Five Difference Makers in the 5A Jeffco League

<p>There have 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 been a few games in determining who we deem as the top teams in the state. Well, good news, we are a couple of weeks removed from the start of the season. With a late start and condensed season, getting off to a quick start is important. Other changes include new teams in leagues across the state. Here, we take a look at the 5A Jeffco League.</p> <h2><strong>Cooper Prada – Arvada West</strong></h2> <p>Prada is a player that has not gotten much attention and also is not a player that wows you with big-time stats. Still, the 6’6 big man was an important piece to the Wildcats a season ago as he battled on the boards, was not easily moved on the block, and made it difficult for anybody to get an open look when he was in the game. Prada averaged six points and four boards a game with a couple of games that he exploded and was the team’s go-to guy. He plays with contagious energy, makes the right play and hard on every possession, and will have to be an X-factor for the team this upcoming year if they plan on competing in a very strong league.</p> <h2><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="916964" first="Gino" last="Corridori"] – Dakota Ridge</strong></h2> <p>Corridori will be the standout big man in this conference, and with how he played before getting injured last year was well on his way to a sensational season. Corridori uses his size to get to where he wants and has soft touch around the rim. He also is one of the few back to the basket players that can create for himself on the block. Before getting injured, he was putting up an impressive 14.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and three blocks a game, and there is no telling how successful the year would’ve been if he finished. Corridori returned for the summer and worked through the kinks, but the efficiency was still there. Gino had his moments for Knights Elite, where he was their leading scorer, and others where he was needed to do the small things. Corridori plays hard on every single possession and takes what the defense gives him rather than just forcing the issue. This year, with major changes to the team, he will be asked to be the top player on the team, and I am sure that he will step into that role and do what is asked of him as he always does.</p> <h2><strong>Isaac Lacy –Lakewood</strong></h2> <p>Lacy was the enforcer for Lakewood a season ago. The 6’6 defensive and offensive linemen stepped over to the gridiron, helped the team protect the paint, gave the team some size, and made opposing teams think twice about going inside. Lacy is an immovable force that set hard screens, kept the ball high on the block, and finished around the rim when he got it. Lacy averaged four points and 4.6 rebounds a game, but it was the ability to make teams decide what to do when he is in the game that was his best attribute. If he elects to play basketball this upcoming season, I expect much of the same as he will certainly be one of the state’s biggest players.</p> <h2><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="918931" first="Beau" last="Wilken"] – Ralston Valley</strong></h2> <p>Wilken is a tough-nosed combo-guard in the 2022 class that did not get to play a ton as a sophomore on a senior-heavy team that went 21-4 on the season, but learned the ropes and, more importantly, how to win. Wilken has a high IQ, and the 6-foot guard has an all-around game that will translate well in his junior season. Wilken has a natural feel and knows where to be on the floor. He can also handle the ball well, free himself in isolation, play off the ball, and find holes in the defense. For the Colorado Roughriders this summer, we got to see Wilken in a different setting. He played off of the ball and provided a spark to the team but at times was who the team went through. That will be his role on a young Ralston Valley team. It will be up to him to carry the load, so hopefully, he takes what he picked up in his sophomore year and over the summer and see it translate.</p> <h2><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="916965" first="Treyvaughn" last="Williams"] -- Columbine </strong></h2> <p>There is no word on Williams for Columbine this upcoming season. Injuries have derailed his whole high school career, but he easily becomes the most intriguing player in the conference if he does so happen to play this year. Williams is an elite athlete that finishes at and above the rim. As a natural scorer, he has a polished game, is the most dangerous player in the open court with his ability to blow by defenders and take off, and when he is on, he is on. Williams has good size and a strong build and uses it to power through. He is a two-way player with a high ceiling, and if he were able to play this season, he would’ve elevated an already solid Columbine squad. Hopefully, this is the season for the state to see just how good Williams is because when he was playing, he was a top-10 player in the class. </p>