Four in-state players sign NLI to play Division II
The Colorado athletes of the Class of 2020 signed their names to a National Letter of Intent (NLI) to compete at the next level and earn a degree during Wednesday’s early signing period. Yesterday we featured some of the athletes who signed to Division I schools, in this article, we will highlight four players who will remain in state next year to compete in a very competitive Division II, RMAC conference.
Congratulations to the following student-athletes who signed their National Letter of Intent to play Division II basketball. Always a plus when they decide to stay in state!
Lían Ramiro – Grandview
Lian Ramiro, a 6-foot guard from Grandview High School who averaged: 8.4 PPG, 2.9 APG, 2.0 RPG, 1.3 SPG will be attending CSU-Pueblo next fall. The 2018 State Champion will bring a lot of experience to the Wolves in the fall, Ramiro is a great play making guard who has great vision and court awareness. He is a true floor general, putting his teammates in positions to be successful and can pick a part a defense with his skilled passing.
Christian Speller – Rangeview
We highlighted Christian earlier this month as one of the top unsigned seniors in the 2020 class, on Wednesday he committed to continue his basketball and educational career at MSU Denver. Speller has the build of a college athlete already, at 6’3 he has good length and is very athletic, allowing him to play multiple positions. He averaged: 8.4 PPG, 2.3 APG, 4.4 RPG, 1.0 SPG last season for Rangeview, the 2019 5A state champions. Christian should be in for a monster senior season as him and his brother try to help the Raiders defend the 5A title.
Tristan Hurdle – Highlands Ranch
Tristan Hurdle will be joining Ramiro at CSU-Pueblo next season, Hurdle averaged: 10.1 PPG, 3.5 RPG last season for Highlands Ranch. Tristan is another player who can play a number of positions on the court, at 6’6 he is able to stretch the floor and knock down the three point shot. Last season he shot thirty-eight percent from three while leading the Falcons in attempts. He also shoots eighty percent from the foul-line and has great soft touch around the rim. Hurdle is able to take his defender off the dribble as well and should have a big impact in the coming years the the Wolves.
Trevor Baskin – Pomona
Trevor Baskin has committed to play basketball at Colorado Mesa next season. Last season he averaged: 16.5 PPG, 5.1 APG, 10.5 RPG, 3.0 SPG, 4.3 BPG for Pomona who went 12-12 on the year. Baskin does a little bit of everything on the court and that shows by his stat line. He is able to impact the game on both sides of the ball, at 6’8 his size creates defensive mismatch’s that he often takes advantage of. He can stretch the floor as well, making defenders guard him out on the permitter. Last season he shot thirty-eight percent from three on fifty-six attempts. Baskin has great vision and hands for his size, leading his team in assists and steals. He is also a great rim protector with over one hundred blocks on the season last year. Trevor should have a big impact for Colorado Mesa in the upcoming years.
It will be fun to watch these four battle it out on a nightly basis in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference next season. I would not be surprised if we see a couple more players from the 2020 class sign with a Division II school. I would highly recommend high school players attend some Division II games as they’re highly competitive with a lot of talented players competing at that level.