Last week, Eaglecrest basketball’s season ground to a frightening halt when star point guard LaDavian King collapsed to the floor in the waning minutes of overtime during a thrilling game against Rock Canyon.
“(King’s) a competitor, so he was playing extremely hard in a big game,” Eaglecrest head coach Jarris Krapcha said. “He pushed himself to the limit… After he collapsed, he was hooked up to the AED and you could hear a pin drop in the gym. It was scary.”
Eight days later, King is already out of the woods.
Doctors determined severe dehydration was the junior’s issue against Rock Canyon, and after spending two days in the hospital and passing an array of tests, King returned to practice on Monday and then game action on Wednesday in the Raptors’ Centennial League opener against Smoky Hill.
“(Rock Canyon) had the ball and it was a tie game and I took a second (on defense) to try and breathe, and they scored, because they knew I was tired,” King said. “Then we called a timeout, and my body wasn’t feeling right. I had never felt that before. I tried to get water, but the timeout was really quick. I got up really fast off the bench, and too quick. I started walking back on the court, got dizzy and (blacked out).”
King is now required to drink three bottles of liquid IV before every game the rest of the season, but besides that, he’s back to full-go. No minutes restrictions. And the same high-energy play that has the Raptors among the elite in Class 6A.
No. 6 Eaglecrest started fast on Wednesday with the help of King to take a 15-point first-quarter lead, but eventually fell 70-53 to fellow 6A contender No. 3 Smoky Hill at The Nest as the Buffaloes went on a second-quarter run and never looked back.
Despite the loss to Smoky Hill, Krapcha believes the Raptors have the talent to make a deep run once the 6A state tournament rolls around.
In addition to King, who was averaging 17.7 points coming into Wednesday, Eaglecrest also features 6-foot-8 junior center Garrett Barger, who is averaging 11.5 points. That duo is the Raptors’ top returners off last year’s Sweet 16 team as they eye a third Denver Coliseum trip in Krapcha’s seven years.
“We’re right there with anybody else (at the top of Class 6A), so playing in March and playing in the Coliseum is the goal for us,” Krapcha said. “(Our roster has) a little bit of everything. We’ve got enough size, we have enough shooting. I like our chances. On paper, it might not look like we have the most experienced team, but with the injuries to our team last year, that forced a couple of kids to see some minutes that wouldn’t have otherwise. And anytime you’ve got your leading scorers back, you’ve got a chance to make a run.”
To get to the Great 8, the Raptors will have to overcome the loss of junior forward Lucas Kalimba. He was averaging 10.4 points when he fractured his foot over winter break — an injury that is likely season-ending.
Junior La’quince York stepped into Kalimba’s starting role in the time since, while senior guard Sir Devin Roberts, junior guard Jason Noone and senior guard/sixth man Cam Chapa (the Raptors’ star defensive back on the gridiron and a Northern Colorado football commit) round out the Raptors’ depth.
“Those guys help us absorb that blow (of Kalimba’s injury) a little bit easier, but I’d be kidding if I didn’t say Lucas wasn’t a big piece,” Krapcha said. “We probably can’t afford another (key injury).”
King, who has one offer so far from Metro State, says the Raptors (9-4) grew from losses to Douglas County and Mountain Vista back in December. That prepared them for the rigorous Centennial League, even though Smoky Hill looked more like a title contender on Wednesday.
“We have to understand every game is going to be a challenge, because as one of 6A’s top teams, every game we’re going to have a target on us,” King said. “We’ve had a lot of silly turnovers that we have to clean up, because those possessions are going to mean something in the playoffs. If we do that, we’ll be in a good spot.”
Meanwhile, the result of Eaglecrest’s game against No. 7 Rock Canyon is still to be determined. The game was stopped after King collapsed, with 1:17 left in overtime and the Jaguars leading 54-52. There’s a chance it might not get finished, which could in turn affect the RPI of both teams down the road.
The top eight teams get to host two playoff games, which eases the path to the Coliseum.
“We’ll see what happens,” Krapcha said. “We schedule games like that for the strength of schedule, and as it stands right now, neither of us are getting credit for playing a team that has a good record… Getting a home game in the Sweet 16 is pretty important. My teams have won one road game in the Sweet 16 and lost four. So it makes a big difference.”
