Five guards to watch in the 5A/4A Pikes Peak League
There has been changes to the world as we know it, and the Colorado high school basketball scene has taken its fair share of changes as well. Typically, we will have already started with some tournaments at this time of…
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Continue ReadingThere has been changes to the world as we know it, and the Colorado high school basketball scene has taken its fair share of changes as well. Typically, we will have already started with some tournaments at this time of the year to get things kicked off, but there has to be a compromise on both ends. Not only will the season start late, but it will be a condensed season, so teams and players must get off to hot starts. Here we will focus on the 5A/4A Pikes Peak League, which will be much improved and has some really talented players in it.
Gabe Hanson – Palmer Ridge
Palmer Ridge will look to bounceback after a tough season and lose many key members from last year’s team. With so much turnover, one of the things they will look for is comfort and familiarity, and they get that with point guard, Gabe Hanson. As a junior, Hanson was one of the team’s go-to scorers and he got off to a hot-start before slowing down. If he finds some consistency there, Palmer Ridge has a chance. Hanson put up 9.4 points a game, and that was with erupting for 20+ points on three occasions and a career-high of 28 points. He is improving as a shooter, has a good feel for the game, and plays hard even when down. This year it will have to be about allowing the game to come to him and setting up others.
Ethan Smith – Discovery Canyon
Smith was only a sophomore last season but that did not stop him from being an important piece to the Thunder. In his sophomore season, the 5’10 point guard put up nine points a game as he got off to a flaming hot start to the season. He was putting up double figures in multiple games, knocking down the 3-ball at a 38% clip, and taking care of the ball. To conclude the season, while the efficiency wasn’t there, he still was a valuable and an important piece that Discovery Canyon will rely on next season.
Greg Garnett – Sand Creek
Sand Creek was one of the surprising young teams this past season and had some promising young players to get behind. One of those young players was Greg Garnett, one of the team’s most balanced players. Garnett is a small guard but plays well above his size and provides a spark whenever he is in the game. He is a triple threat option that scores, defends, rebounds, and makes plays for others and was one of their most important pieces that were often overlooked. Garnett averaged 7.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists a game and showed that he could defend at a high level and just under two steals a game. When Garnett is locked in, Sand Creek has a option that can make things happen on the floor, and will step into the primary ball-handler role, and should be ready to turn some heads this season.
Ryder Banks Ryder Banks 6'3" | SF Air Academy | 2023 State CO – Air Academy
Air Academy will be a fun team to watch for the next few seasons as they have a strong young core. Air Academy has a solid 2023 class and will be one of the favorites come senior season. Do-it-all guard Ryder Banks Ryder Banks 6'3" | SF Air Academy | 2023 State CO is a player that can play multiple positions but is comfortable with the ball in his hands and can generate offense. Banks put up 6.4 points and three rebounds a game in his freshman season as he was a spark that Air Academy put into the game. This year he will have to improve as a ball-handler, passer and shooter but putting him in isolation situations is where he is best at. Expecting a solid year from him.