Five forwards/bigs to watch in the East Metro 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 East Metro League.</p> <h2>Andrew Theisen – Prairie View</h2> <p>Theisen has been on varsity for all three years of his career and is coming off a season that was his best. Theisen is the athletic player that gets out in the open court for easy outlets, slashes on offense, and also grabs the board and goes right up with it. Theisen averaged 6.7 points and 4.3 rebounds a game and found a bit of a rhythm to end the season as he concluded with a career-high 22 points. He will want to take that same momentum into this upcoming season in a league that does not have much size and try and create a buzz for a Prairie View team that has a chance to turn some heads.</p> <h2>[player_tooltip player_id="916988" first="Jayden" last="Foster"] – Rangeview</h2> <p>Foster is the best big man in the conference that plays well above his size, and while his numbers do not jump off of the page, he is one of the most consistent forces in the conference. Foster is a proven winner who does what is expected of him and stars in his role. He is the enforcer; he bangs down low and is not easily moved. Foster has a mature game where he plays into his comfort zone. Foster establishes position down low and has a good feel when the defense is coming and gets it out to the open man. As a junior, he averaged 4.8 rebounds a game, and with him being the man in the middle this season, I expect that to go up.</p> <h2>Demajio Merritt – Rangeview</h2> <p>Merrit is a player that we did not see a ton of in his junior season, but he made good things happen when he did get in the game. However, we did get a better look at him over the summer, and Merritt has plenty of intangibles that Rangeview will use to their advantage. Merrill is long at 6’6 and alters shots at the rim with his length. He is active on the boards, can start the break, and goes right up with boards. Merritt will be an X-factor option for the Raiders, and if he can be a big contributor, I have a feeling that Rangeview will win the Metro League for the umpteenth time.</p> <h2>Esaie Badibanga – Prairie View</h2> <p>The teams leading rebounder returns for another year as this multisport athlete brings that toughness and tenacity to the hardwood to give his team extra scoring opportunities. Badibanga averaged five rebounds a game in his junior season as the 6’3 big man might not have the length for the bigger players but certainly has the heart and aggression. Won’t be getting easy looks at the rim without feeling him, and he’ll make you think twice about having any kind of free reign to the rim. Badibanga is the enforcer that the team will need to play well.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>