Girls Basketball in Colorado Features Some of the Nation’s Best

AURORA – This is perhaps the Golden Age for girls basketball in Colorado.

But it’s just the start, if Peak to Peak’s Alex Eschmeyer can help it.

“Women’s basketball, and Colorado girls basketball, has gotten so much better,” Eschmeyer said. “There’s more attention. It’s really cool to be a part of that, because we’re still building. The attention on college has helped the attention on high school, too.

“I’m really grateful to be with these other girls, and I feel like we’re working for a better future for all of women’s basketball, which is really awesome.”

Eschmeyer is one of four – that’s right, four – Colorado high school girls players who are considered among the top 100 recruits in the country for their class by multiple recruiting services.

The others are fellow seniors Sienna Betts of Grandview and Brooklyn Stewart of Pine Creek, as well as junior Brihanna Crittendon of Riverdale Ridge.

“It’s awesome for the sport, and I think it’s only going to help it continue to grow,” Peak to Peak coach Joe Howard said. “We’re a K-12 campus, and if you watch Alex walk through the elementary school, some of these girls look at her like a superhero, and you can’t discount how that can motivate a young girl to want to pursue basketball on their own.

“The level of success is awesome to see, and having more and more high-level recruits getting national attention will hopefully help not only our athletic community to grow but also the state of Colorado’s as well.”

Eschmeyer, a 6-foot-5 Stanford recruit, is also not too far removed from a summer spent with Team USA, where she was part of the country’s U17 National Team that won the won the FIBA World Cup in Leon, Mexico.

“I’d never played against competition at that level,” Eschmeyer said. “And just being pushed every day in practice by the best girls in the country was really, really cool, and so was getting to know them and forming those relationships.

“It really taught me things about myself, how to handle adversity, and overcome mental things – because it was definitely hard being there for a month straight, (with) two-a-days (practices), then going straight into playing games in a different country. Mentally, overcoming doubts, I’d say that’s where I got most of my growth from, along with competing with more physical, stronger, better players.”

Earlier this month, Eschmeyer was announced as a member of the 2025 USA Nike Hoop Summit team, along with Betts, a 6-4 UCLA recruit. Betts, last year’s Gatorade Player of the Year for Colorado, played last summer for the USA’s U18 AmeriCup team in Colombia, where she was named to the “All-Star Five” for her performances.

Like Eschmeyer, the 6-3 Crittendon was a finalist for the U17 team last summer. Her most recent list of college options includes South Carolina, UCLA, Colorado, Arizona, Tennessee and Iowa, according to ESPN.com.

The 6-2 Stewart, highly recruited by major powers, is headed to Oklahoma after considering the likes of Florida, Michigan State, North Carolina, Oklahoma State, Oregon State and Virginia Tech.

On court this season, the quartet has more than lived up to expectations.

Betts is averaging 23.4 points, 17.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 2.5 steals and 3.8 blocked shots per game, upping her career totals to 1,638 points and 1,271 rebounds while leading the Wolves to a 10-3 record and to this week’s No. 1 ranking in CHSAA’s Seeding Index for Class 6A.

Stewart has compiled 20.1 points, 11.7 rebounds and 2.7 steals per game this season for the Eagles, who are 10-2 and are ranked third in 6A. Stewart has 1,039 points and 749 rebounds in her career.

Crittendon averages 22.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.4 blocks – giving her a career total of 1,869 points – and has helped the Ravens go 7-5 through Monday as they compete in 6A after winning the 4A state tournament last year, when Crittendon was the CHSAA 4A Player of the Year.

Meanwhile Eschmeyer is averaging 24.2 points, 13.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 2.2 steals and 3.0 blocks and has career totals of 1,658 points and 1,040 rebounds. She’s helped the Pumas to a 8-4 record and to the No. 8 ranking in 4A.

Eschmeyer has drawn extra attention this season, standing out even moreso against 4A competition than perhaps if she were at a 6A school.

“I don’t want to say it’s a rebuilding year, because it’s not a rebuilding year if Alex is in the mix,” Howard said. “But we did lose some key components from last year – some really experienced seniors who had some good varsity experience, talented players. That was a good chunk of our scoring outside of what Alex provided. So we’re still working on filling in some of those scoring gaps this year with some of our seniors, our younger returning players and new players.

“That has allowed teams – if they want – to put a ton of attention on Alex. She’s fighting through double-teams, triple-teams, lots of contact, lots of attention. I don’t want to discount how good of a job she’s done fighting through that because it’s hard when you get that level of attention every single night.”

Said Eschmeyer: “I think it’s helped me build different skill-sets, how to be tougher, how to finish through contact, being able to get myself open. The previous few years there was some attention on that, but this year especially, trying to get open and find the shots, it’s taught me to never stop moving and keep looking for the openings. It’s really helped my basketball IQ, just having to deal with new situations.”

The determination and focus required is somewhat similar to what Eschmeyer went through to earn her first spot on the national team last spring. She had been a finalist in 2023, but didn’t make the final cut, and once the high school season ended, Eschmeyer took a quick break and then went to work.

“She really went after it in March and April,” Howard said. “You could tell this was something she really wanted to do, and I think it was good for her to experience the success of, ‘I just worked really hard for this thing that I want, and know I’m going to go get it,’ making the team and seeing success as a result of that hard work. She really gave it her all, and that’s how she made the team.

“There was a lot of conditioning to make sure she was in great shape, and that was an emphasis for her because she wanted to be able to run the court non-stop. And we realized that for her to have a chance of making it she would have to develop her post game and be stronger in the post, so we did a ton of post work. She played against the boys – they’re good post defenders for her – and we brought in as many tough defenders as we could to guard her in the post. All credit goes to her, and we had a lot of coaches who put some time in to try to help her get there.”

That’s right, while Eschmeyer is 6-5 and her father, Evan, is a 6-11 former NBA post player, she plays all over the court. Her mother, Kristina, led the Big Ten in scoring while playing at Northwestern in 1997-98.

“We’ve been able to put Alex in different positions, whereas at a bigger school, where there are maybe more high-level players, they might have her do just a specific role,” Howard said. “She’s a versatile player, and we’ve been able to help her thrive in that way, being able to shoot the 3 (she’s shooting 43.1 percent from long range this season, 22 of 51), develop her dribbling and passing, as well as her post game.

“We’ll probably never see a player of Alex’s caliber at our school again, just because that’s how good she is. I mean I would love to have another player like Alex, but I’m definitely not holding my breath until it happens.”

Eschmeyer said she likes the fit at Peak to Peak.

“I’ve been here since middle school, and Peak to Peak is very highly-ranked academically and the country,” she said. “That’s what drew my parents to have us apply here. They gave us the choice after middle school if we wanted to stay here and continue, and both my brother and I decided we wanted to be here. It’s really about the community that we’ve built here. Maybe there’s a better chance of winning a state championship at a bigger school, a more athletic school, but to me it was most important to be at a place where I feel connected with the people and feel supported. I got all of that here, and it’s been a great experience.

“Although we came here mostly for academics, the athletics standpoint has been excellent for us, too. Yes, we’re not a 6A team, but if you look across the board, almost every sport has made state. It’s not just an academic school, which a lot of people think.”

While Colorado high school girls basketball has four headliners, there are other top players around the state setting their sights on the postseason, which starts up in February and culminates with state tournaments in six classes from March 13-15.

The list includes returning CHSAA 6A Player of the Year Quinn Vansickle of Valor Christian, Ryanne Bahnsen-Price and 5A Player of the Year Kyle Hollier of Roosevelt, Olivia Klein of Resurrection Christian, Kinley Asp of Air Academy, Abigail Dille of Sedgwick County, 2A Player of the Year Kya Piel of Merino, and Abrielle Gomez of McClave. All of those players are returning CHSAA all-state first team selections.

All players are hoping to make long postseason runs.

“Right now my focus is fully on the high school season,” Eschmeyer said. “I want to have fun with that, but also get better and build the chemistry with the team.

“Further down the road (at Stanford), I want to get to a point physically and with my skills where I’m prepared and ready. I feel like all the work I’ve put in the last four years has been leading up to this.”