Games of the Week: Opening Week

With so many changes and not having the same access statewide as we typically have, Maxpreps will be our friend, as well as the various streaming services. Ensure that parents, family/friends, coaches, and basketball enthusiasts can watch the games they can watch. We want to cover as many players as we can while also informing the masses. We are giving you what we deem as the games of the week for each day. <h2 style="text-align: center;">Tuesday</h2> Horizon vs. Chaparral There are a few good games on the docket for Tuesday, but none matches up with what we will see in this Horizon and Chaparral game. Chaparral loses some key pieces and their best player from a season ago but return their second-best player in 6’7 big man Joel Speckman. Speckman is a dominant two-way player that will have the ball in his hands in ways that we have not seen. In his sophomore season, he was an All-Conference player as he averaged eight points and six rebounds a game and has proved the ability to be a versatile player that can put the ball on the floor and bang inside as well. The Wolverines also have two transfer players in [player_tooltip player_id="965763" first="Braden" last="Boley"] who is a do-it-all combo-guard that can space the floor with his outside shot and also get out in the open court as well as [player_tooltip player_id="759289" first="Luke" last="Williams"] who makes a huge jump from 3A to 5A and is ready to prove himself as one of the best guards in the 2022 class. This will be a game that Chaparral will look to show that they have lost some players but still will be very good. On Horizon’s end, they have the guard play and with a backcourt that has [player_tooltip player_id="717063" first="Xavier" last="Harris"] who happens to be one of the best point guards in the 2022 class and has improved his game tremendously and [player_tooltip player_id="618888" first="Tabor" last="Robison"] that plays well alongside him then the team is in good standing. They will make the most lethal backcourt dynamic from a defensive standpoint as they are an on-ball defending tandem that will be tough to get by. Harris will have to be at his best for this team to play well, but with X-factors like Coby Jiminez, who keeps growing and provides a calming force, and Ambrose Montano as the spark plug, this is a team that can still compete with the best of them. Fun game, and some will say a deeper look at the Colorado Roughriders minus only a couple of players. <h2 style="text-align: center;">Wednesday</h2> Smoky Hill vs. Eaglecrest Both of these teams lost a ton, but just how much? That is the question to ask, and it will be answered on Wednesday. Both teams are without some big pieces and will look completely different. For Eaglecrest, [player_tooltip player_id="916953" first="Ty" last="Robinson"] will be the guy. He has committed to the University of Colorado for football but is still a problem on the hardwood. He averaged 13.3 points a game and will have all eyes on him. Alongside him is a big man duo of Adrien Price and [player_tooltip player_id="1047502" first="Jayden" last="Washington"] which will be a stifling tower ready to secure big boards and protect the paint. Scoring might be the issue, but they will certainly be ready to defend, and that should lead to wins. Smoky Hill also loses a big portion of their team but have the newcomer of the Centennial League in [player_tooltip player_id="1050952" first=" Brayden" last=" Maldonado"]. Maldonado is a gifted guard with a creative and crafty scorer who sees the floor well and takes the chances. He will be relied on heavily. Alongside him is [player_tooltip player_id="916959" first="Jordan" last="Whitaker"] who is better than people think and shoots the ball extremely well. Playmaking combo-guard with range. He averaged 7.4 points a game, and that was while the being the third option. Expect big changes this season. [player_tooltip player_id="918900" first="Anthony" last="Harris Jr"]. is an elite athlete and cannot be slowed down in the open court, but has his limitations. It appears that he has addressed some, but we have to see it in action. This will be the season to make the jump for him, and if he does, that team will surprise. Fun game. <h2 style="text-align: center;">Friday</h2> Mountain Vista vs. Valor Christian Mountain Vista has a top-3 player in the state that is going to the University of Wyoming after this season in 6’5 combo-guard [player_tooltip player_id="759207" first="Ben" last="Bowen"], and with him alone, they come into the season as a preseason Top-10 team. Bowen averaged 16.5 points a game as a junior, and I think those numbers will increase in his senior year. He has athleticism, scores when he wants, beats double-teams, and trusts in teammates. We will see the load that he has to carry. On the opposite side of MV is Valor Christian, who comes into the season with high expectations. Valor Christian was one of the remaining teams from last season that had a sensational year, and while they will certainly miss the size that left, they still return their two most impactful players in [player_tooltip player_id="770409" first="Amondo" last="Miller"] and [player_tooltip player_id="759248" first=" AJ" last=" Kula"]. Miller put up a team-high 12.1 points a game and has seemed to work on the parts of his game that needed tweaking. He is an athletic and lanky player with size that cannot be denied at the rim. Kula put up 9.6 points a game but was a playmaker that set others up. He averaged just under three assists a game and will have to step up as a scorer as he is a smooth operator with finesse finishes at the rim that also can extend the defense with his shot. This will be a game to watch.