AURORA | A profile look at Smoky Hill freshman Kai McGrew who is on the roster of Team West for the 1 p.m. A-Town All-Star Boys Game on March 18, 2023, at Eaglecrest High School (purchase tickets, here):
Courtney Oakes is Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
KAI MCGREW
School: Smoky Hill High School
Year: Freshman
Height: 6-foot-8
2022-23 averages: 10.6 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.4 blocks, 2.0 steals
Season highlights: The Buffaloes finally broke through the Sweet 16 round of the postseason by reaching the Class 6A Great 8, where they were stopped by eventual state champion Denver East in a tight game at the Denver Coliseum. A new wave of young talent — which has McGrew at the forefront — helped coach Anthony Hardin’s team win 20 games and lay the foundation for the future. The young post player had an outstanding debut season at the varsity level as he earned All-Centennial League second team honors with a season in which he led his team in rebounding and blocked shots and was second in scoring. McGrew did a lot of his offensive work around the rim (but made seven 3-pointers and showed range on his shot) and scored a season-high 16 points in a 91-90 win over Grandview, while he cracked double figures 12 times. He had four double-doubles and came one rebound away from five more and he had a season-high of 15 rebounds against Arapahoe. McGrew also blocked at least one shot in all but one game. He earned selection to the A-Town All-Star Game for the first time.
McGrew vs. Aurora teams: vs. Rangeview (15 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals, 5 blocks); vs. Cherokee Trail (7 points, 12 rebounds); vs. Eaglecrest (14 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, 4 blocks); vs. Overland (6 points, 7 rebounds); vs. Grandview (9 points, 4 rebounds); vs. Overland (13 points, 9 rebounds, 6 steals); vs. Eaglecrest (7 points, 6 rebounds); vs. Grandview (16 points, 8 rebounds)