Colorado Year in Review: Centennial League
Now that we are several weeks removed from the winter basketball season, let’s put a bow on it by looking back at how things shook out in each of Colorado’s conferences. Here’s a snapshot of the past season’s action in…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingNow that we are several weeks removed from the winter basketball season, let’s put a bow on it by looking back at how things shook out in each of Colorado’s conferences. Here’s a snapshot of the past season’s action in the Centennial League.
How it all shook out
An incredible six of the eight teams in the conference finished the season with winnings records, including three teams – Grandview, Overland and Smoky Hill – that won 19 or more games. When it came to conference play, Grandview eventually separated from the pack despite Overland and Smoky Hill beating the Wolves head-to-head in back-to-back games on Jan. 30 and Feb. 1. All of the top teams in the league beat each other up all season but it was incredibly deep as well. The Centennial League sent six teams to the 5A state tournament and all of them reached at least the Sweet 16, with four advancing to the Great 8.
Who made it the farthest
Per the preview section, it was a four-way tie between Grandview, Overland, Smoky Hill and Cherry Creek, which combined to make up an incredible 50 percent of the Great 8 field. Perhaps the most surprising of these squads were the Cherry Creek Bruins, who made it all the way to the Great 8 as the No. 24 overall seed with super sophomore Julian Hammond III (20.5 ppg) leading the way. Gatorade Colorado Player of the Year Kenny Foster paced Smoky Hill’s run. Senior Dayne Prim was a stud for Grandview, as was junior Graham Ike for Overland.
Several more who stood out
Aaron Bokol, 2019, 6-5, W, Eaglecrest: What a revelation he was for Eaglecrest, exploding out of the gates to average a team-high 18.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.
Christian Davis, 2019, 6-0, G, Mullen: Remember when this kid dropped 55 points in a win over Chatfield on Dec. 22? Well, we do. Bouncy and long, and with the potential to skyrocket at the next level, he was fun to watch as a senior.
Quinten Rock, 2020, 6-0, G, Smoky Hill: Perhaps the top playmaker in the entire state, he averaged 7.3 assists per game and it will be very, very interesting to see what he does next season when faced with the challenge of helping fill in for Foster’s departure.
Bryson Stephens, 2020, 6-1, G, Arapahoe: He led Arapahoe with 13.6 points a night and has the type of high ceiling to become one of the top returning players next winter if he continues to improve.
An underclassman to watch
Myles Purchase, 2021, 5-11, PG, Cherry Creek: While it may have been easy to put Hammond III here, Purchase deserves plenty of credit for the Bruins’ run as well. He averaged 13.0 points, 3.3 assists and 2.3 steals per game over the course of the season. In the playoffs, he shot 45 percent (19 for 42) from the field and averaged 4.75 assists per game. Purchase will be battling with other top Centennial sophomores like Eaglecrest’s Ty Robinson (12.3 ppg) and the Smoky Hill duo of Jalen Weaver (11.1 ppg) and Jordan Whitaker (9.3 ppg) for years to come.
A quick, way-to-early look to 2019-20
Cherry Creek has been featured prominently throughout this review and for good reason. The Bruins finished strong in 2018-19 and did so with only one senior among their top three scorers. Hammond III and Purchase will be juniors next year and Sebastian Cole (12.2 ppg) will be a senior. Make no mistake, the Centennial League will be tough again next season. But with some of the other top teams graduating elite talent, a window could be opening for the Bruins to take their turn at the top.