Five wings to watch in the Denver Prep 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 and 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. One conference that saw many of their best players either graduate or transfer and will have to reinvent itself is the Denver Prep League. There are a couple of teams that will head into the season as darkhorse favorites to win it. Let’s look at the DPL.</p> <h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="916982" first="Brad" last="Kerr"] – Denver East</strong></span></h2> <p>Kerr is coming off of a junior season in which he was in a bit of a reserved role for the Angels. He specialized as a rebounder and provided space with his outside shot but did not see it all come together. With extended work over the summer with Knights Elite and continually working on his game, this is a year where I think he is relied on a bit more. Kerr has the ability to shoot the 3-ball and possesses the speed at his size to attack off the dribble. With the Knights this summer, I saw a player that got his confidence back, and that took him a long way. He was locked in defensively, grabbing boards and starting the break, and scoring in bunches. Kerr will have to take the same momentum over into a Denver East team that plays loose and free and play mistake-free basketball. Committing to the boards and defense will generate more minutes; he has to make the most of them.</p> <h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Keith McInnis – Denver North</strong></span></h2> <p>McInnis was the lone bright spot for the Vikings a season ago and returns a year older and wiser. McKinnis was Denver North’s do-it-all option as a sophomore as he played and defended every position on the floor. North was the team's best ballhandler, passer, defender, and scorer and will go into his junior year with much of the same. North wants to win games, and they will only be able to do that on the back of their best player and have the rest of the team get on board and contribute. McInnis averaged 11.8 points a game and will have to up those averages and step up, especially against the big-name teams. North will come out and play hard and hopefully keep games close to where they have a chance.</p> <h2 style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">[player_tooltip player_id="770444" first="Tom" last="Connelly"] – Denver East</span></strong></h2> <p>Connelly heads into his senior season as arguably the top shooter in the conference. Connelly is a marksman from deep, and if he gets his feet set, is lights out. Connelly spaced the floor as a junior as he hit 62 3-pointers on the season at a 38% clip. For East, they give him the freedom to take deep rhythm shots, providing wiggle-room for guards to operate. Connelly rotates the ball quickly and finds gaps in the defense. He put up 9.4 points a game, and if he can take some of what we saw this summer with Pro Skills into the season, it will add a different dynamic. Connelly has the size to overpower smaller defenders and has started to go to that as a strong suit. Having the ability to knock down the 3-ball and go inside and finish consistently will create more of a nightmare matchup for this East Angels team. Connelly is the X-factor for Denver East this season, and if they can continue to get him open for open 3’s creatively, it is a recipe for success.</p> <h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="770417" first="Eddie" last="McPhee"] – George Washington</strong></span></h2> <p>McPhee steps into a role with the Patriots where he will have to be one of the best players, and there is no room for error. He will have to put George Washington in positions to win night in and out, and with his mature and near polished game, he has the ability to. McPhee is an elite athlete that plays a bit reserved. He will go down for a few plays and be a bit passive and out of nowhere attack and throw down a ferocious dunk. The aggressive McPhee is when he is at his best and when defenses have no answer for him. McPhee has one of the best mid-range pull-ups in the state, is lethal in the open court, and also finds holes in the mid-post as he often plays the dunker spots. Carving up defenses and finishing will have to be his niche and get back to the lockdown defender that we saw in his sophomore season. McPhee put up 8.8 points and 3.3 boards a game as a junior, but with his elevation in the rotation, he will have to see both of those numbers make a jump. I am expecting a huge year from McPhee and for the Patriots to be a darkhorse favorite.</p> <h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="770414" first="Boston" last="Stanton"] – Denver East</strong></span></h2> <p>Stanton heads into his senior year as the No. 3 player in CHSAA and a top player overall in the Denver Prep League, which is not good enough for him. Stanton feels as if he is the top player in the state and with reason. Stanton is coming off of a season in which he led the Angels to a 21-4 overall record as he put up a monster stat line of 21 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists a game. He did everything that the Angels needed a season ago and the scariest part for the rest of the state is he appears to be getting better. Stanton took most of the summer off due to injury and came back revamped. He handles the ball better, starts to see the entire floor, shoots a bit better, and is committed defensively. He seems to be playing with a chip on his shoulder, which does not fare well for the competition. I am unsure how you build on an already huge season, but I know it will be done more efficiently. East Angels are a team that I truly feel has a chance to contend for a title, and behind their best player who is starting to garner more Division I looks is the only way they get there. I am expecting [player_tooltip player_id="770414" first="Boston" last="Stanton"] to look like one of the top players in the class because that is exactly what he is.</p>