Season Preview: Denver Prep League
Expect the usual suspects to stay among the league’s leaders as Denver East and George Washington appear to be the preseason favorites. A number of other teams look to be challengers in the DPL and perhaps state-wide in either 5A…
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Continue ReadingExpect the usual suspects to stay among the league’s leaders as Denver East and George Washington appear to be the preseason favorites. A number of other teams look to be challengers in the DPL and perhaps state-wide in either 5A or 4A. As far as entertainment value goes, the Denver Prep tends to rank high in Colorado. How will things shake out this season?
Here’s our take:
1. Denver East (Last season: 17-9, 6-2, tied for second)
The Angels have finished atop the mountain six times under legendary coach Rudy Carey. They will have a chance at claiming state title No. 7 since Carey returned to his alma mater for the 1993-94 season. Guard play will be a strength as Daylen Kountz (No. 1 in 2018), Kwane Marble (No. 8 in 2019), Jamison Washington (No. 20 in 2017), and Joe Abiakam (No. 24 in 2017) are the headliners of a high-level group. 6-11 Assane Diouf, 6-8 Alex May and 6-6 Momar Fall ensure the Angels won’t lack for height. This is a contender.
2. George Washington (16-9, 8-0)
The Patriots are 16-0 in the DPL the past two seasons with two Sweet 16 appearances on top of it. They have to deal with the departure of Kountz, but this group is anything but short on talent with Jervay Green (No. 8 in 2017), Calvin Fugett Jr. (No. 14 in 2017), and Jon’il Fugett (No. 5 in 2018) in the backcourt. 6-8 Tray Pierce is a nicely developing presence down low. George Washington has huge potential again.
3. Far Northeast (18-7, 6-2, tied for second)
The Warriors have an under-the-radar 6-7 senior guard in Manel Ayol. He made 64 percent of his shots in scoring at a clip of 9.2 and he could have potential for much more this season. Big guard Aaris Bonds (6-4, 185) is very bouncy and has upside. Russell Wilkerson (8 ppg) is a capable guard as well. Far Northeast looks to reach a deeper round of the state tournament after being eliminated in the second round in an overtime game against Boulder.
4. Thomas Jefferson (10-14, 3-5, sixth)
Seven of the team’s eight leading scorers are back as 6-4 senior guard Ravel Moody (No. 18 in 2017) will be featured again. Moody tallied averages of 17 points, four rebounds, three assists, and 3.5 steals during a productive all-around campaign last year. Xavier Cooper (No. 10 in 2018) and Breon Harper (top-25 in 2018), along with exciting sophomore Jodaun Dotson, provide the Spartans with plenty of skill and depth at guard as well. Thomas Jefferson could make a lengthy run in the 4A playoffs.
5. Denver South (19-7, 6-2, tied for second)
The Rebels turned a corner during the 2012-13 season as they are boasting a 73-31 record during this stretch. They have posted a 6-2 league mark three consecutive seasons and they finished as the 4A runner-up three years ago. Some retooling will be needed with the graduation of a strong group that reached the Great 8. Chudier Bile (18.9 ppg, 9.3 rpg) is no small loss. Nonetheless, Denver South can rely heavily on 6-5 junior guard Courtney Dean (No. 21 in 2018), along with senior guards Connor Nelson (12.1 ppg, 3.4 apg) and Henry Cargile (8.7 ppg). This will be a dangerous 4A unit again.
6. Lincoln (15-10, 4-4, fifth)
The Lancers feature one of the better pure talents in Colorado in Umar Jalloh, a 6-6 senior forward with a ton of length and natural athleticism. Jalloh (13.2 ppg) is continuing to polish his all-around skills, but will be called on for likely a large chunk of the scoring for a Lincoln team with much to replace. Five of the squad’s top six scorers have moved on, which includes Jamison Washington (13.5 ppg), but Lincoln might have some promising new talent in the fold.
7. Denver West (6-17, 1-7, eighth)
The Cowboys only have one winning record to their name since the 2004-05 season and have their sixth coach in six seasons. But Mike Brookhart, the longtime coach at Cherry Creek who led the Bruins to the Great 8 last year, steps in. Nahum Berhe (9.8 ppg) and Ibrahim Musa (7.2) had moments a season ago.
8. Denver North (10-12, 2-6, seventh)
The Vikings had not posted double-digit wins since 2008-09 before tallying 10 each of the last two seasons. North does have to replace Michael De Leon (16.2 ppg) and Akicita Irving (10.2), along with the team’s other top two point-producers, but the program has been on a slight upward trajectory of late and so perhaps that trend will continue.
9. Kennedy (2-20, 0-8, ninth)
Little is known about this group of Commanders, but only a pair of seniors were on the varsity roster last year. Improvement could easily be attained.