{"id":1305465,"date":"2019-03-13T21:18:53","date_gmt":"2019-03-14T03:18:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vaildaily.com\/?p=450291"},"modified":"2019-03-13T21:18:53","modified_gmt":"2019-03-14T03:18:53","slug":"the-freud-five-features-eagle-countys-best","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/local-news\/the-freud-five-features-eagle-countys-best\/","title":{"rendered":"The Freud Five features Eagle County\u2019s best"},"content":{"rendered":"
I don\u2019t like fantasy sports.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m hopelessly biased. In baseball \u2014 this may shock you \u2014 I pick all San Francisco Giants and the season would be a cesspool by May. Same thing in football with the 49ers.<\/p>\n
But I do get to play fantasy basketball when it comes to the high school scene with the annual Freud Five. Congratulations to all the all-leaguers in the box which accompanies this story. Not surprisingly, we have large contingents from Battle Mountain girls basketball and the Vail Christian boys.<\/p>\n
The first rule of the Freud Five is that there are always more than five. Sue me. The second rule is you might be out of position. You\u2019re good players and coaches \u2026 make it work, people.<\/p>\n
Tony Hernandez, Eagle Valley, point guard<\/h2>\n
As we just mentioned, players will be out of position, but I like the idea of the point guard leading the team in rebounds. In a season of many plot twists, Hernandez, 5-foot-11, led the Devils in rebounding. That\u2019s just awesome.<\/p>\n
Former Devils coach Chris Walls said of Hernandez, \u201cAll he does is get to the ball.\u201d (This is the only time we could say that Walls was like former NFL coach Buddy Ryan.) Current Eagle Valley coach Justin Brandt, after a win at Summit County, said of Hernandez, \u201cHe just has a huge heart. He has a laser focus and anticipates well.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Freud Five is going to be darn good on the nonexistent basketball power play. These two are assassins from beyond the arc. Neither has a conscience when it comes to shooting the 3. Even if they\u2019re off one day, they keep shooting because they know the shot\u2019s going to fall eventually.<\/p>\n
Both also play defense well. Caballero is downright aggressive, while Moritz is a pickpocket artist. Both also return next season \u2014 and the sound you just heard was cheering from the two schools in Edwards.<\/p>\n
Liam Mckenny, Battle Mountain, and E.J. Koller, Vail Christian, small forwards<\/h2>\n
The Freud Five also has a sense of humor when it comes to having Mckenny at small forward. Even more fun is that these are two different players who both got it done in completely different ways. At 6-5, Mckenny is your quintessential post player, who also had a nice 15-foot jumper. Mckenney also gets points for being Liam, which is apparently in vogue. (Teammate Liam Hanagan, not to mention Vail Mountain School alum Liam Hurley.)<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, we\u2019ve got Koller, who\u2019s really hard to define except for the fact that he\u2019s fast. Don\u2019t take the \u201chard to define\u201d description the wrong way. Koller just did a lot of little things that added up to big things \u2014 the rebound here, the pass there, the shot here. In some ways, he was the glue.<\/p>\n
Claire Krueger, Battle Mountain, power forward<\/h2>\nBattle Mountain\u2019s Claire Krueger is the captain of the Freud Five after leading her team to their first league title since 1993.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
One of three captains for the Huskies, Krueger is the captain of the Freud Five. She played all four years at varsity on a team that has had little success in a generation. She stuck with it and was justly rewarded.<\/p>\n
Krueger averaged nearly a double-double per game but was also the heart of the Battle Mountain girls\u2019 first league title since 1993. We hear she\u2019s pretty good at soccer as well.<\/p>\n
Zack McKeever, Vail Christian, center<\/h2>\n
The \u2018fro is a qualifying factor, but McKeever really developed in many ways this season. When your 6-foot-4 center also comes up with a 3-point shot, well, that makes you tough to defend.<\/p>\n
He also became a more mature player this winter. Last year, if he went hard to the hoop and felt he should have gotten a foul, he could disappear from a game. Not so this year. What\u2019s more, he helped teammates keep their cool in tense moments.<\/p>\n
Kindi Backstrom, Battle Moutain, coach<\/h2>\n
I really never thought any of us would live long enough to see Battle Mountain girls basketball win a title. The Huskies have had two winning seasons in my 22 winters here. What\u2019s more, Battle Mountain started 2-6 this year before a 13-3 run down the stretch, including a league title and a playoff win. Well done, Coach.<\/p>\n
Vail Christian\u2019s Sheldon Kuhns will be the assistant because, well, he\u2019s already done that with volleyball and girls basketball and we heard Saints boys basketball had a decent year. Whether you grow a postseason beard is up to you, Sheldon.<\/p>\n
More Awards<\/h2>\n
\u2022 Sixth Man for Freud Five: Jamison \u201cJamo\u201d Lee, Vail Christian \u2026 Think the Saints have a good backcourt coming back with Jamo and Moritz?<\/p>\n
\u2022 Sixth Man of the Future: After missing most of the season with an injury, Vail Christian\u2019s Hayden Sticksel was a huge spark off the bench. I\u2019m not Sheldon, but it\u2019s not hard to see Sticksel playing a big role at Vail Christian next year.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Happy Surprise Award: Battle Mountain\u2019s Alden Pennington, another super soph along with Caballero, turned into another perimeter threat as the season developed.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Happy Suprise Award, Part II: Eagle Valley\u2019s Keegan Garvey dropped 17 points to lead the Devils to an upset playoff win over Conifer. First, way to go, kid. Second, how are you in high school?<\/p>\n
\u2022 Game of the Year: Eagle Valley beats Battle Mountain in triple overtime. With a 9:30 p.m. deadline, I was just rooting for someone to win the darn game. Thank you, Carlos Quezada, for the 3.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Moment of the Year: Battle Mountain\u2019s Audrey Teague jumps up and down after Wilder Isom hits a free throw during the Huskies\u2019 45-28 win over Rifle, the title clincher.<\/p>\n
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