Top Role Players in 5A’s Final 4

<p>Prep Hoops Colorado takes a look at the of the Final Four of the 5A teams remaining in the state tournament. There is a lot of winning tradition among the four teams that are represented and reliable team basketball that has gotten them to this point. Still, if a team is to separate from the pack, it is going to take not only the stars to win the game but a role player to emerge out of the bunch. Here is a look at the role players that I have for the four teams and how they can affect the game.</p> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline; font-family: impact, sans-serif;">Rangeview</span></h3> <p>With so many senior leaders on the team, the defending champions do not have many issues staying focused and forcing their will on teams. Rangeview is a unit that has been there before and knows exactly what to do when they are presented with a problem. With so many players that are asked to step up in the scoring department, a player that sometimes goes under the radar is [player_tooltip player_id="916972" first="Cade" last="Palmer"]. That is the opposing team’s biggest mistake.  Letting a player that can hit open shots but also is a high IQ guard that does not make many errors roam free and dissect defenses is a mistake. The junior sharpshooter shot a team-high 44% from beyond the arc as he hit 66 3-pointers on the year. He moves without the ball, finds spots in the defense and makes plays happen and against Grandview in the Final 4 matchup a lot offensively will be riding on if he can shoot the ball to open up the defense.</p> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: impact, sans-serif;">Grandview</span></span></h3> <p>Grandview is a team that has one of the best two-man duos in the entire state in [player_tooltip player_id="915288" first="Caleb" last="McGill"] and Lian Ramiro, and with that comes plenty of attention but plenty of responsibility. Those two are tasked with getting the offense going and flowing, but a lot of what they do is predicated on if the outside shot is going. When Grandview is hitting their shots from downtown, it allows McGill to operate with space and patience down low as he is a cable passer that finds the open man. The player that Grandview’s offense will rely on at the Denver Coliseum is [player_tooltip player_id="915323" first="Tanner" last="Holtman"]. Holtman is a senior shooting guard with range. He pushes the defense out, and after a made shot or two, he causes so much gravity that it gives McGill and Ramiro room to do what they have to. Holtman is coming off of a game where he could not get anything to fall, and Grandview’s offense suffered as a result. This is the perfect bounce-back spot as Rangeview will surely play help-side defense so he might get a few open looks in which he has to knock them down and also be able to come up with stops on the defensive end as well.</p> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline; font-family: impact, sans-serif;">Valor Christian</span></h3> <p>Valor Christian has the talent, size, and chemistry to take it all home; they just have to continue to find ways to keep it all together. Valor is a team that plays together and are locked in defensively as well. The role player that I think makes the difference in the game is senior 6’7 forward [player_tooltip player_id="915306" first="Cole" last="Bott"]. Bott is a player that runs the floor well, finishes well around the rim, and also has excellent footwork to go along with his size, which allows him to score with ease. In Valor Christian’s win to make it to the Final 4, Bott was a marksman from deep. He finished with 16 points in the game and went 4-6 from the 3-point line. If a player with that kind of size is also able to step out and space the floor with his jumper at the coliseum with the surrounding cast that Valor has around him, there are not many things that you can do to stop them. Bott is the role player that can determine if it comes down to a win or a loss.</p> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline; font-family: impact, sans-serif;">Fairview</span></h3> <p>Fairview is the one team that has shocked everyone by being in the Final 4, which is a bit ironic seeing as they are the No.2 seed. Nonetheless, they are here because they are one of the most balanced teams in the state and play a defensive brand of basketball with multiple players that can step up and make winning plays. The player that will have to step up yet again is junior guard TJ Williams. Williams gave the Knights a boost of energy and scoring in their win against Chaparral in the Great 8 when he went on a six-point personal scoring run to push the Fairview lead. Williams finished with 13 points in the game and also had two assists as well. He is a player that knows where to be on the court, does not force tough situations, and even hits big shots when Fairview needs it. If he can get himself going offensively early on then, this is a game that the Knights can matchup perfectly in.</p>