Season Preview: Denver Prep League

With the 2020-21 girls basketball season now scheduled to begin in January, we’re taking a look back/forward at how things went last year and what to look forward to in each of Colorado’s conferences. Many of the leagues are different and the shortened season certainly will present its own unique challenges, but we’re no less excited to see what Colorado’s many talented players have to offer in Season B. Here’s a snapshot of the Denver Prep League. <strong>How it all shook out in ‘19-20 </strong>Big news – for only the second time in the past 14 seasons, Denver East didn’t finish first. Denver South and George Washington tied for the city championship. What’s more, Far Northeast was third and Denver East fourth. The only other season during the span that Denver East didn’t win it all in the city was in 2015-16, when GW finished first. <strong>Teams –</strong> Denver East, Denver North, Denver South, Denver West, Far Northeast, Regis Groff, Thomas Jefferson, John F. Kennedy, Abraham Lincoln, Northfield and George Washington. <strong>Which playoff team advanced the furthest?</strong> Denver East and Denver South went out in the second round of the 5A bracket and George Washington made the Sweet 16 in 4A. [caption id="attachment_230420" align="alignright" width="268"]<img class=" wp-image-230420" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/11/Jasmine-Arreola-Denver-West-300x222.jpg" alt="" width="268" height="198" /> [player_tooltip player_id="117687" first="Jasmine" last="Arreola"][/caption]<strong>A few returning players to watch</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="117687" first="Jasmine" last="Arreola"], Denver West, 2022, G, 5-9 Arreola averaged 18.3 points despite not attempting a 3-pointer, which is both surprising and impressive. She also grabbed 12.9 rebounds per game, while averaging 2.6 assists and 5.2 steals. [player_tooltip player_id="116758" first="Timiya" last="Guevara"], Denver South, 2021, G, 5-3 The leading scorer (22.0 points) on a team that tied for the city title, Guevara is an electric guard with incredible speed and quickness that disrupts any defense the faces. The Denver South senior, who was the third leading scorer in all of Colorado last winter, <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2020/08/denver-souths-timiya-guevara-commits-to-arkansas-pine-bluff/">will play at Arkansas at Pine Bluff next year</a>. [player_tooltip player_id="95218" first="Brooke" last="Murrell"], Thomas Jefferson, 2023, F-C, 6-1 City height also appears to be coming and Murrell is leading the way. This kid exploded onto the scene as a freshman last year, averaging a double-double with 15.5 points and 11.4 rebounds, while also blocking 1.7 shots per game. Among the top players in Colorado’s <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/colorado/rankings/2023-rankings/">Class of 2023</a>, the future is bright for Murrell and TJ. https://x.com/BrookeMurrell1/status/1296066596721500160 [player_tooltip player_id="95224" first="Jaida" last="Redwine"], George Washington, 2023, G-F, 5-8 Redwine had a splendid debut season in heading the Patriots’ scoring (16.9 points) and will be a key figure on a team that returns a ton of talent. As just a freshman last season, she also averaged 4.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 3.5 steals a game. This dynamic player is currently ranked No. 1 in Colorado’s <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/colorado/rankings/2023-rankings/">Class of 2023</a>. [caption id="attachment_230423" align="alignright" width="275"]<img class=" wp-image-230423" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/11/Tay-Williams-Denver-South-300x234.jpg" alt="" width="275" height="215" /> [player_tooltip player_id="145436" first="Tay" last="Williams"][/caption][player_tooltip player_id="145436" first="Tay" last="Williams"], Denver South, 2023, G, 5-5 Another reason the city is starting to regularly field talent, Williams had an outstanding season for a freshman in 2019-20 and is part of an extremely young and exceptionally promising core at Denver South. She averaged 14.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and five steals a night last winter and appears to have a very bright future ahead of her. [player_tooltip player_id="95127" first="Maya" last="Whiteside"], George Washington, 2021, G-F, 6-0 After averaging 11.9 points and 7.3 rebounds in 2019-20, Whiteside is <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2020/07/maya-whiteside-commits-to-long-island-university/">headed to Long Island University</a>. But before she does, she’ll help lead the Patriots on one more run. They hope it will end in a state championship. [caption id="attachment_230426" align="alignright" width="260"]<img class=" wp-image-230426" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/11/Malia-Heien-Northfield-300x248.jpg" alt="" width="260" height="215" /> [player_tooltip player_id="117686" first="Malia" last="Heien"][/caption]<strong>Some other names to know</strong> Jaydy Gonzales, Denver North, 2021, F, 5-7 [player_tooltip player_id="134319" first="Nevaeh" last="Golden"], Denver East, 2023, PG, 5-3 [player_tooltip player_id="95219" first="Briasia" last="Johnson"], Denver South, 2023, CG, 5-8 [player_tooltip player_id="117686" first="Malia" last="Heien"], Northfield, 2022, SF, 5-11 Giavonna Meeks, Northfield, 2022, C, 6-0 [caption id="attachment_230427" align="alignright" width="263"]<img class=" wp-image-230427" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/11/Briasia-Johnson-Denver-South-300x230.jpg" alt="" width="263" height="202" /> [player_tooltip player_id="95219" first="Briasia" last="Johnson"][/caption][player_tooltip player_id="95174" first="Anisa" last="Turner"], George Washington, 2022, SG, 5-7 [player_tooltip player_id="117706" first="Lily" last="Najmulski"], Denver East, 2022, PG, 5-4 Domenica Mejia, Abraham Lincoln, 2022, G, 5-2 Natalie Sebrian-Rojas, Regis Groff, 2021, G, 5-7 [player_tooltip player_id="117716" first="Mia" last="Trevino"], Denver West, 2022, G, 5-1 Emma Jo Locks, George Washington, 2023, SG, 5-6 [player_tooltip player_id="145429" first="Aria" last="Price"], Denver East, 2023, C, 6-1 [caption id="attachment_230424" align="alignright" width="266"]<img class=" wp-image-230424" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/11/Giavonna-Meeks-Northfield-300x267.jpg" alt="" width="266" height="237" /> Giavonna Meeks[/caption] [player_tooltip player_id="95236" first="Laila" last="Davis"], Northfield, 2023, CG, 5-5 [player_tooltip player_id="95238" first="Tania" last="Hodge"], George Washington, 2023, CG, 5-5 [player_tooltip player_id="210337" first="Nariah" last="Golden"], Denver East, 2023, CG, 5-3 [player_tooltip player_id="95235" first="Aniiya" last="Thompson"], Northfield, 2023, CG, 5-5 <strong>A quick, early look to Season B</strong> If keeping Denver East away from the city title is a real thing, then it may be a GW kind of season. The Patriots lost only one senior from 2019-20. Denver South and Far Northeast again will have something to say – as will East’s Angels -- in a once-proud league that now contains three classifications (5A, 4A and 3A).