Littleton – Rudy Martin planned on never experiencing a night like Wednesday.
The former Columbine coach, now in charge at Jefferson County rival Green Mountain, thought he had avoided coming back to the gymnasium he made rock for more than a decade when he agreed to a one-year stint with the Rams last season.
Last season’s game was at Green Mountain. No problem.
Through persuasion, that one season became this season and this season eventually led to Wednesday night and Martin courtside at Columbine for the first time since 2000.
Hanging overhead was the banner for the 1997 state championship he oversaw. On quite the opposite spectrum, so was the memory of Greg Barnes.
Barnes was an All-Colorado selection as a junior and one of the state’s top prep prospects before he took his own life on May 4, 2000, a little more than a year after he watched teacher-coach Dave Sanders get shot during the 1999 massacre.
“Very difficult,” Martin said after his Rams won 69-58. “It’s hard coming back here. I thought it would be easy until I walked through the door.”
And all the memories joined him. Like when he took over the program in the late 1980s and never endured a losing season. Days when the bleachers were packed for every home game and the student section was overflowing and rowdy. The days when players lived in the Columbine gym during the offseason.
Gym rats. Kids like Barnes. These are strong memories.
“The hardest part was Greg,” Martin said as his eyes filled with sincerity. “I didn’t want to coach again.”
The Rams missed the postseason last year, but another season under Martin seems to be paying dividends. Wednesday’s victory over the depleted Rebels was the Rams’ eighth straight (10-3, 3-0 Jeffco League).
The Rams played a near-perfect second quarter to seize control, outscoring the Rebels 25-12, shooting 8-for-10 from the floor and forcing seven turnovers. That cushion was needed late as Columbine (6-8, 0-2) pulled to within nine and threatened.
“We’re learning how to win,” said Martin, snapping back into the tone of a longtime and passionate coach. “There was no flow. It was an ugly game.”
Senior Brent Tomsick sank three 3-pointers and finished with a team-high 19 points, including seven in the fourth quarter. Jeff Aspegren, a versatile 6-foot-6 junior, added 17 points and eight rebounds, and guard Cory Miller had 13 points.
The Rebels were without 6-6 junior Ben Tedford (knee) but got a game-high 25 points from senior Tyler Holtzinger.
“We’ve definitely got a lot of fight in us,” Holtzinger said.
And that should remind anyone of Martin’s old Columbine teams. And certainly one player in particular.
Green Mountain 14 25 15 15 – 69
Columbine 14 12 13 19 – 58
Green Mountain – Tomsick 7 2-2 19, Miller 6 1-3 13, Hunt 0 6-8 6, Lovell 3 3-3 9, Aspegren 6 3-4 17, Garbarino 0 0-0 0, Juarez 1 0-0 3, Sleeman 1 0-0 2, Martin 0 0-0 0, Deignan 0 0-2 0, Nicholson 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 15-22 69.
Columbine – Smith 0 0-0 0, Miller 5 3-4 13, Hurlbut 1 0-0 2, Osborne 3 2-2 8, Holtzinger 8 7-10 25, Vassar 3 4-6 10, Kilker 0 0-0 0, Markle 0 0-0 0, Spond 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 16-22 58.
3-point goals – Tomsick 3, Aspegren 2, Juarez; Holtzinger 2. Total fouls – Green Mountain 20, Columbine 23. Fouled out – Lovell. Technicals – None.
