Chaparral should be a challenger
The Overland Trailblazers are the favorites as boys basketball season begins thisweek.
parker » A year ago, Chaparral had one of the more confounding seasons among Colorado’s elite boys basketball programs.
TheClass 5AWolverines began 3-2, lost eight consecutive games when injuries slowed them, thenwon seven in a rowen route to finishing in a three-way tie for runner-up in the Continental League. Fueled by junior Jake Holtzmann, the Wolverines madewaves in the state tournament before losing 88-85 in double overtime to Rangeview in 5A’s Sweet 16. They finished 13-12.
“I couldn’t be mad,” coach Rob Johnson said.“With all of the injurieswe had, they played really hard and reallywell.”
TheWolverines are much healthier to begin the 2014-15 season and Holtzmann, who has signed a scholarship offer with the University of Denver, enters the season as a player-of-the-year candidate.
“He’s an amazing leader for our program and school,” Johnson said. “He’ll be a tough guard this year. He’s quite versatile, very skilled and can score inside and outside.”
The 6-foot-6, 180-pound Holtzmann averaged 16 points, five rebounds and two assists a season ago. He believes theWolverines can build off their Sweet 16 appearance.
“It’s definitely exciting Iwas able to get (my college signing) out of the way,” Holtzmann said. “Now, I can just helpmy team and focus on the one thing, of course, and that’s to win it all. I think we definitely can, it’s a goal.
“I thinkwe have the pieces and players, and a great coaching staff. I’m going to do my best to be the leader of this team.”
Chaparral will be an underdog, as Overland is the clear preseason bigschool favorite heading into season, which opensMonday. But theWolverines are on a shortlist of top contenders.
“There are a lot of good teams, and we have a great schedule,” Holtzmann said, referring to an out-of-state trip to Arizona; amatchup against Eaglecrest, the 2013 state champion; the Continental sched- ule; and games against Overland and Denver East in the same week heading into conference play.
Holtzmann, who has a 4.3 grade-point average, is considering pre-med or biology as a major.
His father is a dentist, but the sonwon’t discount orthopedics. “Both are interesting,” he said. So are his team’s basketball opportunities.