Without question, the depth of talent in the Aurora area was off charts, as reflected by the composition of the difficulty-decided 2024-25 Aurora Sentinel All-Aurora Boys Basketball Team.
Chosen by the Sentinel in conjunction with balloting of Aurora area coaches, the team includes two members of the 6A state title-winning Eaglecrest team in seniors Anthony Nettles and Garrett Barger, a former Raptor and leading scorer for Rangeview’s Final Four team in senior LaDavian King, Regis Jesuit junior force Eric Fiedler and versatile Smoky Hill junior Carter Basquez.
It is a starting five that has size, shooting, leadership, intangibles and championship characteristics, though it would be challenged by the All-Aurora second team.
Full 2024-25 Aurora Sentinel All-Aurora Boys Basketball Teams, here
Nettles played three varsity seasons at Douglas County and had to sit out half the season when he transferred over to join coach Jarris Krapcha’s Eaglecrest program.
That meant the electric senior guard couldn’t play until the Raptors returned from winter break and when he joined the lineup, he found a team that was already off to a strong start at 7-2 and coming off a 3-1 performance in Las Vegas at the Tarkanian Classic. Nettles scored 18 points and had 10 steals in Eaglecrest’s first game out of break — an 82-42 win over Palmer — and he never felt the sting of defeat, as the Raptors won their next 18 games and took the state title.
Eaglecrest’s lineup was filled with capable contributors, but it always seemed like Nettles made the play in the largest of moments. In the 6A semifinals, he hit a floater with less than 10 seconds left in regulation to tie the game and then made a 3-pointer early in what would be an overtime win. In 19 games played, Nettles averaged team bests in scoring (16.2 ppg), assists (3.6 apg) and steals (2.9) and he was selected as the Centennial League’s Player of the Year, which is no small accolade.
Joining Nettles on the All-Centennial League first team was Barger, who gave Eaglecrest a needed inside presence to compliment its bevy of talent in the backcourt and at forward. Barger’s presence became immediately clear as he missed the Raptors’ season-opener against Regis Jesuit, which ended up as their only loss to a Colorado team (the other came against a team from Utah in Las Vegas).
A four-year varsity player, the 6-foot-9 Barger tallied career-highs in scoring as 12.7 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, which was tops among all Aurora area players. He also led locals in double-doubles with nine, including two in three games at Denver Coliseum as he had an 18-point, 11-rebound effort against ThunderRidge in the Great 8 followed by 12 points and 16 rebounds in an overtime win over Mountain Vista in the semifinals. He capped his career with 12 points in the state title game.
Fiedler made a huge leap from his freshman to sophomore seasons and had another burst of progression going into his junior season with Regis Jesuit, during which he was nearly unstoppable.
A physical force at 6-foot-4, Fiedler required significant defensive attention and he powered through contact often to score of get to the free throw line. He finished with the third-most field goals in 6A with 199 total and he had the most free throw attempts of anybody in the classification with 222. Combine that with 51 made 3-pointers —sixth-most among Aurora area players — and Fiedler scored 24.1 points per game to rank only behind Valor Christian’s Cole Scherer (the two-time Colorado Gatorade Player of the Year) in 6A.
Fiedler also hit the glass hard and averaged 7.8 rebounds per contest, which helped him post seven double-doubles, which tied for second behind Barger for city-high honors in the category. Fiedler had a huge game in his final game as he tallied 37 points against Rangeview, which was one off his season high, to nearly will his team into the Final Four before an overtime loss.
King helped lead Eaglecrest all the way to the Final Four as a junior, then found a new and welcoming home with an up-and-coming Rangeview team for his senior season.
The Raiders had a balance of experience in players such as seniors Kenny Black-Knox III and Royce Edwards, plus emerging stars in sophomore Archie Weatherspoon V and freshman Marceles Duncan. But the addition of King — a sharpshooter and special scorer — brought it all together and made coach Shawn Palmer’s team the one to watch all season.
King came in and accepted a role with a deep team that threw waves of players at opponents, especially on the defensive end. That affected his scoring in the early going, but he eventually found his groove and emerged as the team’s leading scorer at 16.2 points per game, boosted by an Aurora-best 59 made 3-pointers.
The All-City League 6A first teamer did a bit of everything for the Raiders, as he was second on the team in rebounding (from a guard position) and was third on team in assist and fifth in steals. King recently committed to Division I Radford.
Basquez upped his personal profile last season with his postseason performance, highlighted by a buzzer-beating bank shot that lifted Smoky Hill over Mountain Vista in the 6A Great 8.
Though the Buffaloes were unable to return to the Denver Coliseum, Basquez’s game continued to grow and mature. The 6-foot-6 guard/forward affected every contest with his length and his ability to create mismatches.
Basquez scored from the outside (42 made 3-pointers), from the paint and often with the slashes to the basket or dunks. He scored in double figures in 21 of the 22 games in which he played, including the last 20 in a row, and his average of 17.7 points per game ranked third among Aurora players.
He also was among the top-six in averages among Aurora players in four other categories — rebounding (6th at 6.4 per game), assists (5th at 4.0 per game), steals (5th at 2.3 per game) and blocked shots (3rd at 1.2 per game).
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
