Aurora hoops season extended with premier A-Town All-Stars game March 26
KYLE COLEN
School: Smoky Hill
Year: Junior
Height: 6-foot
2015-16 averages: 8.4 points, 2.7 assists, 1.3 steals
Season highlights: In the won-loss column, Smoky Hill had the roughest season among any Aurora teams with a 4-19 record, but the Buffaloes also lost five games by six or fewer points in the first season under new coach Anthony Hardin, who came over after serving an assistant on Overland’s 2014-15 Class 5A state championship team. Smoky Hill’s youthful roster provided many encouraging results, however, and laid a foundation for a strong future. Hardin lauded junior Kyle Colen as an underrated shooter and often called for the junior to get the ball in clutch situations when defenses were determined not to let Foster beat them. Colen notched seven double-digit scoring games on the season and poured in a season-high 16 points in a 64-49 win over Hinkley on Dec. 12 in the Smoky Hill Shootout. Colen, who also plays golf at the school. also led the Buffaloes in assists and finished third in steals per game. He will play on Team West in the A-Town All-Stars Game, opposite freshman teammate Kenny Foster.
Colen vs. Aurora teams: Hinkley (16 points); Rangeview (15 points); Eaglecrest (8 points); Cherokee Trail (6 points, 10 points); Overland (4 points, 4 points); Grandview (7 points, 5 points)
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel