Game-Changing Seniors by seasons end

<p>With the 2019-20 high school basketball season officially over, we shift our focus over to seniors that went a bit overlooked but had solid seasons and were game-changers that led the way. Here are five players that stood out. </p> <p><strong><u>Trey Lujan – Rifle </u></strong></p> <p>Rifle fared well out of the conference but struggled in league play as they were not able to pick up many wins. Putting together complete games and consistency ended up coming back to bite them. Of their inconsistencies, the play of their senior guard was not one of them... Lujan played in only 16 games this season, and that was enough to be named as an All-State Honorable Mention. The scoring guard averaged 17.9 points a game as he put up double figures in all but one game. Lujan gets out in the open court and makes reliable decisions and also attacks the basket for easy finishes.</p> <p><strong><u>Elijah Cook – Conifer </u></strong></p> <p>When you get the luxury of playing alongside one of the best passers that the state has had the last four years, buckets come easy. Cook was the perfect complement alongside [player_tooltip player_id="915298" first="Landon" last="Wallace"] as he averaged a team-high 14.6 points a game. Cook was one of the best shooters in the entire league, as he is a known sniper. This season he shot an incredible 46% (64/139) from beyond the arc while also showcased that he could help out on the boards, find the open man and also serve as a defender that the team relied on for stops. Cook made a habit of finding the open spots and played great off of the ball. Conifer went through their guard for baskets, and he made it happen. Cook was a game-changer this season.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Jordan Manzanares – Pueblo County </strong></span></p> <p>Manzanares is a marksman from deep that can really impact the game with his shooting. He is always on the move, his ability to consistently knock down shots provided spacing and gravity for teammates to contribute, and he also was able to mix it up and get inside from time to time. It did not matter if there was a defender in front of him or if he has found the open spot in the defense, once his feet are set – bottoms up. This season he shot 35% from beyond the arc, but plenty of it had to do with the opposing team just keying in on him and a few heat-check shots. Manzanares averaged a team-high 12.2 points a game and also averaged five rebounds a game. On top of that, he was one of the top defenders in the league as well as he uses all of his 6’2 frame to get after it on that end of the floor. This season Manzanares was named to the 2^nd-Team All-League team and is one of the top senior shooters still remaining.</p> <p><strong><u>[player_tooltip player_id="901318" first="Gabe" last="McDevitt"] – Ponderosa</u></strong></p> <p>A player that stood out this year and jumped onto our radars and proved to be a game-changer this season was 6’2 combo-guard [player_tooltip player_id="901318" first="Gabe" last="McDevitt"]. McDevitt had the numbers as he put up a team-high 15.6 points a game but also impacted the game in other ways as he had four rebounds and three assists to go along with it. McDevitt was a creative finisher inside that utilized the floater. He also stopped for mid-range jump shots and also was a confident shooter that could hit the deep-ball on the move as he finished with an impressive 40% from beyond the arc on the season. He created for himself and also played off of the ball, and he has a good feel for the game and understands how to use his body and size to get shots off with suffocating defense. I liked what I saw from him this season as a player who impacted the game offensively, and he is an exciting player to build around.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="915335" first="Jake" last="Hassett"] – Rock Canyon</strong></span></p> <p>Rock Canyon had the size this season. One of the team’s best rebounders and all-around players was 6’7 senior [player_tooltip player_id="915335" first="Jake" last="Hassett"], who showcased the ability to score inside at 8.4 points a game while also averaging five boards a game as well. Hassett showcased a face-up game this season but also attacked defenders down low with great footwork and soft touch around the rim. He moves well and has a fluid shot, which can quickly improve. He uses his size to affect games, and this season was a game-changer that Rock Canyon relied on from time to time to take on the scoring load.</p>