home player of the year honors.
Now, Kountz will face a slightly uphill climb. He’s due to sit the first 11 games of the season after transferring to Denver East from George Washington. But he’s sure to be stewing on the inside during that time as he yearns for the moment to get back on the court.
Kountz, who averaged an eye-popping 22 points per game as a sophomore last season, will have plenty of time to make his mark once he gets back. Especially if, as the Angels hope, Kountz can lead Denver East deep into the playoffs.