ARVADA — Colorado Mesa University might end up getting the steal of the early basketball signing period.
Pomona senior Trevor Baskin has already signed on the dotted line with the Mavericks to play basketball in Grand Junction next season. The 6-foot-8 forward has certainly been impressive on the court through the Panthers’ first five games.
Baskin is averaging 29.4 points per game and more than a dozen rebounds, not to mention almost a half-dozen blocks per contest.
Pomona senior Trevor Baskin (22) goes up for a dunk during the first half Tuesday against Prairie View. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“I just want to help the team in any way as possible,” Baskin said after he scored 36 points in just over three quarters of action Tuesday in the opening round of the Ralston Roundup Tournament. “If that means rebounding 40 times and passing it. I just need to contribute as many ways as possible.”
Pomona (3-2 record) cruised to a 70-41 victory over Prairie View to open up the 12th annual tournament put on by Ralston Valley High School. The Panthers will face the winner of Legacy/Rampart in the semifinals at 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 19, back at Ralston Valley High School.
“We aren’t playing as clean as I would like, but I’m certainly not going to give a win back,” said Pomona coach Jon Baskin, father of Trevor Baskin. “I think down the road we’ll be OK. We are still trying to find ourselves and figure things out.”
One thing is clear, Baskin will be the focal point for Pomona. After averaging a double-double last season in points and rebounds the sky is the limit. The senior dominated the Thunderhawks scoring 31 points through the first three quarters.
“I’m not trying to pull him back on anything. He takes what the defense give him,” Coach Baskin said of his son. “We just let him go play and he’ll do what he can to help us win. I’ve been really pleased with him so far.”
Pomona sophomore Jer’rick Jackson, left, gets a shot up over Prairie View freshman Rashawn Salinas-Johnson during the opening game of the Ralston Roundup on Tuesday. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Sophomore Jer’rick Jackson added 9 points and senior Dylan Espinosa had 7 points to help the cause for the Panthers.
“We are long and athletic, but we are also inexperienced,” Coach Baskin admitted. “We’ve got some football guys out with some injuries that will make us better.”
Senior Isiah Tshimanga is currently out with an injury. He averaged a dozen points per game last season.
“We are missing our best athlete (Tshimanga), but once we get him back we’ll be out running at lot,” Baskin said. “We’ll use our athleticism and speed. We like to use that to our advantage.”
Baskin will have some fun one-on-one battles once Class 5A Jeffco League play rolls around. Columbine senior Luke O’Brien, who has signed with the University of Colorado, will be a great test for Baskin.
“Playing Columbine and Luke is going to be a big one,” Baskin said looking ahead. “I’ve played against him since I was 9 or 10. We have always had that rivalry, but we are friends off the court.”
Coach Baskin said he likes Pomona’s chances once conference play begins after Winter Break.
“If we can get hot at the right time we could make some noise, but that is a long ways down the road. A lot more gray hairs and late nights,” Coach Baskin said. “I’m staying cautiously optimistic until we got all our guys available and see where it goes from there.”
Prairie View sophomore Dominic Marrujo (13) attempts to steal the ball from Pomona senior Trevor Baskin on Tuesday at Ralston Valley High School. Marrujo scored a team-high 18 points for the Thunderhawks, but Baskin answered with 36 points to lead the Panthers to victory. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)