(Editors’ note: This article was originally published Dec. 8, 1994)
He used to be a wide-eyed 14-year-old, the new kid on the block, a legitimate, mature prodigy, yet one content with merely attempting to fit in with the big kids.
But it wasn’t long before he owned the block — as well as all of Colorado.
Truth be told, he became The Man from the first time he laced up his sneakers as a freshman.
And it has been three years, three fun-filled seasons chock full of championships, excitement, attention, promise and maturity for Chauncey Billups.
The young man can hoop.
After this, his senior season, he will head to the next level as the most-heralded high-schooler to come out of the state.
So before it’s too late, I ask you: Is this the appropriate time to anoint George Washington’s superlative point guard as the greatest player in Colorado schoolboy history? Is he the best ever at mile-high altitude? Or is it a question only newspaper guys or groups of longtime observers from the neighborhoods argue about? Is it coaches’ talk? Is the very thought of this ridiculous? Who cares? Decide for yourselves.
Glory days
When he first burst on the high-school scene in the 1991-92 season, Billups came with lots of advertisement. Even before his first game, nearly everyone in the know knew his name.
And it was easy to see why. He immediately was Colorado’s best at ball-handling, breaking the press, driving to the basket and getting to the free-throw line.
The one thing he did not do with regularity, however, was pull up off the dribble and shoot it. Still, the Billups-led Patriots lost by just four points to eventual state champion Chatfield in the semifinals at McNichols Sports Arena.
And Billups, The Post’s player of the year, did just about everything — as usual. I can hear George Washington coach Ed Calloway Jr. now after the loss in the semifinals: “It was Chauncey Billups left and Chauncey Billups right. Nobody else did anything!”
But Calloway was just blowing off some steam. He knew what was ahead.
Year two produced the first state title and the dawning of Billups’ outside game. He made 44 3-pointers during the regularseason. But in the playoffs, Colorado didn’t get to see its best player darting to the basket or making the steal because of a badly sprained ankle suffered in regionals against Smoky Hill.
He never complained — and openly said that it wasn’t a problem — although anybody who knew him realized that he just couldn’t push off the injured ankle.
He did, however, hobble his way to 15 points in the title game against Rangeview.
Last season was special, too, undoubtedly his best, with a 29-point scoring average and a second Colorado championship. Billups further underlined his perimeter prowess, making 82 3-pointers. Included was a 24-point fourth quarter against East and a dominant, second-round performance against Montbello with 44 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals. Billups probably played his worst game as a schoolboy in the much-anticipated state semifinal against Cherry Creek — fouling out and even losing his cool with a technical. But he came back 24 hours later with a sparkling, memorable showing of 29 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three steals against Joe Cronin, the Grable twins and Horizon in the final. It was something to see.
The credentials
Think about all of the things Billups can do — and has done.
*In-state teams rarely bother pressing George Washington because of him. Back when they tried, Billups always found the open man or broke it himself by dribbling through whoever showed up. The opposition finally figured out they used more energy trying to press him than Billups did in breaking it.
From time to time you hear various coaches claim that one of their own kids is “the best shooter in the state.” Of course, that’s laughable. How could they possibly want anyone other than Billups, whose range is accurate well beyond the 3-point arc, to take the big shot … or any shot? Plus, he eats big free throws for breakfast.
• Go ahead. Try and stop Billups from going to the basket. It’s almost unfair. When he wants to, Billups’ first step or cross-over dribble makes defenders look silly.
• As a passer, Billups, too, stands alone. You don’t always know it because he seems to be tired of having his sweet dishes bounce off teammates’ hands or faces. But his court vision and sheer basketball intelligence allow him to know where to put the ball.
• Defensively, Billups is no slouch. Hardly. He knows how to cut off passing lanes and can rise to block shots and pick off passes.
• His endurance is considerable. Billups rarely tires or needs a breather. And, save for last season’s semifinals, he rarely gets into foul trouble. The running joke is that Calloway’s best coaching move is to put Billups in the starting lineup. As for an opposing coach’s best chance at getting Billups out of the game? It remains via the injury route. He has, though, beefed up his frame considerably each season to handle the pounding. He gets dumped in the lane more than any player.
• In 69 career games, he has scored 1,600 points, including 156 3-pointers, putting him on the verge of becoming the all-time state leader in both categories, according to the latest record book. He failed to score in double figures just four times, thrice when he was hurt. He is a three-time Post player of the year and also has garnered the first two seasons of Mr. Basketball Colorado honors, a Post/Denver Nuggets/News 4 venture, as well as being named to numerous All-America teams and tearing it up nationally in camps and scrimmages.
• You want excitement? Then be sure to attend one of the city league’s big games during the regular season at Manual’s Thunderdome. The place always sells out — mainly because of Billups.
• If George Washington wins state this season it moves into Colorado’s all-time leaders of titles won consecutively (three) and overall (six).
• Think of the recruiting Billups has commanded. Or try to call Billups’ home. You only get through because he constantly is using his call-waiting. Colorado hoops, certainly not a hot bed of Division I players, never has witnessed anything like it.
The competition
Let’s play a name game.
Brooks Thompson (Littleton) opened the NBA season on the roster of the Orlando Magic. So did Tom Hovasse (Widefield) for the Atlanta Hawks, years after becoming the No. 2 all-time scoring leader at Penn State.
Mark Randall (Cherry Creek) played on an NCAA title team at Kansas and with the Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan. He was cut before the season by the Nuggets.
Bobby Harstad (Thompson Valley) was a two-time Missouri Valley Conference player of the year at Creighton.
Chucky Sproling (Manual) played at the Big East’s St. John’s.
Johnnie Reece (Manual) had his shot at Oregon. Nearby, Tremayne Anchrum (Montbello) went to Southern Cal, and Craig Jackson (Montbello) and Rodney Zimmerman (Air Academy) went to UCLA.
Terry Taylor Jr. (Rangeview) was a regular at Stanford and Joel Tribelhorn (Sterling) eventually attended Colorado State.
Jeff Fosnes and Dave Logan were Wheat Ridge Farmers who won 48 straight Jeffco League games. Gary Taylor (Aurora Central) may have been the state’s first tall point guard and still is playing college ball in his 30s. Larry Farmer (Manual) went on to John Wooden and UCLA.
Tom Chambers (Aurora Central and Fairview), who still owns the state-tournament record of 50 points, also still plays in the NBA. LaVon Williams (Manual) went to Kentucky. Micheal Ray Richardson (Manual) was an NBA star and the late-blooming Joe Barry Carroll (Denver East) kept Purdue among the national powers before enjoying a double-figure-year career in the NBA.
Hinkley’s Mike Davis helped Colorado State just miss a Final Four berth in the late 1960s. He later played with the ABA’s Utah Stars. So did Rick Fisher (George Washington). And Dennis Boone (Manual) was an AAU star when it really meant something, playing with a guy named Oscar Robertson. Scott Wedman (Mullen) went on to CU and the NBA and Mike Jackson (Aurora Central) drew raves from the Philadelphia 76ers until injuries ended his career.
Those are some of the most prominent names in Colorado schoolboy hoops with many others over the years going on to college-level play. Colorado has had a better share of college talent than one would think.
But ask around — more and more people today are convinced Billups already is better than all of them as schoolboys. And that’s before his senior year.
The panel
Calloway has been around the state’s high-school basketball scene for as long as he can remember. He has seen Billups, of course, both locally — “the best boy I’ve seen” — and nationally — “he can play with any of them.” But even Calloway never is amazed when somebody such as Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson or an out-of-state prep boss comes up and starts raving about Billups.
In a tournament against a Kentucky high school, Calloway said that Billups played so well that the out-of-state coach “cried. I’m like, “what’s up with this? And the coach told me, “Man, we have never seen a kid like this.’ And he’s from Kentucky!” Calloway insists that “undoubtedly, he’s the best I’ve seen in Colorado.”
“Oh, yeah,” Columbine coach Rudy Martin agreed. “It’s Billups.”
Joe Strain Jr., the Cherry Creek coach who grew up here, offered: “Most definitely. I can’t think of anyone to compare him to.”
Said 16-year head coach Rudy Carey, in his second year at East and convinced Billups is tops: “He’s a combination of Chucky Sproling and Johnnie Reece. He those two in one.”
Dick Katte of Denver Christian is Colorado’s winningest coach in history with a 544-125 record. He is partial to one of his own Crusaders, Jim DeGroot. But DeGroot, who played against Billups in a scrimmage — and his team beat Billups’ squad — seemed to settle matters by telling Katte that he “had never seen a more complete player in his life.”
“He can be just absolutely awesome,” Palmer coach Dan McKiernan said. Martin suggests the fact that because Billups plays point guard, “he does everything,” thereby making the strongest case. Strain, too, points to improved competition over the years as well as “the championships. He takes over the game and wins.”
“(Billups) should be playing high-school ball in California,” Carey said. Rangeview coach Terry Taylor Sr., who has watched basketball here for decades, said “Billups is the best I’ve seen here.”
“It’s just not close from the players I’ve seen here in Colorado,” Calloway said.
The verdict?
So is this kid the best-ever Coloradan?
For his part, Billups said he doesn’t “pay too much attention to that stuff. Of course, it’s the ultimate compliment to be ranked on a level with Chucky and Johnnie and those guys.”
Billups himself feels “that the competition level (years ago) was very different.”
However, he refuses to get into any such best-ever talk. He’d rather just play.
“I don’t pay it too much attention,” he said, “because there’s always somebody out there that better than you. Always.”
The kid who in some circles is rated the No. 2 college recruit in the West seems content just to be mentioned with the best.
Besides, Calloway insisted, “how much better would Chauncey have to be (to be considered the best)?”
How much better could he be?
Better than anyone in Colorado before him — at least, better than just about anyone ever has seen.
