Rampart boys’ basketball hoping to tower over competition
If bigger is better, Rampart basketball is in for one heck of a season.
The Rams, who went 17-8 and finished 9-3 in 5A Colorado Springs Metro League play last season, are the biggest team in Colorado Springs, and perhaps in the state.
Coach J’on St. Clair has three players who are 6-foot-7 or taller, and can put a lineup on the floor where the shortest player is 6-3.
“When we went to tournaments this summer, we were the biggest team out there, and we sure looked like the teams from Denver,” St. Clair said. “We have two guards who are 6-3, and our smallest guy is 6-foot. We look the part when we go into the gym, that’s for sure.”
Jackson Ehrlin (6-9), Dawson Carper (6-11) and Zeb Anderson (6-7) are the trio of towers the Rams have at their disposal.
Ehrlin averaged 14 points and eight rebounds last season, while Carper missed most of the season with a broken tibia and Anderson took a year off from playing basketball. With all three healthy and ready to go, Rampart could be a scary proposition for opponents.
“I truly think we’re going to state this year,” Ehrlin said. “We’ve made it clear to the underclassmen that we’re doing things differently this year, and we want to leave an unquestioned legacy after this season is over.”
Ehrlin is most looking forward to not being double-teamed on every possession this season. With Carper – who’s also 245 pounds – as his fellow starter in the frontcourt, the duo is poised to do some serious damage.
“We have the capability of being a final four team if we play together,” said Carper, a junior who’s already garnering interest from the likes of Kansas and Stanford. “Sometimes we go one-on-one too much on offense because we have so many talented players, but we need to recognize who’s open.”
In addition to Anderson returning, Rampart also brings back several key players from last season in guards Cal Zeb Roberson, Josh Kavalec and Malik Salley.
The squad has turned some heads in summer league tournaments, and those around the state are taking notice.
“When we’re on the court teams ask us, ‘Hey, where’s Rampart?’ When we tell them we’re from Colorado Springs, they’re very surprised,” said Ehrlin, who signed with D-II South Dakota State. “We’re very much unknown to the big schools in Denver, and that’s a good thing, because we’re here to shake things up.”
Rampart is aiming to become the first 5A area team to reach the state semifinals since Doherty did it in 2010.
But the first order of business at hand is claiming the league title.
“It’s a huge priority for us,” Carper said. “It was tough for us to lose it to Doherty last year. Our main goal is to win the 5A Metro, and then move on from there.”
Doherty defeated Rampart 60-49 at Rampart High School on Tuesday, January 12, 2016.. Photo by Jerilee Bennett/The Gazette