5A Northern Area Outstanding Athletes To Watch For This Season

Top level athletes are very impactful both offensively and defensively. Whether fast breaking, finishing on the break, defending one on one, or pressing on defense - Having superior athletes is always a huge advantage. Check out the 5A northern area game-changing athletes listed below.    Although just a freshman, Alaina is one of the more athletic players in the northern area and that will show this season at Niwot High School. When watching her play - At times, it seems like the ball is just trying to play keep-up with Alaina's body. As Loomis continues to turn up her skill level, which she has year after year, the control and smoothness of her game will be a beautiful thing to see. Don't be surprised to see Alaina up near (if not at the top) of the Niwot varsity team leaders in all major statistical categories.     Multi-sport athlete extraordinaire, [player_tooltip player_id='471056' first='Emmy' last='Tecu'], played a very big role for the 5A Final 4 lady Mead Mavericks last season as just a sophomore. When Tecu is not playing volleyball or lacrosse she is hooping it up and using her tremendous athleticism to impact the game significantly. Last season Emmy was tied for second on the team with 40 offensive rebounds - She also poured in 46 assists which was good for third best on the team. Add all that along with her average of 2 steals per game and you can easily see the impact Emmy makes for the Mavs. With the graduation of a few impact seniors, expect playing time along with those numbers to go up and Mead to be back in title contention.     [player_tooltip player_id='374108' first='Evelyn' last='Melis'] is an extremely talented left handed guard with tremendous size and ability. She stands out as an athlete because not only does she have the height, but the speed and body control to go with it. Evelyn is effective inside with her scoring and rebounding on the block, but is also more than capable of hitting catch-and-shoot threes or facing up and attacking off the bounce. Melis shined this past summer on her [program_tooltip program_id='712413' first='BC' last='Denver'] 17U squad and this fall she was awarded with her first official offer from Linfield University to play college basketball.       [player_tooltip player_id='346832' first='Ryanne' last='Bahnsen-Price'] is arguably the top senior 5A player in northern Colorado. A proven winner, the University of San Diego commit is a three level scorer as well as an athletic and lengthy defender that has a knack for blocking shots. At 6 '0 she can shoot over smaller defenders but has the quickness to blow by bigger players. Ryanne has proven time and time again that she is not afraid of the big moment - Excelling in the playoffs year after year. Don't be surprised to see Bahnsen-Price lead Roosevelt to more great things this season.       Thalia Almaraz is a fantastic athlete that never backs down from any battle on the basketball court. Her fire and tenacity elevate the entire team, which is why she is considered the top returning player for Niwot High School. Effort, aggressiveness, natural athleticism and grit are on display whenever Almaraz is competing for the Cougars. Thalia led last year's varsity team in scoring, steals and assists. However, seniors care more about winning and passing the torch down to the younger players than stats, and I expect that to be no different with Thalia. She is poised to have a breakout season and will surely help Niwot win more games this season.

Top level athletes are very impactful both offensively and defensively. Whether fast breaking, finishing on the break, defending one on one, or pressing on defense - Having superior athletes is always a huge advantage. Check out the 5A northern area game-changing athletes listed below.