Six players to watch in the 4A Jeffco League

<p>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 and a minimum amount of games to enter the tournament. Here, we take a look at the 4A Jeffco League. The best part about this conference is that the talent is in the underclassmen to get to see plenty of them. </p> <h2><strong>Richie Pruitt – Golden</strong></h2> <p>Pruitt is a player who did not play a ton as a sophomore, but with the work he put in this summer and the opportunity that he will be presented with during the year, he could easily be the most important player conference. If he plays well, it gives Golden another guard with the ability to space the floor. Pruitt is a hard worker with unlimited range, and he can also put the ball on the floor and get to his spots. For Colorado Chaos this summer, he was a go-to player that stood out in games and now steps into more of a role player situation where they will rely on him to get going in bunches and light it up from deep. He is a player that I think will play well this season and be a player as the season progresses.</p> <h2><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="921098" first="Aliou" last="Diallo"] – Golden</strong></h2> <p>Diallo goes from a player watching the older guys his freshman season to now being the starting guard for one of the favorites in all of 4A. Diallo seems to be up for the challenge, and with his ability to get the team in their sets, push the tempo and navigate through the offense, he is a player that I think excels this season. Diallo is a crafty guard with a quick first step and is always looking to score. He is a downhill runner that knows when to find the open man and applies pressure on the defense. Excited to see how he fares this season, and he is one of the players to watch.</p> <h2><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="916974" first="Griffin" last="Lauritano"] – Evergreen</strong></h2> <p>Lauritano heads into his senior year as the conference’s leading scorer that returns for a big season with hopes that rules change. Evergreen will go as far as he allows them to, and the Cougars feel good about their odds against anybody with their 6’6 do-it-all captain returning. As a junior, Lauritano put up an impressive 18.8 points, and 7.8 rebounds a game. He gets the board and starts the offense himself, can score through double teams, and reads what the defense is giving him. Lauritano is the opposing team's primary objective, and he still finds a way to produce. Having a player as locked in as him that is not afraid to have the ball in his hands and remain aggressive is a great thing to have, and Evergreen has that in their best player. Let’s see if he duplicates the year, and it hopefully leads to more wins.</p> <h2><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="916981" first="Austin" last="Peterson"] – Green Mountain</strong></h2> <p>Peterson stands out to me because he can adapt to any situation. If you want an up and down, ground it out game, he can give you that. If it is a slow it down and find the open holes in the defense type of tempo well, he can do that too. Peterson is committed on both sides of the ball, and his willingness to defend creates scoring opportunities on the other end. He is a tenacious on-ball defender that is a microwave scorer. He fills lanes correctly in the open court, scores on outlet passes, and shoots the 3-ball well. As a junior, Peterson put up 11.2 points a game as the second option on the team. This year is his to dominate, and I think he ups his numbers.</p> <h2><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="921096" first="Alan" last="Acevedo"] – Golden</strong></h2> <p>Acevedo is my pick for the top player in the conference, and the shocking part is he is only a sophomore. As a freshman, he was the team’s best player as he provided balance of 10.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.2 assists a game. I think he improves on all of those numbers while also leading a Top-5 team in 4A to a quest for a state title. Acevedo has one of the most mature games in the state as he plays at his own pace and controls both teams' tempo. He reads plays before they happen, forces players to make the right play, and also provides easy scoring opportunities for his team. Acevedo plays multiple positions for the Demons. He brings up the ball, rotates quickly, scores when he wants to, and gives the team an identity. He is the player that the conference finds out more about and is a player that everyone should make sure they see when they can.  </p> <h2><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1051473" first="DJ" last="Johnson"] – D’Evelyn</strong></h2> <p>Johnson is the newcomer to the conference and easily becomes one of the most intriguing. Johnson is extremely athletic, and that will put him in spots where others cannot match him. He can put the ball on the floor, which makes him dangerous, gets to his spots on offense, and uses it as a launching pad. He also finds holes in the defense and goes right up for it. Defensively, he has long arms and protects the paint as a great help-side defender. We will have to see more for him, but the upside is certainly there.</p>