Whether it be the jazzy improvisations of individuals such as Earl Monroe or Pete Maravich, or the symphonic imagery evoked by harmonious teams with conductors like Magic Johnson or Larry Bird, there has always been a connection between basketball and music.
Rarely though, have players been able to provide the soundtrack for their on-court exploits. An exception, however, might be found in this tiny town on the eastern plains of Colorado.
Kit Carson, 22-1 heading into today’s Class 1A boys quarterfinal against Otis (19-5), has shown all the right moves on the court. The Wildcats have also been able to find their groove off it, with three starters earning spots on the all-state band, and a fourth player being an alternate.
“I like hoops, and in Class 1A we’re pretty well-known for our sports, but across the entire state we’re pretty much known for our band,” said senior Jon Ball, who plays bassoon. “When our band director (Tom Chapman) was in all-state, he said that was all anyone could talk about, how this small, rural school could have seven people on the all-state band.”
This year, 822 musicians from 143 high schools throughout Colorado auditioned; 107 students, including Ball, and teammate Charles Johnson, who plays the euphonium, made the all-state concert band, which is composed mainly of students from smaller schools.
A third Wildcat, center Joe Jolly, who also plays the euphonium, did them one better — earning first chair for the second consecutive year in the 112-member symphonic band, which is made up of the best musicians in the state, regardless of school size.
“It’s the equivalent of winning the 100-meter dash two straight years against all the Class 5A kids, from all over the state,” said Ken Singleton, the director of bands at the University of Northern Colorado and the coordinator of the all-state bands. “He’s the best euphonium player in the state of Colorado, and the fact that he comes from a school that size is truly astounding.”
The entire student population at Kit Carson is 113 kids. That’s preschool through 12th grade — there are only 24 high school students. But whatever the endeavor, the numbers have never been a problem; the football team, which plays in the six-man category, was 8-2 last season, making it to the state quarterfinals. Meanwhile, the basketball team is trying for its third state championship in six years.
“Our guys wear a lot of different hats,” said Jim Tra-hern, the basketball coach and athletic director. “Perhaps it’s because we’re a smaller community, but we like the idea of our kids being well-rounded and taking part in a lot of different activities.”
It’s certainly different from the practices that take place in more heavily populated areas, where young students are often pressured to specialize in one area, and that’s usually athletically — forget about picking up a bassoon or an euphonium, which falls somewhere between a trumpet and a tuba.
“I remember when I began playing in something like the fourth or fifth grade, we always thought being in the band was pretty cool,” Ball said. “We saw all the high school kids doing it, so we wanted to be in it too.”
Given the recent success of the basketball team, and the fact that there are seven seniors on the team, expectations were high entering the season. The team hasn’t lost since before Christmas, bringing a 17-game winning streak into today’s game. For the season, Kit Carson has outscored its opponents by almost 17 points a game.
In some ways, the basketball team’s biggest competition has come from the band room. The auditions for all-state band were at UNC on Feb. 19-21, dates that conflicted with two basketball games.
When Singleton saw the schedule, he anticipated trouble, even going so far as to add a fourth euphonium chair as a backup to the symphonic band in the event Jolly dropped out of the competition.
“I know how important athletics are in most small towns, that they’re really the community’s shining light,” Singleton said. “I told Tom Chapman that he shouldn’t even try to fight that at all.”
As it turned out, Chapman didn’t have to. In what coach Trahern called “a very gracious, very generous move,” McClave, the Wildcats’ scheduled opponent Feb. 20, agreed to move their game to Feb. 17. On the 21st, Kit Carson played Liberty as scheduled; despite missing three starters, the Wildcats won 60-37.
Having overcome that hurdle, what’s a little obstacle like the state tournament?
“The people here only expect the best from us,” Johnson said. “They probably wouldn’t be too thrilled with being runners-up.”
If the Wildcats have their way, come Saturday evening, those expectations will be met once again. Perhaps, as part of the celebration, a few of the players may even grab their instruments and break out a few strains of “We Are the Champions.”
Anthony Cotton: 303-954-1292 or acotton@denverpost.com
