5A Wings to watch in the tourney– Chauncey Billups Region
The 5A State playoffs get started this coming week and there are plenty of great matchups to get out and enjoy. Matchups we focus on here are the wings. Here are five wings to take a look at in the…
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Continue ReadingThe 5A State playoffs get started this coming week and there are plenty of great matchups to get out and enjoy. Matchups we focus on here are the wings. Here are five wings to take a look at in the Chauncey Billups region.
Mark Dolan – Fairview
Mark Dolan is about baskets and he has gotten plenty of them this season as he is up to 17.2 points a game on one of the state’s top teams. Fairview will have a first-round bye before taking on the winner of Palmer and Broomfield where Dolan should feast. He has a good feel around the rim and finds the open spots where he shows off one of the state’s best mid-range pullups. He can open up the floor with his outside shooting and also is capable of heating up fast. He excels in the open court and is a combo-guard that gets it done in a variety of ways.
Darien Myers – Palmer
Myers is a player putting up some of the best stats in the entire state and has led Palmer to a 14-9 record. This playoff run is where I expect Myers to get a bit more attention than he has received as I except another monster outing against Broomfield and then a battle against Fairview. He is a wing that is forced to do it all as he is at 18.1 rebounds and 11.0 rebounds a game. He can go inside and score where he has great footwork and soft touch around the rim and is great at forcing switches onto smaller defenders where he has his way with them. While Myers is not an elite shooter, he does open things up with his shot and it would not surprise me if he finished with the best overall stat line from anyone in the opening games. Keep an eye out for him.
Chase Hettinger – Castle view
Chase has had a phenomenal year and it is only right that senior year is when it all came together to be his best one yet. He is averaging 22.1 points a game which is amongst the top in the state and has earned his team a first-round bye. He can shoot it, dunk it and distribute and a magical run could be set up. He will be able to prove himself as one of the top players in the state in a loaded field and I know that he will be up for the challenge. Schools should be all over him right now and a great playoff performance can be the difference.
Luke O Brien – Columbine
The state’s top player will begin his junior seasons playoff run with a bye before taking on the winner of Cherry Creek and Doherty and that will be one of the best games in the second round. The University of Colorado commit is putting up 21.3 points and 8.4 rebounds a game and has led one of the surprise teams in the state to the No. 9 overall seed. He can shoot the ball, plays above the rim and creates mismatches with his size. He can put it on the floor and get to his spots and as long as he is scoring in the ways that he is capable of the Rebels have a chance every time out.
Julian Hammond – Cherry Creek
This is one of the top sophomores in the entire state and the state should beware for two more years. He is one of the top scorers in the state as only a sophomore at 20.2 points a game and that is because he has it all. Good size, athleticism, confidence and a great feel for the game and he is a player that keeps going at you for the whole game. He gets inside and uses his strength, has a confident pull up, has a set of go to moves and uses them and is above average finisher at the rim. His football pedigree has translated to his hard play on the court where he excels in many ways and he will have to be Cherry Creek’s best player if they plan on advancing.