5A Games of the Week: Opening Week

What a wonderful time of the year. We are finally back and ready to get the 2019-20 season started. Coaches and teams did not shy away from eachother and that is something to be loved as there are plenty of solid games this upcoming week.Here, I break down the games of the day for the entire first week, let's see what we have in store. Monday Doherty versus Grandview This is the battle of the bigs and what a way to start out a very interesting season. Grandview has a top three big man in the state in Caleb McGill but also have future Colorado State-Pueblo guard Lian Ramiro ready to have a very important senior season. Ramiro is one of the most difficult guards to defend in the open court as he has the handle and is a playmaker that makes the right plays. He is a two-way player and is very smart with the ball and will make sure to feed the big man. On the other side is top-5 big man Lucas Moerman who comes in as one of the best interior defenders in the state. He controls the paint like no other big, makes plays difficult and also has worked on his offensive game as he finishes over defenders and through contacts. Doherty also have underrated standouts in Trey Carter and AJ Guiao that will step onto the scene and demand more recognition. If Schaefer Reichart starts out the season knocking down 3-pointers at a high rate then I fully expect this Doherty team to be one of the best in the entire state. Excited for this one. Tuesday Chaparral versus Fairview Chaparral is a team that was a good quarter away from a state championship last season and feel as if they have a ton to prove this year. They have a new coach over there that is just as dedicated and excited to build off of a successful season but do not feel as if they are done. Good for him he has the top point guard in the state in Kobe Sanders to lead the way. Sanders will be forced to score more than his junior year average of 16.3 points a game and also should go up in the assists(3.1) department as well. Alongside him is Aaron Jacobs who will have a big season and Dalton Waldron who have a dynamic big duo. They will be used a ton in pick and roll situationa dn they will make it difficult on opposing teams but a player to get on your radar before he blows up is sophomore guard Jeremiah Coleman. He is speedy guard that can score from all three levels and give Sanders a 1-2 punch. For Fairview it is the Jalen Page show. He is a forward that 14 points and six rebounds a game and demands so much attention that those talented guards and wings around him get good looks. Greyson Carter and Mark O’Neill will be able to score at ease with all of the attention that Page gets and they will make teams pay. Fairview defends well and limits rebounds and should be a team that will make a playoff run when it is all said and done. Fun Tuesday night game here. Wednesday Eaglecrest versus Northfield Eaglecrest is one of the most underrated teams in the state but soon we will understand where the mistakes were made. They will miss a big part of their offense as Aaron Bokol graduated but they still have a good bunch over there that makes them a complete team. There is solid guard play with senior Zion Ruckard leading the way. He is a two-way player that is excellent in half court settings, keeps his head on the swivel to find the open man and also pushes opposing guards as he plays the passing lanes well. There is also Skylar Wilson who is an athletic wing that can shoot lights out, dunks in the open court and is a offensive mismatch with his size and ability to both shoot or put it on the floor for the easy basket. With both of them having a big season it will make it that much better for one of the state’s best athletes in junior wing Ty Robinson. Robinson is fresh off of a SportsCenter Top 10 performance for his body-to-body dunk over a helpless defender. He is aggressive through the lane but can also shoot it from beyond the arc and stop for mid-range pullups as well. This has to be the year the Robinson turns it in for one of the state’s top scorers as well as I feel that the offense will run through him. This is a team that understands how to win. Northfield is an up and coming team that had some players stand out individually this summer which makes this interesting as we have to see how it all comes together. Nahsyah Bolaris their best player and is a big man with great size that finishes well around the rim. Surrounding him is solid guards that can shoot, penetrate and play unselfishly in Diego Dominguez, Mateo Magana and also Rashiek Gaddis. Northfield can score with teams but will have to get some big stops this year. The start they get off to will be crucial to the type of year they have and will have their hands full opening week starting with the Raptors. Thursday Overland versus Thunderridge This will surely be a fun game as Overland jumps right into the top-10 teams in the state as they have a top-2 big man in Ike Graham. He is a walking double-double that the Trailblazers will have to run through that rebounds well, has soft touch around the rim and also runs the floor well. All eyes will be on him, especially early in the year as they wait for their starting point guard to return. Until he is there I am excited to see how Valentinas Ulinas and Vincas Veikalas put it together in a team aspect setting. Ulinas can score with the best of them but will have to play within the offense if he wants to be at his best, he gets to the rim and finishes gets to the free throw line. Veikalas is a junior with high upside. He has great size and will have to be the second go-to option for the Trailblazers as Graham will demand a ton of attention. T-Ridge will be an interesting team to follow this season as they wait for Jason Simental via transfer rule. He will not play Varsity this season due to the new rules so T-Ridge will have to have new players step up. They lose so much offense and size from last season but have great guard play that should be able to lead the way. Garrett Arnold has great vision and takes chances, he can score when called upon and is difficult to stay in front of and will have to be very aggressive this season as he has talented players around him but not many iso scorers. Nolan Marold will man the middle and has great size while making things difficult on that end but is limited offensively. He will surely progress as the season comes along but there is also Tommy Crawfordwho is very tall and lanky and can alter shots as well. Colton Sandersis the Grizzlies senior that will have to do it all. Score, defend, provide energy and be a difference maker on both ends of the floor. Bennett Mather should also step up as an underclass guard that is poised to have a big season. Expect this one to stay close as both teams will be tested. Friday Grandview versus Rangeview It is the state champions from a season ago and last year’s champions going at it early on in the season. . on a Friday. How could this not be the game of the week? For Grandview, it is a team centered around UC Davis signee Caleb McGill in a system geared to defend and control the opposing team’s pace. There are X factors in CJ Thomas and Tanner Holtman that will have to step up offensively and offer some relieve. On the opposing end, for the state champs they return a big bulk of their offense but might have trouble with teams with dominant big men. They will most likely have one of the best backcourts each time out as they have Christopher and Christian Speller but also have very good pieces in Cade Palmer, Isaiah Hayes and Obi Agbim that will all become household names very soon. This is a deep, deep team and that is why they are again the No.1 team in the state ready to defend the title.