Five forwards/bigs to watch in the 5A/4A Pikes Peak League

<p>There has been changes to the world as we know it, and the Colorado high school basketball scene has taken its fair share of changes as well. Typically, we will have already started with some tournaments at this time of the year to get things kicked off, but there has to be a compromise on both ends. Not only will the season start late, but it will be a condensed season, so it is critical that teams and players get off to hot starts. Here we will focus on the 5A/4A Pikes Peak League, which will be much improved and has some really talented players in it.</p> <h2><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="965743" first="Eddie" last="Speller Jr."] – Lewis-Palmer</strong></h2> <p>Speller Jr. was arguably the best big man in the conference in his junior season as the 6’5 forward put up 14.1 points and 7.6 rebounds a game in his first varsity season. Speller Jr. is a nightmare matchup as he is physically gifted and has the talent to match with it. Speller Jr. has a good feel for the game, knows where rebounds are going, and establishes low post position. He is a workhorse in the post and knows his way around the basket. Speller Jr. can score in bunches and wants the ball at critical junctures in the game. This summer for Pluto Prospects, he continued his stellar play and helped the older team as he competed on every possession, stepped out on the block and held his own against bigger players, and had his way against players his size and smaller. Lewis-Palmer will go through him this season, and he should have no problem having his way.</p> <h2><strong>Brady Jones – Lewis-Palmer</strong></h2> <p>The Lewis-Palmer team should be loaded this year. They have a complete team with scorers, lock-down defenders, role players, and one of the better frontcourts in the state. Alongside Speller Jr. is 6’7 big man Brady Jones who won a state championship in his freshman season as he put up solid numbers in his first season on varsity. Jones backed that up with another great year from an individual standpoint as he averaged 10.8 points and 6.1 rebounds a game. Jones crashes the boards and uses his size to keep the ball high. He gives his team extra scoring opportunities, sets hard screens, and dives to the basket for easy baskets. He has great hand-eye coordination and uses his length and size to block and alter shots. Jones is a player that we want to take a deeper look at this season as he might be one player that we have overlooked.</p> <h2><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="972417" first="Grant" last="Featherston"] –Air Academy</strong></h2> <p>Featherston made our 2023 rankings as in his freshman season, the 6’4 forward made his presence felt. Featherston has a wide array of weapons in his arsenal that he brought out and showed that he was ready despite being one of the team’s youngest players. The freshman standout put up 8.5 points and 4.2 boards a game and showed consistency all season long. Featherston does not step outside of his comfort zone and goes right to what he knows. He has a solid back to the basket game with excellent footwork. He feels defenders and counters them with inside moves and is a mobile forward. This season he will have to expand his game a bit and start stepping out and knocking down shots, but he has the basics down and will only get better.</p> <h2><strong>Konner Morgan – Sand Creek</strong></h2> <p>Morgan is a player that not many have heard about, but with the season that this 6’6 forward put together, should be on more radars. Morgan averaged 7.8 points and a team-high 8.1 rebounds a game, which was good for third in the conference. Morgan ran the floor well, established position down low, and played the angles well. He also is a bruiser that protects the paint and makes sure that opposing players do not have easy looks. Morgan has great footwork and will certainly have the opportunity to build on the season. Let’s see if he can put together another solid season and bring more wins Sand Creek’s way.</p> <h2><strong>Jack Osinksi – Cheyenne Mountain</strong></h2> <p>While the guards got all of the attention, the workhorses were scrapping and doing the dirty work to make sure that things came easy. Osinski is only 6’3 but played well above his size. He is banging inside, diving for loose balls, and also anything that is needed of him. He is finding holes in the defense, giving his team extra rebounds, and also defending multiple positions. This season Osinksi averaged 7.4 points and 4.0 rebounds a game. With valuable pieces no longer there, it will be on him to step up and star in his role yet again as the Indians try and prove that they will be in the runnings for another season.</p>