AURORA — After a 2008-09 season in which, according to coach Ken Shaw, “we kind of snuck up on people and things fell into place for us” — a combination that ultimately resulted in a state championship — there was no slipping in under the radar for Regis Jesuit this year. And yet, entering tonight’s Class 5A semifinals, here, once again, are the Raiders, riding a 25-1 record with a perfect mark against in-state teams.
For some, looking at the team’s talent, its lofty expectations, its private school-ness, that landing at the Colorado Events Center this week is little more than a fait accompli, more along the lines of life’s natural order than stars aligning.
And that’s where Shaw would beg to differ.
“We’ve got some marvelous athletes, and some people look at our program and say, ‘They should be there.’ Well, they put the time in to get so skilled; our guys get shortchanged — I may be biased but I think our guys have worked harder than anyone in the state the last two or three years.”
It’s hard to refute that point. In three seasons, the Raiders have had a berth in the Great 8 each time, won last season’s title and are meeting Doherty for the chance to play for another. That span coincides with Shaw’s tenure at the school, although, after a legendary three-decade career, the coach admits that those results weren’t entirely expected.
“I didn’t have a good feel for how much talent there was when I got here, so I wasn’t necessarily betting on them as much as betting on myself,” he said. “I had been in situations like this before. We work hard, we sell our kids on our program, get them dedicated and great things could happen.
“But I wouldn’t have sat down here and told you that we were going to do these things — I wouldn’t have had the guts to say that.”
They’ve happened anyway, because the players have indeed bought into Shaw’s way of doing things, a system that manifests itself in a number of ways. For example, it’s not uncommon for teams to split up at the end of a season, players moving on to assorted club teams during spring and summer and not coming together again until the following winter. Regis sticks together, playing as a team almost literally year round, with only the month of August off.
“I think when we won state last year, we had a week and a half off and then we started practicing again for four days a week,” guard Joey Ptasinski said. “We spend a lot of time with each other on the court, obviously, but we’re also together going to lunches and after practices — we’re always at each other’s houses and having fun too.”
As a result, the senior continued, there’s a bond among the players that comes in handy in the clutch.
“I talk to a bunch of different players from a bunch of different teams and we definitely seem a lot closer,” Ptasinski said with a chuckle. “I think it gives us an advantage. We know more about each other, so we know where each other will be on the court.”
Before the season, as a group the Regis players set their goals for the year, one of which was to “embrace greatness.” Drawn to its ultimate conclusion, that would mean repeating as champions. However, a basketball team can’t walk into a gym one day in October and play for a title the next; there are games to be played, perhaps adversity to be overcome.
So that particular goal for the Raiders was about far more than repeating, it was also making sure that no corners would be cut in getting there.
“Some teams that are ranked No. 1, obviously it’s easy to feel overly good about yourself and forget that you still have to do it out there on the court,” Shaw said. “We’ve kept that focus all year — regardless of whether we won a game by a significantly high margin, it might not be good enough. You could tell by their faces sometimes that it was, ‘Well, what do we have to do to please this guy?’ Well, didn’t you say that you wanted to repeat? That you wanted to get better?
“Some people think that to go through a great season would be so much fun, so enjoyable. Well, no — it’s the same amount of work as if you went through a season and lost five games, or 10 games or 15 games. You’re coming to practice every day to work and try to get better. I think our players have embraced that philosophy.”
Anthony Cotton: 303-954-1292 or acotton@denverpost.com
