Previewing the Colorado teams in the Tarkanian Classic Pt. II

<p>The Tarkanian Classic is set to get underway and we have a few Colorado teams that will be in the mix and competing in Las Vegas, Nevada against some of the best teams in the country. Here we break down some of our top teams in the state that begins their games on Thursday and how they will fare while out there.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>George Washington </strong></p> <p>The Patriots play Wednesday evening but late so we are putting them with the teams that begin on Thursday.</p> <p>The Patriots are a deep team that are capable of hanging with anybody. They have a solid group of guards that can get it done and have the size to go down there and compete as well but it comes down to will they get stops when it matters. They are 4-1 on the season and a young team that is set up to win now and later. Kendale Johnson (13.4 ppg) is leading the way but they have gotten welcome addition in the scoring department with junior guard Jarmell Johnson (12.6 ppg) and Eddie McPhee (9.0 ppg). Those two players can score the ball and are capable of grabbing the boards and just going and are two players that score in various ways. The Patriots have solid two-way guards in Darrian Hammons and Kijuan Thompson that pick up 90-feet and take pride in slowing the opposing teams’ top guards over.</p> <p>The Patriots are up against one of the winningest high school basketball programs in Utah history. Bingham is a team from Utah that is atop the 6A Region 3 standings at 5-1 and are led by Senior wing Ethan Langston at 18.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg. Alongside him is Jordan Tascano (13.5, 5.0 rpg, 6.0 apg) and Tyler West (13.2 ppg) that are all capable of going on scoring runs at any time. This should be another back and forth affair for the Patriots where whoever turns the ball over the least wins the game.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Chaparral </strong></p> <p>Chaparral is a team that just fought with one of the top teams in the state in Smoky Hill and followed it up with a close win against Thunder Ridge. With the Wolverines you know what you are going to get. One of Colorado’s best point guards in Kobe Sanders (16.5 ppg) leading his team with finishes at the basket and a beautiful shooting stroke and a team committed to their role around him. Sophomore guard Jeremiah Coleman (10.5 ppg, 3.5 apg) is slowly making his way into the top underclassmen in the state name with his ability to allow Sanders to play more off-ball and he is a big play guard that’s difficult to maintain but there are also bigs that the Wolverines have that will have to step up as well. Aaron Jacob (9.3 ppg) will have to be a force on the boards and knock down shots as well in Vegas if they want to win and Joel Speckman will have to bring the same intensity he brought against Smoky Hill as those are two big men that give teams fits. Dalton Waldron and Keaton Crockett will also have to be X-factors that make plays.</p> <p>Chaparral is up against Arcadia out of California which they match up really well with. Arcadia is led by Senior wing Zane Hoegel who is putting up an impressive 20 points, 8.4 rebounds and three steals a game. He will be the focal point that the Wolverines attempt to slow down but that might be a bit difficult as point guard Aaron Echols Jr. is at 16.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists as well. Sanders versus Echols Jr. will be a fun one.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Rangeview </strong></p> <p>The 5A defending champs remain undefeated on the season at 4-0 and are looking to keep it that way when they take their show on the road. There have been no setbacks for them as they remain a tough team that plays team basketball and are led by multiple players that can get going at any time. Metro State commit Christian Speller is their leading scorer this season at 14.0 points a game and he also leads the team in rebounds as well at 6.5 a game. He will be their defensive specialist on wings and bigs at time as a player that defends multiple positions. 6’5 point guard Christopher Speller is up to 10.8 points and 3.5 assists a game and is just as capable of going for 20+ at any given moment and controls the pace while remaining aggressive throughout the game. Cade Palmer, Isaiah Hayes and Obi Agbim are X-factors that are two-way players and have to come out ablazing as well to keep the Raiders as dangerous as possible. They all are capable of turning the game around and will all have to come together to pick up wins. If they are able to continue playing with the chip on their shoulders and have it translated out of state as well they should return back to Colorado ready to defend their title with plenty of momentum.</p> <p>Range view is up against Gibson out of Nassau, Bahamas.</p>