Kevin Shaffer, ColoradoPreps.com
Special to MaxPreps.com
Basketball: In-state Standouts Stay Home
Centaurus standout Devin Beitzel, the leading scorer in Class 4A basketball this past winter, has signed a national letter of intent with the University of Northern Colorado.
Beitzel is among three Colorado prep standouts to stay in-state with the Bears, who will be in the third year of their transition to Division I status this winter. After playing the past two years as a D-I Independent, the Bears will become a member of the Big Sky Conference this fall.
Beitzel, a 6-0 guard, was a first team All-State and All-Colorado selection after averaging 27.5 points a game as a senior. He had 12 games of at least 30 points, including a career best 47 points against Fountain Fort Carson in the state tournament. His Warriors teams finished 19-7 overall and lost to Broomfield in the Elite 8 of the Class 4A state tournament.
Joining Beitzel at Northern Colorado will be Will Figures and Neal Kingman.
Figures, a 5-9 guard, was a second team All-State selection and paced Class 5A Smoky Hill with 19.6 points as a senior. He helped the Buffs to a 21-6 record and a state semifinal berth, where they lost to eventual state champion Mullen.
Kingman, a 6-6 forward, was a Class 4A All-State selection after averaging nearly 18 points, eight rebounds, and five assists for Greeley West. His Spartans were 11-4 in the Northern conference, but were bounced in the second round of the state tournament.
Basketball: Colorado Hawks Take Top of the Rockies Title
Led by two of the top players in the 2006-07 senior class, the Colorado Hawks took home the top trophy at the Top of the Rockies Summer Basketball Tournament at Green Mountain High School.
The Hawks beat the Colorado Chaos Blue team 58-40 in the championship game May 21. The Top of the Rockies tournament annually features 24 top club teams with players from Colorado and Wyoming.
Stephen Franklin, a 6-5 forward from Aurora Central and Devin Aguilar, a 6-2 guard from state champion Mullen were the top two players from the Hawks. They were both named to the all-tournament team and Aguilar was named Most Outstanding Player. David Jordan, a 5-10 guard from Montbello and Rudy Brown, a 5-11 guard from George Washington, also earned all-tournament honors for the championship squad.
Top of the Rockies All-Tournament Team
Courtesy of Coloradochaos.com
Name Hgt. High School, Graduation Year (Club Team)
Taylor Montgomery 6-7 Cherry Creek, 2007 (Colorado Select Blue)
Rob Lewis 6-7 Evangelical Christian, 2007 (One Way Basketball)
Stephen Franklin 6-5 Aurora Central, 2007 (Colorado Hawks 17's)
Chris Deans 6-5 Aurora Central, 2007 (Colorado Hawks 17's)
Kyle Behrens 6-5 Mountain Vista, 2007 (Colorado Chaos 17's Blue)
Derek Jones 6-5 Palmer, 2007 (Colorado Jammers)
Levi Knuston 6-3 Arapahoe, 2007 (Colorado Select Blue)
Trevor Lyons 6-3 Boulder, 2007 (Colorado Chaos 17's White)
Kit Hensel 6-3 Brighton, 2007 (Colorado Chaos 17's Blue)
Abraham Ziemer 6-3 Faith Christian, 2007 (Colorado Chaos 17's White)
Brent Tomsick 6-3 Green Mountain, 2007 (Colorado Chaos 17's Green)
Ryan Holocher 6-3 Jefferson Academy, 2007 (Colorado JAM)
Brian Kenshalo 6-2 Chatfield, 2007 (Colorado Cagers)
Travis Tucker 6-2 Evergreen, 2007 (Colorado Chaos 17's Red)
Devin Aguilar 6-2 Mullen, 2007 (Colorado Hawks 17's)
Corey Jones 6-2 Rocky Mountain, 2007 (Fort Collins Rebels)
Donnell Wells 6-1 Denver East, 2007 (Colorado Hawks 16's)
Arthur Kaufman 6-1 Harrison, 2007 (Colorado Primetime)
Cain Atkinson 6-0 Evanson, Wyo., 2007 (Colorado Chaos 17's Red)
Nicholas Marinucci 6-0 Pueblo South, 2007 (Colorado Chaos 17's Blue)
Rudy Brown 5-11 George Washington, 2007 (Colorado Hawks 17's)
Matt Elliott 5-11 Windsor, 2007 (Windsor Wizards)
Michael Patton 5-10 Boulder, 2007 (Colorado Select Blue)
David Jordan 5-10 Montbello, 2007 (Colorado Hawks 17's)
Mookie Gilbert 6-6 Denver East, 2008 (Colorado Hawks 16's)
Collin Klein 6-6 Loveland, 2008 (Colorado Chaos Blue)
Demetrius Thornton 6-5 Denver East, 2008 (Colorado Hawks 16's)
Isiah Martinez 6-2 Greeley Central, 2008 (Greeley Central)
Nick Gill 6-1 Faith Christian, 2008 (Colorado Chaos 16's Blue)
Scott Sublousky 6-0 Liberty, 2008 (Next Level Hoops 16's)
Kaipo Sabas 5-11 Rocky Mountain, 2008 (Colorado Chaos 16's White)
Kameron Wilhite 6-1 Pueblo South, 2009 (Colorado Chaos 16's Blue)
David Arnold 6-1 ThunderRidge, 2009 (Colorado Select 16's Blue)