Carrying on the tradition/ Callum only starter back for defending

Kenne Callum has been part of the Palmer basketball tradition longer than he remembers.

His father is Ken Callum, who played at Palmer during the early 1970s. Just before Kenne was born, his father made a declaration.

"Before I was born, he told my mom I was going here," Callum said.

Years later, Callum has fulfilled his father's promise, much to the delight of coaches at Palmer. A three-sport star, Callum rushed for 2,064 yards and 20 touchdowns for the football team and runs for the track team in the spring.

He is a main reason why Palmer, after losing all but one player from last year's 24-0 state-champion team, is a favorite to win the Colorado Springs Metro North title again.

"He's probably the best offensive player I've ever had that plays defense," said Dan McKiernan, longtime coach at Palmer. "Kenne's the best player in the city."

A year after being the only junior and leading scorer on the best team in the state, Callum isn't resting on last season's title.

In fact, the reserved and polite senior is working twice as hard to keep the Palmer tradition of winning going with a new batch of teammates.

"That's the goal, to take the team on my back in a sense and keep up the tradition of winning," Callum said. "We may lose a couple of games, but we'll still be in the Pepsi Center."

To return to the site of the state tournament, Callum will need help from his teammates, which include Cheyenne Mountain transfer Ben Herman, junior sharpshooter Zach Wheat and football teammate James Lane.

Callum said his team is ready to do just that.

"We're a collective unit - scoring, we're going to be balanced and we play good defense," he said.

McKiernan echoed Callum's sentiments when talking about the annual success of Palmer basketball.

"We have a tremendous tradition here, that and the fact that we play hard and we have a good defensive scheme," he said.

Standing in Palmer's way of another Colorado Springs Metro North title is a much-improved Doherty team. Coach Leroy Valdez said his depth is going to be a big advantage this season.

"We play an aggressive and up-tempo game and we're going to try to wear teams down with our depth and aggressiveness," he said.

McKiernan said he thinks Doherty is the best team in the conference right now, but he added that things might change by tournament time.

"They are seasoned and they have good inside-out players, they play good defense and they are physical," he said.

Doherty is led by senior point guard J.J. Cordova and forward Josh Root.

The two teams that should vie for the league title met Dec.9 in the Palmer holiday tournament. Palmer beat Doherty 70-60, possibly sending a message that it's not ready to give up league supremacy just yet.

McKiernan said: "I think they are better than we are right now, but we beat them, so I don't know."

- Kurt Eilmes may be reached at 636-0250 or keilmes@gazette.com

Five teams to watch

1. Doherty: Should compete with league powerhouse Palmer for the conference title. Team scares many opponents due to talent and depth. "They can play 10 guys without missing a beat," Mitchell coach Jim Grantz said.

2. Palmer: With only senior guard Kenne Callum returning from last year's state championship team, Palmer is still a league favorite because of Dan McKiernan's coaching style and tradition. "McKiernan always gets the most out of his kids," Rampart coach Randy Powell said.

3. Mitchell: 4A Metro favorite because of 1-2 punch of returners Tim Gainey and Jarod Gortner. "Mitchell is the class of the city. They are superior to any other 4A team in town," Doherty coach Leroy Valdez said.

4. Widefield: Should be Mitchell's main competition for the 4A league title. Marco Clark and Rich Mincey lead a talented team. "Their top six are really good, they could start for anybody and they are well-coached," Grantz said.

5. Colorado Springs Christian: Led by returning star Delbert Young, CSCS will battle Buena Vista not only for Tri-Peaks League title but possibly for the title of best team in Class 3A. "CSCS has the most talent coming back this year, plus they picked up a kid. (Buena Vista and CSCS) are going to be the teams to beat this year," Manitou Springs coach Ken Vecchio said.

Other teams to watch: Rampart, Sierra, Woodland Park, Manitou Springs, Limon, Peyton, Simla.

Five players to watch

1. Kenne Callum, Sr., Palmer. 6-0 guard. Leading scorer from last year's state title team returns. Good shooter and quick with or without the ball. Equally impressive on defense.

2. Kevin Wagstaff, Jr., Rampart. 5-10 guard. Impressive shooter with 3-point range. Tough to defend, called possible "big time college guard" by Palmer's McKiernan.

3. Marco Clark, Sr., Widefield. 6-3 swingman. His coach, Mark Muoz, said Clark and teammate Rich Mincey are very similar. Versatile, silky-smooth player who can drive or shoot well. Talented on both sides of the ball.

4. Tim Gainey, Sr., Mitchell. 6-4 forward. Another swingman who plays well inside or out. Gives Mitchell an inside presence.

5. Pat Hannaway, Soph., Doherty. 6-3 swingman. Coach Leroy Valdez is excited about his young talent. On a senior-laden team, he could be the one who puts Doherty over the top.

Other players to watch

Tommy Russell: Sierra

Mike Kinner: Woodland Park

J.J. Cordova: Doherty

Josh Root: Doherty

Ben Herman: Palmer

James Lane: Palmer

Zach Wheat: Palmer

Rich Mincey: Widefield

Khalil Johnson: Harrison

Brian Vecchio: Manitou Springs

Delbert Young: CSCS

Tom Hubbard: Limon

State finals

The Pepsi Center, Denver. March 7-10.

Notables

With a 70-60 consolation win over Doherty in the annual Palmer Holiday Tournament, Palmer coach Dan McKiernan captured his 450th career win.

Manitou Springs' 6-8 forward Brian Vecchio also plays golf and was named to the all-area team again. He recently signed letter of intent to play at Southern Colorado.

Many area standout football players are showing their talent on the basketball court as well. Those include Palmer's Kenne Callum and James Lane, Doherty's Josh Root and Troy Johnson and Widefield's Vince Jackson.

New faces

Ryan Little transferred from Sierra to Widefield. Ben Herman did the same from Cheyenne Mountain to Palmer. Manitou Springs found a new guard in Brent Straw, a transfer from Minnesota.

Games to watch

Jan. 16: Palmer at Doherty. Two of top teams in 5A and should battle for Metro North crown. The teams have a rematch on Feb. 2.

Jan. 13: Mitchell at Widefield. Only regular-season meeting between two of the area's top 4A teams.

Jan. 27: CSCS at Buena Vista. Battle of not only area's best 3A teams but possibly state's as well.

Feb. 10: Palmer at Rampart. After earning a 14-0 league record last year, conference foes will try to gain a bit of revenge on Palmer.

Feb. 13: Doherty at Rampart. Could be an important matchup for tournament seeding.

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