Underclassmen who stood out in the 4A playoffs

<p>Finding your role in only your freshman and sophomore season is difficult as is, but these young hoopers from the 2023 &amp; 2024 class figured out a way to not only make it happen, but on teams that made the playoffs and had a chance. Here we take a look at the future with 2023/2024 standouts from the 4A playoffs.</p> <h2><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="921097" first="Nick" last="Basson"] – Mead</strong></h2> <p>Basson was a major part of the team and second-best ball-handler for Mead, this past season, as the sophomore guard, added some much-needed relief in the scoring department. During the season, he was the backup go-to option and finished at 11.0 points a game. In the opening round of the playoffs, Basson was the leading scorer for the Mavericks as he had a career-high 24 points and got Mead going to start the playoffs before suffering a stroke sidelining him for the season. Mead then had more to play for, and this resilient hooper became the inspiration and ultimate teammate for the Mavericks rooting his guys on. He appears to be healthy and recovering well, and I am sure he will be back to his usual self in no time.</p> <h2><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="969440" first="Cade" last="Gedeon"] – Steamboat Springs</strong></h2> <p>Gedeon was only a sophomore for the Sailors but was the team's swiss-army-knife and best facilitator. Gedeon was my surprise standout for 4A this year as the 6’3 checked off all of my boxes. He scores both inside and out, rebounds exceptionally well, and gets others involved. In the playoffs, he had some monster games, and with this being our first time watching him live, we walked away impressed. In Steamboat’s first win over Wheat Ridge, Gedeon was the player of the game as he recorded a quiet triple-double of 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 13 assists. He also put up two blocks in that game. In their win over Golden, he was again the player of the game as he put up 16 points, 10 assists, and had nine steals while recording two blocks. He came back to life against Montrose as the team fell in close one, but with the stretch he had, I am excited to follow him throughout the grassroots season and moving forward as he is a player that popped off of the page for me.</p> <h2><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="921096" first="Alan" last="Acevedo"] – Golden</strong></h2> <p>Acevedo is a guard with a mature game, and he is a versatile leader that does what is asked of him. Acevedo is only a sophomore but has two years of full varsity experience, and you can see it with how the game slows down for him. He plays above his size, rebounds well, and also is the team's best playmaker that allows plays to develop. Acevedo stepped his scoring up in the playoffs as he finished with 20 points in Golden’s big win over Summit and followed it up with 15 points in the final game of the season. Acevedo makes it a point to attack the rim and knows how to get the foul call which puts him at the charity stripe. He had 14 rebounds in the opener and 8 against a bigger Steamboat squad. He also showed up by playing the passing lanes and stripping bigger guys for steals, which turned into scoring opportunities on the other end. Acevedo came into the season as one of the top players in the class, which won't change much as he had another solid season.</p> <h2><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="973010" first="Khafre" last="Garrett-Mills"] – Aurora Central</strong></h2> <p>Khafre was one of the top scorers in all of 4A as he has an excellent feel for the game and high upside and will be a fixture for years to come. He understands where he wants to go, gets to his spots, and makes teams pay, and although it came in a loss against the No.1 seeded Windsor Wizards, who happened to be one of the top defenses in the state, he still managed to put up big numbers. The Trojans were outmanned by the Wizards and took an opening loss, but Khafre put up 18 points. He also had six rebounds and three blocks and what I enjoyed was that he was not just out there gunning. He still moved without the ball, navigated through the many traps, and waited until the shot he wanted became available. He can score in various ways, and this 2023 standout gave me a reason to look for Aurora Central this year. I hope to see more of him this summer.</p> <h2><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1137823" first="Maurice" last="Austin"] – Pueblo South</strong></h2> <p>Austin is the 2024 standout that has been on a tear, and the state is in trouble for his entire career. What he was able to accomplish as only a freshman has us ready for the summer and next season as this Pueblo South team turned many heads and inspired some along the way. They are certainly a team that I will watch moving forward, and the Austin brothers are a big reason why. Maurice is a small guard that plays WAY above his size. He is a stat sheet stuffer that plays with supreme confidence. He scores, rebounds, sets teammates up, and defends at a high level, and it was on display in the playoffs. Austin put up 13.2 points, 5 rebounds, and 9.2 assists a game in the playoffs while also racking up 5.2 steals a game. That is insane for a freshman to do.  He recorded a triple-double of 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists while picking up six steals in an upset win over the No.1 team in all of 4A and just came to play in every game. I am unsure how much [player_tooltip player_id="1137823" first="Maurice" last="Austin"] stock is out there as I have bought it all up, but if there is some – get you some. He’s a player.</p>