Dev's Hypothetical "All-Star" Teams: East Metro League (5A Defending Champs)

What area of the state has the best talent? Depends who you ask, so we break it down by conference. We designed our “All-Area All-Star Teams” for some of the strongest conferences in the class. We have taken a look at a couple of leagues already but why not take a quick look in at the league with the defending champs. Here is our East Metro League All-Star Team based on my predictions this year, including my breakout player of the conference which does not mean MVP but player I expect will take a huge step this upcoming season. First Team: PG: Christopher Speller – Range view – Sr. Christopher was the state championship MVP as he showed off his clutch factor at plenty times last season but really when the Raiders needed it most in the big game when the offense needed to get going, he found the free throw line. Christopher is one of the taller guards in the state that is a high IQ player that takes care of the ball and also is able to dissect the game into pieces. He is not a flashy guard but one that makes the right plays, can score and does not mind finding the open man. This season it will be up to Christopher to prove that he is a scorer. Range view will need him to score baskets and also apply the same pressure on the defensive end as he has been. With their lack of size, he will also have to help out on the boards as well. This should be a year that his numbers look like they should as he will have to do a ton and he is one of the first players to put on the list out of this league. SG: Cade Palmer – Range view -- Jr. If you’re going to start any team with players from the East Metro league you’re going to need a shooter and there is not any in the league that can knock them down as consistently as Palmer can. He is lights out from deep which will surely be on display this season. He is a player that you can surely get involved with his usage off of screens, in pick and rolls and also just finding the open spot. Not many players in the state plays with the energy that Palmer does and he plays with a sense of urgency on both ends of the floor. He is a big shot maker that the Raiders will have to go through aplenty this season for easy baskets and I think this is the year he shows off how great of a shooter he truly is with so many playmakers around him. SF: Aj LaCabe – Vista Peak – Sr. LaCabe is one of the better iso scorers in the entire league as he is able to create for himself off of the dribble. But he is not only an iso scorer, he plays in the flow of the offense and find open spots on the floor as a slasher, is starting to show off an improved perimeter jumper and also one of the better rebounders from the guard spot. He crashes the boards and is able to go coast-to-coast with finishes with plenty in his arsenal. What he showed this offseason with Colorado Chaos and also some of the showcases was that he is an alpha but also is just as great at filling a role. He adapts on the fly and is able to do whatever is asked of him while still keeping the same aggressive ways offensively. He can play both guard positions and also push out to the wing. This is going to be a big year for him where I feel a couple of 30-point games are not out of the question. SF/PF: Christian Speller – Range view – Sr. Speller is my pick for the most improved player in the entire conference. He was good last year but this year I feel as if he will see it all come together. He is a physically gifted athlete that already has the size and skill to play at the next level and now he is starting to get the attention that he deserves. Christian is a selfless player that is forced to play out of position due to his size and the lack of size on the team but has shown that he is putting in the work to complete the rest of his game. He attacks the rim and finishes and also makes the extra pass for easy baskets. He is a player that can defend multiple positions as a lockdown interior defender with great strength and also can start the break as a volume rebounder. Christian is one of the best in the conference and should have himself a career year. C: DJ Wilson – Gateway – Sr. Wilson is one of the few back to the basket players in the state. It was an off year last season for him but that should turn around this season and it starts with how he comes out. Gateway will have to run through him if they want to get going and he will have to use his big body to get to the spots he wants as a player that can back down smaller defenders and use his strength to get his left hand hook off against the bigger players. In a league where there are not plenty of other big men he is one of the few traditional ones left. He will need to run the floor and show off his motor and also attack the mismatches. Gateway is a team that plays hard at all times and competes, if they can get their big man going they can surprise a team or two. Bench Guard: Curtis Stovall – Vista Peak – Jr. Vista was a middle of the pack team last year but one of the bright spots was with their guard play, Stovall in particular. Stovall is a player that can play point guard and also get out on the wing to give teams fits. He finds spots in the middle of the defense and makes them pay. He can shoot, he finishes with either hand in the paint, he has a solid mid-range jump shot and also has a bit of a dog in him as a player that does not like to get scored on. Stovall is young and did all of that as a sophomore so with a summer of putting in work with some shake ups in the coaching staff as well I feel as if there will be a better Stovall this season, he just has to continue to want to grow. There are not as many guards in the state, let alone the conference that is able to defend him and he will have to show that this upcoming season with some explosive games where it all comes together. Vista will go as far as him and LaCabe takes them and with others emerging in that offense as well they will be that much more difficult to defend. Look for Stovall to standout this season and also jump up our rankings with some college attention coming his way as a very talented player with high upside. Guard: Sam Schliep – Brighton – Sr. Brighton surprised many last year with a very successful season. They went 19-6 on the year and were one of the more interesting teams to watch but unfortunately for them the bulk of their team graduates which leaves them in a year of rebuilding. Of the players that did well last season is guard Sam Schliep. Schliep is a true point-guard that gets after it. He makes the open plays, he runs the offense and also takes on the challenge on both ends of the floor. He is very unselfish and that gets an offense going. While he is not a knockdown shooter he is a player that you cannot give space. He is a player who has been on varsity for his entire career and has seen it all so there is not much that rattles him. This will have to be a year that he is the calm to the storm as he builds on a great year for the program and looks to keep on the right path with a new bunch. This year will be about leadership. Wing: Isaiah Hayes – Range view – Sr. Hayes is a player that did not start out the season but surely was needed for the state championship run as he is a weapon that is used well. He comes off of the bench and is a flare as soon as he enters the court as his defense kickstarts his offense. He is a perfect complement to the second unit as he has the size, speed and control to make game changing plays from the time he checks in. He can shoot it a bit, he finishes well with layups at the rim as well as dunks and also has shown this offseason that he has been in the gym and ready to put it together as a defending champion. This season it will be about offensive consistency. As long as he continues to enter the game with the same energy and attacking ways then it gives the Raiders the upper hand against all other teams. He has to continue to attack throughout the game and show why he is the most difficult players to defend in the open court. Post: Obi Agbim – Range view – Sr. One of the best athletes in the entire conference is Agbim as there are not many players that can jump with him and hopefully that is unleashed this season. He soars for rebounds, runs the fast break and also is not afraid to go dunk it on a defender’s head. What he also showed in the championship game and also the summer is that it is not only dunks but he is also able to shoot the ball as well. One of the areas that separates Range view from others teams and is a huge part of why they took home the gold trophy is because of their bench unit of Agbim and Isaiah Hayes. Agbim is a player that kick starts the offense as well as a microwave scorer that gives his all. His dunks give the team life and he is able to break a defender down and go finish it at the rim. On defense he is rebounding and starting the break and he will be an engine for this Raiders team this upcoming season.