Early GPOY Candidates

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This year the race for GPOY has quite a few players who have stood out early in the season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The Top 3</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There have been three prospects who have made the strongest cases, each leading top 6A teams to good starts. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1577941' first='Andrew' last='Crawford'] - ThunderRidge</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1577941' first='Andrew' last='Crawford'] has looked dominant on the offensive end of the court leading the defending state champs to a 5-1 record. He has been taking and making deep three-pointers from beyond college range. Standing at 6'6 and being able to play guard makes him a match-up nightmare. This year he is averaging a double-double with 23.7 points, 11.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.5 steals, and 2.2 blocks per contest. Andrew has looked like the best local prospect in the state and a Power Five guard prospect.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='972419' first='Rickey' last='Mitchell'] - Smoky Hill</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='972419' first='Rickey' last='Mitchell'] is the senior leader for a young Smoky Hill squad and he is currently leading the state in scoring. Rickey is a smooth scorer off the dribble and has grown to 6'4 making him very hard to guard. He has led the team to a 4-0 start making them one of the top teams in 6A. Rickey is averaging 31 points, 2.8 assists, 5.5 rebounds, 2.3 steals, and 1.8 blocks per game. Rickey is a must-watch player in the state with his increased athleticism he is able to score above the rim.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1167509' first='Nick' last='Randall'] - Fossil Ridge</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1167509' first='Nick' last='Randall'] is the most dominant player in the paint in the state. Nick is a lengthy forward who uses patience and great footwork to finish around the rim. He has led Fossil Ridge to a 7-1 start shooting a very efficient 66%. This year he is averaging 25.2 points, 2.7 assists, 10.2 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game. Nick has been the best big man playing locally due to his deep scoring bag in the post.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Dark Horse Candidates</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137823' first='Maurice' last='Austin'] - Pueblo South</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Through 52 games Maurice has scored 1,000 points showing off his consistency and dominance on the offensive end of the floor. Maurice is a dawg of a point guard who only stands at 5'8 but has proven to be one of the best players in the state. He does a great job of using his scoring gravity to set up teammates for buckets. Maurice is averaging 27.3 points per game, 5.8 assists, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.9 steals per game, what makes him a dark horse is that his team is currently 5-4 but has had a tough early schedule.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1284559' first='Caden' last='Stevens'] - Mountain Vista</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1284559' first='Caden' last='Stevens'] has led Mountain Vista to be the top team in 6A with his ability to affect the game on both ends. Standing at 6'9 Caden commands the paint on both ends of the floor. He is averaging 18.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks per game. Caden is a modern big who can create offense from the perimeter and knockdown open jump shots.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1420272' first='Luke' last='Justice'] - Frederick</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1420272' first='Luke' last='Justice'] is leading Frederick to a hot start as they look like one of the top teams in 5A. Luke is a big-time lefty scorer who has deep three-point range. He is a good scorer off of the dribble who can toy with defenders to create separation. This year Luke is averaging 20 points, 4 assists, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game. He may be the most fun player to watch in the state due to his microwave and crafty scoring ability.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->