Essential 2025s Part 1: Northern Colorado Team Camp
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Garrett Barger Garrett Barger 6'9" | PF Eaglecrest | 2025 State #364 Nation CO – Eaglecrest At 6’7, Barger has one of the highest defensive potentials among wings and forwards in the state. His long reach and patience on defense…
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Continue ReadingGarrett Barger Garrett Barger 6'9" | PF Eaglecrest | 2025 State #364 Nation CO – Eaglecrest
At 6’7, Barger has one of the highest defensive potentials among wings and forwards in the state. His long reach and patience on defense makes for a matchup nightmare who can switch 2 through 4 comfortably having the ability to hunt down some 1s on switches. He does an excellent job maximizing his wingspan to deter shots around the rim or heavily contest jumpers around the three point line. Going into this upcoming high school season, Barger will be the defensive heart and soul for Eaglecrest. While he has made steady improvements on the perimeter, continuing to get his strength up a few pounds will maximize his defensive versatility.
Kale Sparks Kale Sparks 6'6" | PF Legend | 2025 State CO – Legend
Sparks was a pleasant surprise for Legend due to his serviceable role as a glass cleaner and mobile cutter off the ball. For reference, Sparks stands at roughly 6’4 as is, allowing him to provide excellent help and point of attack defense versus wings. His sturdy frame and fundamental approach makes him a tough body to contain on the glass. Although he has a low usage role with Legend, he maximizes his strengths to positively impact winning through effective help-side rotations, off-ball movement, and consistent disruptive energy on defense.
James Murray – Fountain-Fort Carson
Murray has some of the best passing vision in the class while standing right around 6’4. Although a bit lanky, his long strides allow him to quickly accelerate past opponents where he capitalizes on overaggressive rotations. Once a double comes, he quickly finds the corner shooter or baseline cutter. It is rare you find athletes at his size not just willing, but proactively creating passing lanes for his team. Currently, Murray has the vision and frame to be a high level player in the state, however he must continue to refine his overall shooting touch and ballhandling in traffic.
Cal Baskind Cal Baskind 6'0" | SG Mountain Vista | 2025 State CO – Mountain Vista
Baskind is a lefty sharpshooter whose size could make you underestimate his high energy defense. Standing roughly 5’11, the shooting guard understands his role and has heavily refined himself as a shooter with range. The quick, compact form allows him to get the ball off over contests, where he is rarely fazed. Either coming off of movement or the catch, Baskind will be a terror on the perimeter whether you plan for him or not. While I enjoy how effective he is in a specialist role, he will need to work on his shot versatility to pull off pressure from big time performers Radek Homer Radek Homer 6'0" | SG Mountain Vista | 2023 State CO and Caden Stevens Caden Stevens 6'8" | C Mountain Vista | 2023 CO . Ideally, continuing to work on the short floater along with drive and kick passing should continue to elevate his role as a complementary shooter.
LaDavian King LaDavian King 6'1" | CG Eaglecrest | 2025 State CO – Eaglecrest (pictured above)
King was a heat check all weekend as the leading scorer on Eaglecrest, capping it off with a 39 point performance. Scoring from 24 points and up, King’s confidence as a incredibly versatile shooter is tough to find at 6’1. King is comfortable scoring at all three levels off the bounce, while also continuing to extend his range out past the college line. Continuing to leverage his shooting gravity to create passing opportunities will be essential for the combo guard’s long term potential.