A historic 2024-25 season for the Prospect Ridge Academy High School boys’ basketball team added its latest chapter this week when the Miners earned the No. 4 seed and regional hosting rights for the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) Class 4A State Basketball Tournament.
The No. 4 seeded Miners (17-6 overall) have already smashed the previous program record for wins in a season (13 in 2022-23). They’ll now take aim at chasing the team’s first state title since joining CHSAA in 2016-17 when they host No. 29 seed Delta High School at 5 p.m. inside the PRA High School Gym in the first round of the 32-team state tournament.
All K-12 students get into the game for free, while adult tickets ($8) and senior citizen tickets ($5) are available for purchase online.
If the Miners win Friday night’s game — the first regional tournament ever hosted by the boys’ basketball program— they’d host a “Sweet 16” round at 1 p.m. Saturday against the winner of No. 13 The Classical Academy and No. 20 DSST College View. Click the link to view the full Class 4A state tournament bracket.
“We’re thrilled with receiving the No. 4 seed. We’ve had some tough losses earlier in the year that I think really helped us and propelled us to where we are now; finishing the regular season on a six-game win streak and playing really connected,” said PRA High School head boys’ basketball coach, Scott Iten.
The Miners’ success in 2024-25 might be a surprise to some around the state, considering this season marked the team’s first year competing at the Class 4A level.
After finishing 9-12 overall last season in Class 3A, PRA has seemingly come out of nowhere and exploded onto the Class 4A landscape this winter with a senior laden team that is playing its best basketball at the right time.
“Our five seniors — Liam Schilling, Harsha Chundru, Brady McKenney, Zeke Bote and Travis Agbosse — have been amazing and done everything we’ve asked of them as leaders. They have unquestionably been the difference is how we’re finishing this year as opposed to the last couple of years,” said Iten, currently in his 7th season at PRA. “I can you that, internally, we believed we could be good at the beginning of the year. But I’m pretty sure we were the only ones. I’ve joked with Ellie (Kempfe), our Athletic Director, that maybe we were just in the wrong classification the past six years.”
The tools to be successful have been there for the Miners. They are anchored by a relentless, full-court defensive philosophy that wears out opponents mentally just as much as it does physically.
This year, PRA has paired that suffocating defense with an unselfish and versatile offense that is currently pouring in 74.3 points and 16.7 assists per game. The Miners have four different players averaging double-figures, led by the backcourt tandem of Agbosse (14.3 PPG) and Schilling (14.0 PPG).
However, the conventional stats only tell part of the Miners’ success story.
“We are so connected as a group, from No. 1 through No. 14 on our roster. The kids genuinely like each other and want to be around each other. We have a lot of talent, don’t get me wrong, but all those little things matter when you’re talking about making a run in the postseason,” Iten said. “Our strength is in our connectedness.”
Playing in the state tournament is nothing new for the Miners, who had qualified for the Class 3A state tournament in each of the past three seasons. But earning the right to host state playoff games, and be a top-seeded team with aspirations of hoisting the Class 4A trophy this March, has established a new height for the program.
The 2024-25 season has been the culmination of many years of hard work and support in and around the PRA boys’ basketball program.
“There were some tough years in there when we first started here. But we’ve always had kids who were hard working and bought in to what we were trying to do. We’ve also received tremendous commitment in building the program from our community,” Iten said. “I think this season has been great, not just as a program, but for our community as a whole. Athletics is part of our mission at PRA. And we’ve wanted, for so long, to have a top-notch program with a legitimate chance to make a run at a state championship, much like our cheerleading and girls’ golf programs. We’re kind of the first boys’ program to be in this spot so it’s pretty exciting.”
The No. 4 seeded Miners will get the 2025 Class 4A Boys’ Basketball State Tournament underway at 5 p.m. this Friday against No. 29 seed Delta. If the Miners win, they will host the winner of No. 13 The Classical Academy and No. 20 DSST College View at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 8 in the PRA High School Gym.
The final three rounds of the Class 4A state tournament will be held at the Denver Coliseum, beginning with the “Great 8” round on Wednesday, March 12.
The 2024-25 PRA Boys' Basketball Team
Please join PRA in congratulating our 2024-25 varsity boys' basketball team on a tremendous regular season! Good luck in the Class 4A state tournament, Miners!
#1 Travis Agbosse, Senior
#2 Jackson Rhodes, Sophomore
#3 Wilson Spencer, Junior
#4 Liam Schilling, Senior
#5 Austin Huffman, Freshman
#10 Keaton Jackson, Junior
#11 Josiah Bote, Freshman
#14 Jackson Brandt, Sophomore
#15 Brady McKenney, Senior
#22 Noah Russell, Junior
#23 Harsha Chundru, Senior
#24 Grady Kreitzberg, Sophomore
#30 Ezekiel Bote, Senior
#44 Owen Miller, Junior