2021 Rankings Update: Beyond the box score standouts

<p>The class of 2021 rankings has been updated, and there is plenty of movement throughout the entire list. We added the most players that we have ever had and did our most thorough observations to choose what we deem to be our most thought-out rankings yet. This season was a bit different as it was condensed, so we took summer ball and mixed it with what we were able to see throughout the season as well. Here are a few players that can impact the game in ways other than only their scoring. </p> <h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="965747" first="Ty" last="Bergman"] – Regis</strong></span></h2> <p>Bergman was one of my favorite players to follow off of the court as there is so much upside to him, and he is going to accomplish some real things in this world. But he is also impactful on the basketball court, and plenty of what he does goes beyond the box score. Bergman crashes the boards, bangs down there with the bigs, and has excellent size at 6’8, and with his size, teammates often leave him down there to battle himself. He grabs rebounds out of his radius, spaces the floor with his outside shot, and also finishes well around the basket. There have been games where Bergman has gone for 20 points, and I saw that a few times in grassroots, and also some where he only had 4 points, but he still approached each game the same way. For Regis, he did not get to play a ton in his senior season but was a starter and part of the rotation when he did play. He averaged 8 points and 5.4 rebounds a game when he played. He is a hardworking stretch-big with a great basketball IQ, and he will go on to play at a DIII school that will be lucky to have him.</p> <h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="916960" first="Tommy" last="Apodaca"] – Denver Lutheran</strong></span></h2> <p>Apodaca is what made that Lutheran team run from a guard's standpoint, as he was one of the only guards that was able to put pressure on the defense with their athleticism. He is a quick guard that penetrates the defense, and kicks out to the open man. He also understood how talented of a big man that he had around him and fed him constantly. Apodaca had a slow start to the season with his scoring and facilitating, but when it mattered most – he showed up. Apodaca averaged 11.7 points a game on the year and finished the season with six straight games in double figures. Apodaca was the difference-maker in the state championship that stepped up and put up 18-points in the big game, including 5-8 from beyond the arc. He sees the floor well, navigates through the defense, and his change of pace did more than people realize. He is the No. 7 ranked pg in the state and a state champion. Hopefully, he continues to play.</p> <h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1050956" first="Sander" last="Squibb"] – Denver East</strong></span></h2> <p>Squibb does not have to score a single basket for the year, and he will be a starter and player you play big minutes, simply because he brings it and impacts the game on a different level. Squibb is an al-effort type of player that coaches love coaching as he does whatever is asked of him. If there are mistakes made, he makes up for it by hustling back on defense, diving for loose balls, and also is a player that you can put on any player in the state, and he will do everything in his power to try and challenge them. Squibb had moments in grassroots where I saw him explode for big games as he was asked to do more in that department and transitioned into a fill-in-the-gaps role for the Angels that managed to make things happen. Squibb's work goes beyond the scoreboard, and he is a player that certainly helped his team in every way.</p> <h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="917015" first="Cole" last="Bowen"] – Rampart</strong></span></h2> <p>Bowen is a player. He has only gotten better over the years and added pieces to his game. Bowen was the swiss-army-knife type of player on one of the highest-scoring teams in the state, and he was the player on the team capable of doing it all. They asked him to score, rebound, and be the team’s top facilitator in a loaded backcourt, and he fit in seamlessly. Bowen had an incredible stat line as he averaged 13.6 points, 4.8 assists, 5.4 rebounds, and put up a team-high 3.9 steals a game. He’s who the team relied on defensively and when plays broke down, he was the catalyst that got the team back going. Bowen is a 6’2 combo-guard that fills the lanes correctly, attacks when he has the ball in his hands, and is locked in defensively. His game progressed each time that we saw him, and we know that his best basketball is still ahead of him. He made PPAC 1st Team All-Conference in his senior year and will be a player to watch at Mount Mary University this upcoming season.</p> <h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="916991" first="Nick" last="Fallin"] – Rock Canyon</strong></span></h2> <p>I am unsure that anybody boosted their stock as much as Fallin did down the home stretch and even more so in the playoffs. With changes to the Jaguars and him catapulting up to the No.1 guy, he delivered for his team and got them to pick up multiple upset wins in the playoffs. Fallin is a playmaker that makes up his mind to score and does it. He comes off of screens, attacks off the dribble, and is a streaky scorer who only needs to see one shot go in. In the playoffs, we got to see him as the facilitator, and they ran the offense through him, which led to his team having faith in their 6’3 combo-guard and him delivering. Fallin had a career-high of 35 points with a second-round win over a talented Fossil Ridge squad and played his best basketball all in a stretch. </p>