MONUMENT — With the Colorado high school basketball season set to begin in less than 10 days, the 4-time state champion Lewis-Palmer Rangers are ready to roll.
"Crazy enough, this opportunity has provided us a lot of what is needed," said Lewis-Palmer head coach Bill Benton.
And for LP hoops, that was gaining some preservative and taking a look at the big picture.
"We underestimated what our capabilities because we didn't really know what we were doing," said senior forward Eddie Speller on what the team learned from last season. "We didn't know what our standard was. So we were just finding ourselves."
"With this team, we have a lot of talent," added senior guard Collin Westfall. "But with our talent comes more of a brotherhood. More of a collective group. And I think coming into this season we will have that. We have that collective group."
A 15-10 record, and a second-round playoff exit, doesn't sound like a bad season for most Colorado high school basketball team.
Yet for the Rangers, that's not the case.
So ever since September, the Rangers have been at work.
"Their drive to come in every day, with no carrot in front of them, has said a lot about who they are," explained Benton about his team. "We are pretty talented, but I think this group understands they are not able to just rely on their talent."
But with 8 returning players led by seniors Westfall & Speller, the Rangers are counting down the days until they can officially hit the court and show off this deep talented team.
"It is a long time coming and I am excited," Westfall said with a grin.
