Kent Denver boys basketball taking over Class 3A

It is easy to look at the unblemished record put together by the Kent Denver (Englewood, Colo.) boys basketball team and assume it has simply been a red-hot winter for the Sun Devils.

Yet this streak can trace its roots back nearly an entire year, when Kent Denver was in the midst of a 2011-12 season that appeared to be falling off the tracks.

On Feb. 1, 2012, Kent Denver suffered a loss that dropped the Sun Devils to 5-9. Finishing with a winning record seemed out of the question, never mind making a run all the way into the Class 3A state finals. But that's exactly what Kent Denver did, going 9-3 before watching the Cinderella run end with a one-point loss against 3A Metro League rival Faith Christian in the state title game.

The momentum hasn't waned for Sun Devils, who will take a perfect 10-0 mark into their rematch against Faith at home on Friday night.



"As far as thinking about Faith with extra emphasis this week, I haven't heard one kid this week say they want revenge," Kent Denver coach Todd Schayes said. "Last year was our own season. We were 5-9 and had this great run.

"I think the adversity of last year has taught us what it takes to be successful. Winning nine of our last 12 games and going into the state playoffs with a losing record and getting within one possession of winning the state championship, we didn't come back this year thinking ‘we have to finish' or ‘revenge.' It was just a game at a time. Eight of the guys on the team have won state championships here in other sports. They have said ‘Let's build off the momentum we had last year.'"

With Faith Christian mired in reloading mode, Kent Denver has emerged as the midseason favorite to finally end Faith's run of five consecutive 3A state titles. Although the entire Sun Devils program has adamantly expressed the notion that the team is relying on the one-game-at-a-time approach, knocking off the Eagles nonetheless would be a substantial milestone for Kent Denver.

Two of the three losses Kent suffered during its 9-3 finish a year ago occurred against Faith. And last year's 41-40 defeat in the 3A final marked the third consecutive season in which the Eagles eliminated Kent from the state tournament.

"We're just looking at this as another game. It's the next game on the schedule," Kent's Josh Repine said. "I think our students are excited for the game, but we have no idea to get revenge on them for last year. We're a totally different team. They're a totally different team. It's a new look this year and we're just hoping to play our best."

Repine has been the star of Kent's standout senior class, pacing the Sun Devils in scoring with an average of 16.4 points a game.



Schayes, however, is quick to heap praise on a deep senior class that has provided consistent and selfless contributions in support of Repine. Seniors Matt Pettyjohn, Eduardo White, Brian Boatman, and Billy Lane are each averaging seven to eight points a game, with Boatman and another senior, Tyler Padgett, leading the Sun Devils in rebounding.

"Coming off last year, we got really close," said Lane, who has committed to play at Division III Carthage College in Wisconsin. "We spent all summer together, playing in tournaments and hanging out. We're a family. We truly are a family outside our own, and I think that translates on to the court in how we play."