5A State Tournament Outlook
By Matt Langley
www.BasketballColorado.com
2/23/2015
Denver, CO – No other 5A Tournament in recent memory has been this wide open and I expect there to be some upsets along the way. In this post we look at the Bill Weimar Region.
Bill Weimar Region RD 1
9. Fountain Ft. Carson –
- Castle View
Castle View has on its side that they come from a tough Continental League and Coach Simpson is very familiar with FFC from his days at Rampart
FFC though has a winning record has shown that it can hang with continental teams as well. If the Trojans can get out used its athletic advantage early than can claim a 1st round victory
Pick – Fountain Ft. Carson
12. Greeley West
5. Northglenn
Northglenn has had a great season lead by seniors Jonah Radebaugh and Jacob Mountor. Northglenn is capable of playing any style of game and if the 3 ball is falling they will be hard to beat.
Greeley West though is playing with house money, young overall and junior Cordell Gillingham will need to carry the load.
Pick – Northglenn
10. Arapahoe
7. Doherty
Arapahoe has one of the most impressive streaks going in 5A: They have been to at least the Great 8 for at least six straight seasons. Don’t let the 7-16 record surprise you the Warriors are a feisty bunch that won’t go quietly.
Doherty is not overly tall and young but those guards are skilled and has shown that they can hang with most teams in the state. Dalven Brushier lead the Spartans in scoring but junior Tynan Velazquez and sophomore Brevin Brimble are capable of going off for 20 points in any game.
Pick – Doherty
11. Mullen
6. Warriors
Mullen had a tough year in the Centennial League but they did how flashes of being able to hang with some of the better teams. Junior wing Nate Davis had D1 potential and could be capable of putting up big numbers.
The Warriors have had their best season record wise since 2011-2012. Not with out a few bumps along the way though including missing Head Coach Ron Bush for nearly a month due to surgery. However senior Malik Hart is just as capable of putting up big numbers for the Warriors.
Pick – Warriors
Game of the night in the Weimar Region – Mullen vs Warriors – Can Davis and his high level skill take over and simply dominate a team that has at least 4 college basketball players on it. Will Hart play with a high motor and make defenses suffer. The key player in the game though could be senior Warrior, Troy Green, capable of high level finishes at the basket and has stopper ability on defense with the defense undoubtedly focused on stopping Hart, can Green be the guy for the Warriors.
Rest of the way –
Overland appears to have the easiest road to the Great 8 for any of the #1 seeds. Northglenn or Grand Junction with D.J. Wells could possibly give the Trailbalzers a test especially if the Trailblazers are not shooting well from the outside. A possible match up with Mountain Vista or the Warriors in the Great 8 could end Overland’s season much earlier than expected. Mountain Vista can beat anybody see Regis and ThunderRidge, and the Warriors have the athleticism to run with the Trailblazers. However for either Mountain Vista or the Warriors to face off with Overland they will need to deal with Fort Collins. The Lambkins have a legit presence in the middle with 6’9 senior Tristan Von Nieda and a number of guards that play well together.
Final Four Pick –
Overland – As long as the Trailblazers play together and defend like their hair is on fire, they should be fine despite a consistent threat from the outside. Don’t forget they also have 6’9 junior phenom DeRon Davis that has the ability to be the most dominate player in the state.
