US AIR FORCE ACADEMY – Execution and team unity are always preached as key components of winning teams. It always sounds cliché and there are few times when coaches and teams that identify those pillars as part of their success can definitively put them into action on the court.
That’s why the Air Academy boys basketball team stands out so much. The Kadets (6-2 overall) are very much an under-the-radar group heading into the meat of the regular season, but their play on the court should be something teams across the state should be paying attention to.
They finished out their pre-winter break slate of games with a 71-38 win over Gateway on Tuesday and put on an early show for the home crowd. They broke out to a 31-4 lead after the first quarter, putting their fast pace and lockdown defense on full display. It was the kind of stretch that showed coach Barry Clark what this team can do when it’s playing at its peak.
“They capable of whatever they commit to as a team,” Clark said. “If they put their mind to it as a team and don’t let that individualism get in the way, they’re capable of competing at the highest level.”
And they do it in all phases of the game. Corbin Garver and Finn Horsfall led the team in scoring with 12 points each on Monday. Eight different players recorded assists with Gavin Gallegos leading the team with four, six different players recorded steals and nine players accounted for 31 total rebounds.
While the team hasn’t quite put forth that effort every night (as evidenced by losses to Green Mountain and Douglas County) but if they can put consistently find distribution in scoring, defense and rebounding, this is going to be a tough team to beat in January and February.
“We’re capable of hanging with any team in the state,” Garver said. “We can do whatever we put our minds to if we can play like that.”
What’s most impressive about this particular group is that the majority of the players are juniors. The Kadets roster just three seniors, two of which come off the bench. They’re also missing a key member of the squad in Ryder Banks who is sporting a cast on his arm and is set to miss more time heading into January.
But this team will power on. Gallegos points to the team’s familiarity with each other as another advantage the team possesses. As the lone senior starter and distributor of the offense, he’s been able to assume a commanding role on the court which provides plenty of opportunities for everyone on the floor to get their scoring chances.
“I think that’s been a big thing for me,” he said. “I’ve stepped into a leader’s role and I like seeing everybody get their own because I know that I’m going to get mine.”
But he’s happy seeing what the others can do. Horsfall, Garver, Grant Featherston and Theron Coleman all average double-digit scoring numbers. The Kadets get plenty of contribution from the bench and have looked the part of a championship contender.
The key to truly contending for a title is cleaning up their shortcomings before heading into Pikes Peak Athletic Conference play.
“We have some weaknesses,” Clark said. “We’ve lost two games. Some of it has been our late-game execution and a bit of discipline (issues) in crunch time.”
When they’re firing on all cylinders, however, they look dominant. And it’s that team unity and execution that they displayed so early in Monday’s win that will make this team a playoff contender.