State of the 'Stangs at the Half

The graduation of Nolan Monasch, the captain and leading scorer with 440 points in the 2023-24 campaign, led some people to be a bit skeptical about the team this year. Rightly so, if we are being honest with ourselves, but the team has played well through their first 12 games. I thought the Mustangs would win nine, maybe 10 games if everything fell their way this season. So far, they are 6-6 with wins over rivals Front Range Christian and pseudo-rivals Cripple Creek-Victor. 

The young core of this team not only sets this team up well this year, but far into the future as well with four of five starters, plus the sixth man, all being sophomores. A bit surprisingly perhaps, Luc S. has been the offensive MVP so far this year averaging 18.2 points a game, and eclipsed the 200-point milestone against Front Range Christian. Just like last year, his ability to shoot threes has been a backbreaker for the team as well as his lay-up ability, making him a lethal weapon alongside fellow sophomore Riley A. Riley’s performed as expected this season, averaging 15.9 points a game and leading the team in assists and steals per game. He also boasts the top single-game performance this season; a 27-point triple-double at Gilpin on the 14th of January. Chris Janssen fits in perfectly within the top three players and has been on a heater as of late, posting double-digit points in two of the last three games, with 15 against Front Range Christian on January 21st and 21 points against Flatirons Academy on the 16th. 

The best surprise has been the addition of sophomore Owen B. Owen dominates games in the paint as one of two big men for the Mustangs. He defends well in the paint and leads the team in rebounds with 70. The closest player to him is Joel D. with 56. 

Between the core four sophomores in the lineup, it sometimes is easy to forget about the veteran experience this team has with seniors Joel D. and Ryan M. Although Ryan doesn’t get a huge amount of playing time compared to Joel, it’s hard to overstate the influence he has off the court. Ryan is one of those guys people gravitate toward and it makes him a natural leader because of his genuine kindness. Joel has also stepped up as a leader, but his domain is on the court. He has one of the most important jobs on the team, taking the tip-off at the beginning of every game. He wins more often than not, and it allows the Mustangs to get the first shots of the game. 

Of course, no team would be complete without their depth pieces. The two most important depth players for the Mustangs? Harrison D. and Mason N. Harrison is the Mustangs’ sixth man, meaning he doesn’t always start, but he goes on and off depending on who Coach Anderson wants to give a rest. Harrison plays his role well, scoring when the Mustangs need it most and landing clutch free throws, a stat category in which he ranks third on the team with 63% from the line. You can’t talk about this team without talking about Mason. Primarily a defensive player, he’s kind, funny, at times unpredictable, and will fight with anyone for the ball. Mason is a leader for this team and will likely grow in his role next year.

So, how does this roster function as a group? The growth of Riley A. and Luc S. as both players and people over the last year has been amazing to watch, and they are both leaders on the court. This team is good at passing, tenacious on defense, smarter about picking their shots, and in the words of assistant coach Alan Price, “learned to rebound out of nowhere.” It’s that rebounding ability that has undoubtedly been one of the best things about this team to watch. I said last year that the team either won by 30 points or lost by 30 points. There was never any in-between. The Mustangs have been playing teams much closer this year, whether it’s thrilling wins against teams like Front Range Christian or heartbreaking losses like the season opener at STEM. Of course, there have been blowouts too, they beat Cripple Creek by 53 points, and they beat Gilpin by 45, but they should have won those games by those margins.

The game that sticks out to me as the one that describes this Mustangs team the best is the second game of the season against KIPP Denver Collegiate. Down by 19 points at halftime, the Mustangs came out of their stupor, dominated the second half of play, and ended up winning 57-53. It explains a few things about this team. First, they are a much better team in the second half, averaging 31.8 points in the second half of games this season compared to 23.9 in the first half. It also showed their tenacity. This team refuses to give up. Even in the only game they really got blown out in, the Mustangs still refused to give up, scoring right until the end against Flatiron Academy.

As someone with the immense privilege of watching every game, whether it be at home or on the road, I can say that this team has much more chemistry than any other team in recent memory, and it comes because they are having fun. Despite working hard at practice, players like Riley and Luc are always smiling, laughing, and joking around which makes the rest of the team feel more comfortable. A winning record at home and a nearly .500 record on the road shows that they feel comfortable playing in front of their fans, and more have been coming out to see this team play. As the second half of the season begins, and the first several games are decided, this team has a chance to steal some wins and get to a place where they really want to be in the playoffs.