Program Preview: Colorado Prospects Academy

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>AAU season is upon us which means Team Previews are in full swing. In this article I'll be taking an in-depth look at the Colorado Prospects Academy. This is a program that has plenty of new names to look out for this summer. I'll be breaking down the 15U and 17U teams, from players to watch, standouts, and names to know.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>17U Roster</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1369795' first='Marcus' last='Hinh'] 2024&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1764313' first='Austin' last='Beeson'] 2024</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1764311' first='Blake' last='Weslin'] 2024</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2460048' first='Dylan' last='Nieto'] 2025</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Xavier Copher 2024</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Josiah Fay 2024</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jalen Mickennies 2024</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Zeke Negrete 2024</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dajon Jones 2024</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kevin Casillas 2024</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's always good to see teams from Colorado go out of town and make a statement with their level of play and this CPA team did exactly that at the West Coast live period event. This 17U team went 2-2 playing in the highest pool with a group of guys that some may consider to be under the radar. [player_tooltip player_id='2460048' first='Dylan' last='Nieto'] is the young buck of the team giving them a tough defender who can handle the ball well and get teammates involved. [player_tooltip player_id='1369795' first='Marcus' last='Hinh'] is a true point guard, who has a high IQ and can shoot the 3-ball with ease. [player_tooltip player_id='1764311' first='Blake' last='Weslin'] gives this team a proven leader that can put the ball in the basket from all 3 levels. Every team needs a player like Auston Beeson a big physical guard that makes winning plays on both ends of the floor. Xavier Copher and Josiah Fay are a wing combination that makes this 17U team difficult to defend. Xavier is the all-around player with high upside, while Josiah is the skilled, athletic player that plays above the rim. Kevin Casillas is the big guy holding down the paint but can also step out and guard 3-5 when needed. Jalen Mickennies, Zeke Negrete, and Dajon Jones are all three big pieces as far as scoring seeing as how they're capable of scoring in bunches from all over the floor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>15U Roster</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1799816' first='George' last='West'] III</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Santana Jones</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Trerene Gutierrez</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sam Meilinez</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1622325' first='Cruz' last='Sanchez']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kayalan Graham</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jake Swanson</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Xavier Garcia</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2689623' first='Ben' last='Swanson']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Javid Taylor&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As stated earlier this team also played in the West Coast Live event which is how they came onto our radar they finished the tournament 3-1 only losing to one of the top Under Armour teams. A huge part of this team's success is everybody understanding their role and playing within the offense. Starting off with Trerene Gutierrez a bigger guard that gets the job done on the offensive end in a variety of ways, but also plays with a high motor and can defend with the best of them. [player_tooltip player_id='1799816' first='George' last='West'] III and Santana Jones and are a great one-two punch with West being able to get downhill at will, putting pressure on the defense. While Santana provides a spark on defense leading to turnovers. This team has Sam Meilinez, Jake Swanson, and Xavier Garcia who serve as knockdown shooters eliminating the defense's ability to help on drives to the rim. [player_tooltip player_id='1622325' first='Cruz' last='Sanchez'] adds another layer of shooting to this already strong offense, but he is also a pure point that can change the game with his pace making it easy for players like Kayalan Graham and [player_tooltip player_id='2689623' first='Ben' last='Swanson']. They're athletic wings that can jump out of the gym, flying high for rebounds and finishing above the rim. Javid Taylor is the X-Factor of this team being that can do a little bit of everything.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->