This season, the boys and girls state basketball tournaments will be determined, in part, and seeded by the CHSAA Seeding Index.
This Index combines data from the RPI, CHSAANow coaches poll, MaxPreps rankings and Packard ratings.
These data points have been combined, with each counting for 25% of the formula, and the result of that data is below.
Each ranking system is translated into a percentage in order to combine them. To do this:
Teams have their total points in the coaches poll divided by the total possible points. For example, if a poll has 20 voters, there are 300 possible points as a first-place vote is worth 15 points.
The RPI, Packard and MaxPreps rankings determine their percentage by comparing every team to the maximum value in that classification. For example, if the maximum RPI value in a class is .700, every other team in that classification is compared to that value.
To account for some negative values in the MaxPreps and Packard ratings, the minimum value is added to every value in the classification to ensure the lowest possible rating is 0, and not negative. This only occurs if the minimum value in a classification is negative.
These percentages are then added together and divided by four, so that each accounts for 25% of the final formula.
The snapshot of the CHSAA Seeding Index has been posted for both boys and girls basketball, and provides data through games completed on March 2 (so long as those scores were entered into MaxPreps).
LAKEWOOD — Good defense never has a bad shooting night on the basketball court.
Golden — No. 10 in the CHSAANow.com Class 4A boys basketball rankings — has taken that to heart over the past two weeks. The Demons (11-2 record) haven’t allowed an opponent to score more than 50 points in five straight games over the last 15 days.
“That has been our focus. That is what we’ve been focusing in practice,” Golden coach Lou Vullo said of the Demons’ defensive performance during their 8-game winning streak. “We are challenging each other. We have 10 guys on our roster that are committed every day. They are getting after each other and everyone is getting better.”
Golden junior Richie Pruett elevates for a shot in the lane during the first half Monday night in the Demons’ 58-46 victory. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
The Demons continued their lockdown defense Monday night against No. 11 Green Mountain. Golden spoiled senior night for the Rams with a 58-46 victory.
It was also a revenge victory. Green Mountain defeated Golden on the Demons’ home court 63-50 back on Feb. 3.
“Defensively I think our whole team played well,” said Golden junior James Lacey, who led the Demons with a season-high 17 points . “We talked a lot. Played help-side defense. It was all a team effort.”
Green Mountain (10-3) actually led 17-12 midway through the first quarter. However, the Rams went ice cold from the field for nearly 12 minutes. Golden went on a 20-0 run that was finally ended with 2:27 left in the second quarter when Green Mountain senior Darius Padilla made a 3-pointer for the Rams’ lone basket in the second quarter.
“We talked about not letting (Green Mountain) dictate play,” Vullo said. “We wanted to speed them up. We knew they would turn the ball over if we put some full-court pressure on them.”
Sophomore Aliou Diallo scored 13 of his 15 points for the Demons in the first half to push Golden’s lead to 33-20 at halftime. Lacey took over in the second half pouring in a dozen points after halftime.
“We have really been working with him,” Vullo said of Lacey. “Tonight the light came on.”
Golden sophomore Alan Acevedo (30) attracts a double-team under the basket Monday night against Green Mountain. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Green Mountain did make a surge in the fourth quarter led by senior Austin Peterson. The Rams’ leading scorer was in foul trouble the majority of the game, but made a trio of 3-pointers in the final five minutes. However, it was too late to overcome the double-digit deficit.
“I’m just so happy with my team,” Lacey said. “The defense has really been improving. It’s all about practice and teammate. It’s not an individual game. It might be in club basketball, but in high school it’s all about the team effort.”
Golden and Green Mountain were two of the hottest teams in 4A coming into Monday’s showdown. The Demons and Rams had a combined 13-game winning streak to start the final week of the regular season.
Golden finished third in the 4A Jeffco League standings behind No. 8 and league champion Evergreen and Green Mountain. The Demons suffered back-to-back conference losses to the Cougars and Rams, but have now avenged both of those losses in the second go-around in non-league games.
“We work on the things we are bad at in practice,” Lacey said. “That is why we are improving so much and have gotten on this streak.”
The Demons close out their regular-season schedule at Littleton on Wednesday night.
“We are really going to focus on Littleton. They are very well-coached,” Vullo said. “Hopefully we have some momentum going into the playoffs.”
The Rams have a big test against Evergreen on Wednesday night to wrap up their regular season.
CHSAA is scheduled to release the 32-team 4A state tournament bracket Monday, March 8. First-round games will be played Tuesday, March 9.
Green Mountain senior Darius Padilla (24) drives on Golden sophomore Aliou Diallo (2) during the second half Monday night at Green Mountain High School. The Demons won their eight straight game and held their opponent under 50 points for the fifth straight game in the 58-46 win over the Rams. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Last season, Gateway boys basketball finished 10-13, but a new energy and excitement can be felt around this program and a lot of this is due to first year Coach Ibn Shabazz.
Headed into this week, the Olympians are 7-3 overall and 4-1 in league play. We have verified that the Olympians 6-0 start to this season is their best start in 15 years, and possibly the best start any Gateway boys hoops squad has experienced.
Coach Shabazz has an extremely veteran squad and that’s an excellent situation for a first-year coach to walk into. Shabazz is familiar with the community and the program after being part of the staff the last three years after experiencing success in a smaller classification as a coach at DSST: Green Valley Ranch.
Trying to instill a new “culture” in the basketball program is one of Shabazz’s main goals: “We want to instill confidence, play free, and have an identity,” he said.
Players knowing who they are on and off the court is something Coach hopes his young men know is important to him, and what he strives to help them explore on a daily basis. Enthusiasm and excitement clearly come through as Coach Shabazz speaks of his team and that positive energy is certainly carrying over to the players.
Erick “EZE” Covington is one of the twelve seniors — and he’s a Team Captain — the Olympians have on their roster who can speak to this resurgence. He’s a true “hard nose” multi-sport stud who has been part of the program for four years and has embraced Coach Shabazz’s new culture.
“Playing for Coach Ib is great,” Covington said. “He knows our team strengths and builds around them and is quick to call us out on our mistakes. Coach isn’t one to draw up a bunch of plays and have us run them, but more of a coach that trusts his players and lets us just hoop with his pointers and ways to beat opposing schemes.”
Covington is a “stat-stuffin” coaches’ dream, as he averages 8 points, 4 assists, 7 rebounds, and 4 steals through 10 games. Covington credits Coach Shabazz’s energy and new “culture” he’s brought to a group that was already very close and Shabazz won’t let the Oly’s back down from adversity.
That adversity was on display last Wednesday as Gateway was upset by Bear Creek at home after surrendering a 10-point first half lead. What was impressive was that whether this team was up or down the enthusiasm (especially during a pandemic with few in the stands) and energy from the players and staff on the bench never ceased until the final seconds.
Instead of beating themselves up about the loss, Coach Shabazz and Covington both assessed the mistakes the team made and it was all about how will they respond.
The Olympians’ other senior captain and statistical leader, Andres Arellano Jr., did just that, responding in the very next game with 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 steals to help break the three-game losing streak the Oly’s were certainly not used to this season.
The 6’5 senior wing is new to Gateway, but noticed players talking about a different “feel” to the season right away.
“A rough and disappointing start to my senior season but after listening to and being under Coach Ibn I started to turn it around and it’s been a pretty amazing experience,” Arellano said.
Once again those words: energy, culture, and attitude exude when Arellano speaks of the program overall.
“I’ve heard so much how the culture of Gateway basketball has changed under Coach Ibn this year,” he said. “We react a lot according to Coach, he brings us energy every day in practice and in games. We feed off that energy and it’s our job to keep the energy high and play to the best of our ability.”
Coach Shabazz noted that the home loss to Bear Creek was a tough one but all he wanted to see was how his team respond to adversity. They did that with a 10-point team win at Brighton Friday night.
Speaking of a challenge! The toughest test of the season comes tomorrow when CHSAANow.com’s No. 3-ranked 5A team with the state’s longest winning streak, Rangeview, visits Gateway on Wednesday.
“With 12 proud seniors from Aurora, a lot of these boys have known each other for years and I’ll push my guys,” said coach Shabazz. Once again, another opportunity to see how his squad responds to adversity with a new energy and culture!
Hard to come away from this Ball Fever Special Assignment and not feel that the Gateway Basketball Program is in good hands for what could be many years to come.
Coach Shabazz has put in work in the community, youth basketball, mentoring, and Gateway is fulling understanding what many in the Northeast Denver and Aurora communities already knew!
After going 3-0 last week, Wray has moved up to No. 1 in the Class 2A boys basketball rankings.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches, are the official polls of the Association. They are a factor in the postseason. During the regular season, the poll will release each Monday.
Doherty 36, Overland 24, Rampart 23, Douglas County 23, Smoky Hill 17, Mullen 13, Silver Creek 12, Ralston Valley 10, Gateway 9, Columbine 4, Arapahoe 4, Boulder 4, Air Academy 1, Vista PEAK 1, Horizon 1
Dropped out
Doherty (13), Overland (14)
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Windsor (17)
9-1
364
1
1-0
2
Longmont (1)
9-1
346
2
1-0
3
Pueblo Central (1)
11-1
276
4
2-0
4
Montrose (3)
12-0
252
6
3-0
5
Mead (2)
6-3
240
3
0-1
6
Lewis-Palmer
7-2
232
5
3-1
7
Erie (1)
6-2
192
8
0-0
8
Evergreen
9-3
178
7
1-1
9
Steamboat Springs (1)
10-0
165
8
2-0
10
Golden
10-2
163
10
2-0
11
Green Mountain
10-2
122
12
2-0
12
Holy Family
6-5
101
15
1-1
13
Aurora Central
10-1
98
11
2-0
14
Pueblo South
10-2
95
13
3-0
15
Centaurus
4-4
67
14
0-0
Others receiving votes:
Thompson Valley 54, D’Evelyn 28, Frederick 21, Pueblo East 20, Sand Creek 20, Palisade 20, Severance 16, Thomas Jefferson 14, Mountain View 11, Canon City 11, Wheat Ridge 3, Denver North 3, Elizabeth 2, Summit 2, Widefield 1, Falcon 1, Grand Junction 1, Durango 1
Dropped out
None.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
St. Mary’s (20)
9-0
482
1
1-0
2
Lutheran (12)
10-1
431
2
2-0
3
Sterling
10-1
383
4
2-0
4
Manitou Springs
11-0
376
3
2-0
5
Manual
8-2
262
6
1-0
6
Centauri
10-1
256
5
1-1
7
Faith Christian
7-3
246
8
2-0
8
Colorado Academy
7-1
213
7
1-1
9
Resurrection Christian
8-3
200
8
1-1
10
Englewood
9-1
171
14
2-0
11
Highland
10-1
169
11
3-0
12
Coal Ridge
9-2
149
10
1-1
13
Aspen
10-1
118
15
3-0
14
Kent Denver
8-4
96
12
1-1
15
The Pinnacle (1)
11-1
93
13
2-1
Others receiving votes:
Colorado Springs Christian 56, Strasburg 55, Gunnison 37, Salida 26, Estes Park 22, Brush 18, Alamosa 15, Buena Vista 13, University 10, Bishop Machebeuf 9, DSST: Montview 9, Bennett 8, Basalt 5, Eaton 4, Moffat County 4, Eagle Ridge Academy 3, Arrupe Jesuit 3, DSST: Conservatory Green 3, Banning Lewis 3, Pagosa Springs 3, DSST: College View 2, Platte Valley 1, Lamar 1, DSST: Green Valley Ranch 1, Fort Lupton 1, Middle Park 1, The Vanguard School 1, Prospect Ridge Academy 1
Dropped out
None.
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Wray (21)
12-0
329
2
3-0
2
Limon
10-1
302
1
1-1
3
Peyton (1)
8-1
275
3
1-0
4
Denver Christian
9-1
227
4
2-0
5
Sanford
8-3
226
6
1-1
6
Yuma
7-3
216
5
0-0
7
Holly
12-1
197
8
3-0
8
Mancos
10-1
178
7
3-0
9
Ignacio
9-2
133
10
2-0
10
Sedgwick County
9-4
108
11
2-0
11
Meeker
8-3
99
8
2-2
12
Fowler
8-4
84
12
2-1
13
Wiggins
7-4
44
13
1-1
14
Crested Butte
6-3
41
15
2-1
15
Thomas MacLaren
6-2
35
–
2-1
Others receiving votes:
Del Norte 33, Monte Vista 27, Vail Mountain 21, Center 14, Holyoke 14, Byers 8, Lake County 7, Dayspring Christian Academy 6, Cedaredge 5, Vail Christian 3, Soroco 2, Clear Creek 2, Calhan 1, Dolores 1, Rye 1, Rocky Ford 1
Dropped out
Monte Vista (14)
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Belleview Christian (19)
12-0
345
1
2-0
2
De Beque (1)
10-1
299
2
2-0
3
Cheraw (2)
12-0
295
3
3-0
4
Primero
8-1
262
4
0-1
5
Merino (1)
7-4
216
5
2-0
6
Granada
11-1
192
11
3-0
7
Caprock Academy
11-1
187
8
2-0
8
Mile High Academy (1)
6-2
176
7
3-1
9
Evangelical Christian
8-2
153
6
0-0
10
Haxtun
8-4
136
12
1-1
11
Briggsdale
8-2
135
10
1-0
12
Sangre de Cristo
8-3
102
13
2-1
13
Denver Jewish Day
6-2
100
8
2-0
14
Genoa-Hugo
8-3
71
15
2-0
15
Eads
9-3
61
14
2-1
Others receiving votes:
Cheyenne Wells 34, Kim/Branson 28, Flatirons Academy 27, Simla 18, Rocky Mountain Lutheran 14, Longmont Christian 8, Elbert 6, Hi-Plains 4, Sierra Grande 4, McClave 2, Fleming 2, Denver Waldorf 1, Prairie 1, Dove Creek 1
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)GREENWOOD VILLAGE — When watching Julian Hammond III on the football field, it wouldn’t be a stretch to think he could earn his college education on the gridiron.
It’s the same feeling when watching Myles Purchase during a basketball game. The 2020 Class 5A football player of the year looks right at home on the hardwood.
Together, they’re on a journey to make sure each one has a state title in their respective sport. They’re halfway there after Creek beat Valor Christian for the 5A football title. With a 84-72 win over Smoky Hill on Friday, they’re another day closer to making the dream a reality.
“We both knew that this year that we’d have a good chance of winning in both sports,” Hammond said. “Both of us want to go out winning a football and basketball title and preferably do it without losing a game in either sport.”
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)When the school year is over, both Hammond and Purchase will begin new journeys at their college of choice. Purchase will stick with football as he heads to Iowa State and Hammond will travel just up Highway 36 to continue his hoops career as he’ll play basketball at the University of Colorado for Tad Boyle.
Purchase had signed early and if he had wanted to, could’ve left for Iowa for the spring semester. But he and Hammond have been battling together since they were kids and he wasn’t about to leave his buddy behind.
“I feel like we’re a real special team,” Purchase said. “I feel like we can do something special and I wanted to stay and help my team win another ring.”
It helps that the Bruins are stacked with Divison I athletes on the basketball. Chase Penry is heading to CU to play football and Arden Smith will play football at Missouri.
Instead of leaving Creek behind at the winter break, they all wanted to be back on the basketball court to do something special.
“We have several kids that could’ve done that,” Cherry Creek coach Kent Dertinger said. “Chase Penry could’ve done that, Arden Walker could’ve done that. The fact that they wanted to stay and play basketball says a lot about them.”
In Friday’s win over Smoky Hill, Hammond led the Bruins with 24 points. Purchase added 16 and two other players are scored in double figures.
The regular season is set to wind down next week and then the next championship quest will begin for Hammond, Purchae and the rest of the Bruins.
They’re good about taking it one game at a time, but they can’t help but think about how much of an impact a basketball would have for Creek.
“It’s definitely going to add on to our legacy if we end up getting it done,” Purchase said. “I’m just trying to cherish these last few moments with my team.”
And then the legacy will be passed down to their little brothers. Blake Purchase and Christian Hammond are both sophomores and will look to build on what the big brothers built in their time at Cherry Creek.
