5A Front Range League POY Candidates

We’re almost there as the end of the season is upon us with most schools already having had senior night. There are some tight races with conference winners and some that teams that already have the league won. With that, we focus on who we believe has the chance to be the conference MVP. For the 5A Front Range League, there will be plenty of teams representing the conference in the state tournament and a tight race yet again as to who won the conference. Fairview came out on top yet again but this is a conference full of players that can impact the game. Here, we break down who is the POY. The Favorite: Greysen Carter – Fairview Greysen Carter has to be in the top three surprising players this year that has jumped onto the scene and taken over. He made a HUGE jump of going unranked to being in the top-15 players in the class with room to grow and the scary part is this is his second-best sport. The baseball commit has been the best player in the conference and has the stats to back him up as well as his Fairview Knights team is undefeated in conference play with a big win over crosstown rival Boulder that crowned Fairview champs. Nonetheless, Fairview will head into the state tournament with a high seed and will be a tough out for any team that they go up against. The 6’4 junior forward will be asked to do more but for now, we can enjoy his 17.5 points and 7.8 boards a game that has him as the favorite to win the conference player of the year with a chance to repeat next season as well. The Second Favorite: <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/brock-wisne/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/brock-wisne/">Brock Wisne</a></a> – Horizon Horizon is one of the most entertaining teams in the state and the best part about it is, they are young. They have had a season where they have grown a ton and their young guys are getting valuable experience while also winning games. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/brock-wisne/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/brock-wisne/">Brock Wisne</a></a> is a top-5 player in the sophomore class and the talented 6’7 forward is able to do everything on the court. He is a big man that can put the ball on the floor and get to the rim, find the open man and also board and start the break which makes him a tough read. He also can back a player down and use his size as well. He gets to the foul line, can shoot the ball from outside although that’s not his game and also is aggressive down low. He is putting up a double-double of 16.5 points and 10.0 rebounds a game up each night and with that, you can see the confidence starting to grow as well as his overall feel for the game. He is good right now, but check back in a year and he is going to be special. I really like this Wisne and this Horizon team. The Third Favorite: Ryan Collins – Broomfield This Broomfield team had a rocky start to the season but has settled down in conference play and started playing pretty well. They are 13-7 on the season and have leaned on their senior duo to lead the way, while <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/grant-swenson/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/grant-swenson/">Grant Swenson</a></a> has been really good, the 6’9 big man has shown us that he is for real. Collins has been great down low. He goes after every single board, creates second chance opportunities for his teammates or goes up himself for an easy basket. He is capable of exploding for a big game offensively as seen by his 38-point performance earlier this season or also taking it upon himself to grab every single board as seen by his 15-rebound performance against Holy Family. Collins bangs down low with the big guys, finishes over the smaller guys and has good footwork and soft touch as well. He is averaging 14.9 points and is one of the best glass cleaners in the conference as he uses his size at 9.9 boards a game. There are two games remaining in the season, Collins should go all out on the boards and go for the double-digit rebounds a game. The Longshot: <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/tyler-turner/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/tyler-turner/">Tyler Turner</a></a> – Boulder I do not believe that Turner will win this award based on stats alone, but there is no denying that his work goes beyond stats and is a big reason why Boulder will head into the state tournament with a high seed and finished second overall in the conference. Turner is leading a very balanced and talented Boulder team in points a game at 10.6 points a game but it is his work as a leader with going out and doing all of the dirty work that separates him. Turner is able to defend multiple positions and is an effort guy. He works extremely hard on defense and also boards heavy and makes the right and smart pass. He will not win the award but this high IQ player has played really well and his play has led to wins which is really the ultimate barometer. Boulder will give a team a run for their money in the state tourney. Won’t win, but still a great season: <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/colton-gillingham/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/colton-gillingham/">Colton Gillingham</a></a> – Greeley West What a difference a year makes. Greeley West was one of the best teams in the state last season and was also very dangerous in the conference but with the seniors that graduated went the culture and now they are in the rebuilding stage. One player that has been on both sides of that is <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/colton-gillingham/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/colton-gillingham/">Colton Gillingham</a></a> and the 6’0 wing is having himself a great season despite there not being much team success. He is scoring with the best of them despite seeing double teams is still able to get himself going on that end of the floor. He is up to a league-high 18.8 points a game and is also helping on the boards as well at 5.5 rebounds a game. He shoots the ball well at 42% from beyond the arc, gets out on the break and is dangerous in the open court. For a team that is not winning lots of games, having a junior still be able to go out and put up numbers and give his all in every single game is telling. In a losing season. Gillingham has seen his stock boost and it will be a very interesting summer for him that I think he jumps on more radars. Great season for him individually although I know he would trade it all in a hurry for more wins. That means something.