Let the debates begin – again. This is the third Top 10 list for Colorado this season, and each of the previous two – top quarterbacks and top softball players – sparked more e-mail responses than the rest of the season's stories combined.
In this one, we
subjectively rate the top 10 girls basketball players in the state, regardless of classification. So keep in mind, if a player doesn't crack the list, it doesn't mean she is not all-state worthy (or that she wouldn't be a part of the list by the end of the season).
Players such as injured Regis Jesuit post
Katie Heckman, who would have easily cracked the list, have been omitted because only active players are being considered.
10. Bay'lee Purdy, Deer Trail: Detractors will insist the junior does her work for an average Eagles team (5-5) in the smallest classification (1A). We get that. But the scoring numbers are impossible to ignore. She is averaging 27.4 points (down slightly from last season) and has posted a 45-point performance. Will it translate to the next level? Well, her older sister, Tae'lor, averaged 14.7 points as a freshman last season at Division II Regis University, and Bay'lee could be better.
9. Sade Akindele, Legacy: Few possess the athletic gifts of the Legacy center. She is tall, lean, can outrun almost anyone and is a swatting machine with her leaping ability. Unfortunately for those hoping to follow her career as a college player, the senior is choosing soccer, her primary sport, after graduation. She is averaging 16 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 2.4 blocks for the Lightning.
8. Alexus Johnson, Monarch: With a few differences in style of play, Johnson essentially is Akindele but with a brighter future in the sport (because basketball is what she does). The junior is a surefire Division I candidate and has been thriving for the Coyotes and coach Gail Hook since she was a freshman. She is averaging 14.6 points and nine rebounds.
7. Alison Gorrell, Conifer: The senior guard is as an automatic 20 points every night (she averages 23.9) and has been the Lobos' go-to player since she was a freshman. Her slashing ways figure to translate to good things at Wyoming, where many believe she will play immediately. Perhaps no player in the state is better at getting to the free-throw line.
6. Deidra Smith, Denver East: Many credit the inspired play of the enigmatic Shae Kelley as the reason the Angels shocked the state and won the 5A title last season. More astute observers will note the Angels truly vaulted to the elite when Smith became eligible (she had to sit out the first half of the season after transferring from Overland). The Angels aren't as complete this season, but the Boston College-bound Smith has remained a beast in the middle.
5. Jamie Katuna, Longmont: The senior guard is unbelievably determined and the undoubted sparkplug of 4A's top team. She has a solid supporting cast (including Oregon-bound center Megan Carpenter and volleyball standout Tambre Haddock), but Katuna is the catalyst. The feisty point guard has averaged 22.1 points in leading the Trojans to a 15-0 mark.
4. Kaitlyn Mileto, Mesa Ridge: The top-ranked 4A player on the list can fill it up from anywhere on the floor. If the 3-point line was moved back to 26 feet, Mileto's perimeter numbers probably wouldn't suffer much. The Wyoming recruit (she'll play alongside Gorrell) has the Grizzlies on a 14-game win streak and has sunk 54 3-pointers en route to a 27.7 scoring average.
3. Eliza Normen, Monarch: The versatile senior can play either guard position as well as small forward, and has been told she could play any or all at Arizona State. "No preference," she said. "It's basketball, it's what I do." Normen creates mismatches aplenty this season as a 6-foot-1 point guard and has helped the Coyotes receive some play in the national polls.
2. Katelyn McDaniel, Highlands Ranch: The Falcons have several talented players and a balanced attack, meaning it's sometimes difficult for those from afar to determine who the top player is. Make no mistake, it has been the San Diego-bound center each of the past two seasons. K-Mac runs the floor well, finishes deftly, and is averaging a team-best 19.2 points.
1. Carlie Needles, ThunderRidge: Everyone knows the senior point guard is the Grizzlies' only big-time scoring threat and plays mostly with talented-but-inexperienced underclassmen. Still, the future Florida Gator is shredding defenses for a 5A-best 26.4 points, has posted five 30-plus performances and has been held to less than 20 points only once (15 against Broomfield on Dec. 9).
Paul Willis is a
regular sports freelancer for The Denver Post and covered high school, college
and pro sports for the Rocky Mountain News from 2000-09. You can reach him at
gdpdub@aol.com.
