We know what you’ve been saying. “Carey shot the ball too much and could do whatever he wanted.”
Exactly. And he did.
Most important, it’s what Denver East wanted him to do.
“You take the good with the bad with someone like that, but he took those shots and we asked him to shoot it,” said longtime Angels coach Rudy Carey, Brian’s uncle. “He had to do what he did for us to be able to do anything. He took it to another level.”
Carey, all of 5-foot-8, carried the Angels to the Class 5A final four. He averaged 24.5 points and 8.2 assists. In a four-game span, he scored 37, 44, 46 and 26 points. He made 163 free throws. His 3-point range was unmatched. He frequently guarded the opposition’s best guard. And he did it all on a bum ankle that will need surgery.
“He was amazing,” said Rudy Carey, whose 742 career victories rank second in state history. “I knew he was good growing up with these same kids, and he was the best of those kids.
“He’s tough. He’s our strongest player in the weight room, and he has drive.”
Headed to Texas Southern, the younger Carey carries better than a B average academically and has been noted for his strong character off the court.
Bottom line: He was the player most observers wanted to take the last shot with the game on the line. “He had that kind of year,” Rudy Carey said.
Class 4A
Justinian Jessup, Jr., Longmont
No less an authority than 25-year Trojans coach Jeff Kloster calls Jessup the “most complete player” he has coached. It’s not a reach. A gangly 6-4 lefty, Jessup averaged 17.0 points but did so much more while leading the Trojans to a terrific season. He scored inside and outside, and from the free-throw line. He defended. He rebounded. He helped bring the ball up against the press. He moved the ball around the perimeter and moved without the ball. And he will get to do it again with the Trojans next season.
Class 3A
Justin Bassey, Jr., Colo. Academy
In consecutive seasons, the Mustangs have finished as state runners-up. Don’t blame Bassey. Give him credit. The 6-4 Bassey, who recently announced he will play for Ivy League member Harvard in two seasons, averaged 23.0 points and 8.8 rebounds. He also piled up 146 assists. The Mustangs were 20-7 overall and tied with Faith Christian at 7-1 atop the Metropolitan League. Bassey figures to have them in the mix again next season.
Class 2A
Miles Caldon, Jr., Sanford
When the defending state champion Indians lost star junior Chance Canty to a knee injury in February, another junior stepped up — Caldon, a shooting guard. The 6-0 Caldon averaged 16 points and five rebounds, helping the Indians hold off previously undefeated Resurrection Christian 47-44 in the state championship game. Sanford, which finished 27-0, has won 46 consecutive games.
Class 1A
Tanner Smith, Sr., Jim Elliot Christian
With few Denver-area teams in small-school basketball, Smith kept the Highlands Ranch-based Warriors in the news as well as prominently in the state tournament. Jim Elliot made it to the semifinals with help from Smith, a 6-1 guard who averaged 18.2 points, 7.7 rebounds and more than five assists. The Warriors enjoyed a 22-4 season.
