Boys Basketball Wins Second-Straight State Title

It was an unforgettable and historic weekend at the Denver Coliseum. On Saturday, the Kent Denver boys basketball team won its second consecutive state championship, beating University by a score of 95-81 to cap off yet another dominant season in Class 4A. 

“For my last-ever high school game, that was a great way to go out,” said senior Sam Glynn, who won three state championships in the past year with the Sun Devils—two in boys basketball and one in boys soccer this fall. “It’s unbelievable. I give all the credit to the coaches, the school, the program, everything. Kent Denver does a great job preparing us for success, so I say thank you to them.”

Sam had 25 points in the team’s 82-72 Final Four victory over Timnath on Friday, and then he followed that up with 24 points in the title game on Saturday. He was outscored only by fellow senior Caleb Fay, the reigning 4A Player of the Year, who ended his sensational high school career with 32 points, including back-to-back thunderous dunks as the Sun Devils pulled away late. 

“Caleb is family, and if I had to have a storybook ending for him, this would be it,” said Coach Todd Schayes, who now has three state championships in his illustrious career as Kent Denver’s head boys basketball coach. “To win a state championship, to lead a team and cement your legacy in Colorado high school boys basketball, and to win with his buddies that he loves so much, you couldn't script it.” 

 

 

 

 

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Kent Denver’s high-powered offense and fast play style were on full display throughout the season and the state playoffs. The Sun Devils averaged nearly 85 points a game during the year. According to CHSAA, their 95 points on Saturday is the most scored by any team in a Colorado high school state championship since 1975. Four Sun Devils reached double figures in scoring—including juniors Liam Ash and Henry Czaja, who added 13 points and 12 points to help Kent Denver come out on top. 

“We try to be relentless,” Coach Schayes said. “Even when we got down early in both games, we knew there would be 65-70 possessions in the game. We knew we were going to be okay. Nobody wavered. Nobody panicked.”

That calm confidence stems from the coaches and also, according to the players on the team, belief in its star player.  

“Caleb is a generational talent,” Sam said after the game. “We wouldn’t have gotten here without him this year or last year. He’s such a great teammate as well. He’s super fun to compete with and have around at practices and games. It’s amazing.”

This state championship is the third for Kent Denver Athletics this school year—following boys soccer in the fall and girls swimming and diving in the winter—and the 82nd overall in school history. 

“It means a lot to win two in a row, and the kids really wanted it, but our legacy is not state championships,” Coach Schayes said. “Our legacy here is having fantastic student-athletes, making the community proud of us and more. The fact that we got to the finish line and won is fantastic, but we couldn’t be more proud of these kids even if it hadn’t gone our way.”