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With another deep senior class, Aspen boys basketball once again has championship aspirations

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Austin Colbert

Aspen High School boys basketball senior Henry Hurd, right, has the ball knocked away by Delta on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025, inside the AHS gymnasium.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times

The comparisons are easy to make between this year’s squad and that 2022 Aspen High School boys basketball team that ran the table en route to the state championship.

But it’s important to the current Skiers that they build their own legacy and hopefully write their own storybook ending.

“I see some similarities, between the play styles and everything,” AHS senior Tommy Franceschi said after Tuesday’s 67-59 senior night win over Delta. “But to be honest, we’ve really tried to have a unique team dynamic compared to that team. I feel like comparing ourselves is taking away some of our joy, but we definitely are excited to be those guys again and get back to the spot they were at.”

Franceschi was a freshman in 2022 and was the lone underclassman to see significant varsity minutes on a roster that included 10 seniors. That was also Cory Parker’s first season as head coach — he had previously been the team’s assistant coach under Alex Schrempf — and AHS finished a perfect 27-0, eventually beating Centauri in the Class 3A championship game in Denver. It’s the program’s only state championship to date.

This 2025 team, which is currently 18-3 overall, has a roster of 12 seniors, with most of those athletes having played varsity since they were thrown into the fire as sophomores the year after the championship run.


“As a whole group they were able to play together as sophomores, which was a little bit different than with that championship team,” Parker said. “In the timeouts, in the huddles, it’s the communication where the seniors really come out to play. Even the ones who maybe didn’t see a lot of time on the court, their dialogue and their verbiage on the sideline is super intentional and specific.”

After going undefeated in 2022, the Skiers went 16-8 in 2023, their first season in 4A after the addition of a 6A classification. AHS lost in the first round of the state tournament to Eaton.

In 2024, with a mainly junior class, Aspen finished 19-6 overall and as the No. 10 seed in the 4A tournament beat No. 23 Berthoud in the first round, 70-57. The season ended in the Sweet 16 with a 67-65 loss to No. 7 DSST: Montview.

Resurrection Christian eventually beat Kent Denver in the 4A championship game, 76-61.

“Those reps are what you trust at the end of the day. That’s what kind of comes out in those fourth-quarter games,” Parker said of the team’s ability to handle close contests. “Our experience is going to come out. We have a bunch of guys who have been in positions like that, especially last year in the state tournament. I think that was a huge learning point for us in how we play.”

Aspen High School boys basketball sophomore Jack Berro, left, fights for a loose ball against Delta on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025, inside the AHS gymnasium.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times

The Skiers have currently won 12 straight games following the victory over Delta. A perfect 10-0 in the 4A Western Slope League, Aspen only has a trip to Basalt on Friday and a Feb. 28 trip to Moffat County remaining in the regular season. AHS already comfortably beat both teams in their first matchups earlier this winter.

“I want to make sure we finish out these next two games strong,” Franceschi said. “I just want us to go in there and really put four quarters together, because that’s what we are going to need to do in the playoffs. Once we get to the Elite Eight, we are going to be playing some tough teams.”

Aspen remained No. 3 as of Wednesday night in the CHSAANow.com seeding index, which is the key component that will decide postseason seeds. Kent Denver (18-3) and Peak to Peak (18-2) are currently first and second, respectively. One of Aspen’s three losses this season came Jan. 3 to Peak to Peak, 44-41. Their other losses were to Holy Family (currently No. 11) and Middle Park (No. 13 in 3A).

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The Skiers’ best win is arguably a 45-40 win over Lamar on Dec. 13; the Thunder are currently No. 4 in the 4A seeding index. Coal Ridge, a team AHS is 3-0 against this season, is currently seeded No. 9. Aspen also has a win over current No. 13 Sterling, winning 58-38 back on Dec. 14.

For Franceschi, he had a front-row seat during the team’s championship run his freshman season. Now one of the 12 seniors, he’d love to bookend one banner with another as his prep career winds down.

“I remember back to my freshman year. I was the only one sitting on the bench, just by myself, as I watch 10 seniors go up there and get their flowers and everything,” he said when asked about Tuesday’s senior night festivities ahead of the Delta game.

“I definitely got a little emotional afterward,” he continued, “just being with my parents up there and seeing how many of us have worked so hard to get to this point. The game, we definitely could have shown up better, but to be honest, I’m just happy we are winning and really excited for the playoffs.”

acolbert@aspentimes.com

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