His brother plays in the Big Sky
Lindenstein: Boulder's Grabau blazes his own trail
By Joshua Lindenstein Camera Sports Writer
Posted: 03/13/2011 12:04 AM MST
Boulder High School senior Riley Grabau drives past a Regis defender during Saturday's game. ( JEREMY PAPASSO )
The post-game father-son embrace between Boulder High guard Riley Grabau and his father Craig probably wouldn`t have looked much different regardless of the outcome of Saturday`s Class 5A state championship game.
A dad beaming with pride and a son soaking up every ounce he could, both with damp eyes.
Such scenes were happening all around Sox Walseth Court on both the winning and losing sides of two-time defending champ Regis` 63-59 triumph. That Craig was consoling really only matters in the record books.
Thirty-four years to the day that Craig helped lead Boulder High to a state championship in 1977, Riley was trying to do the same and give the pair a unique legacy at one school that few parents and children in this sports-crazy country can boast.
In the end, the trail Riley blazed was his own.
After winning 3A state titles at Faith Christian as a freshman and sophomore -- the first with older brother Chase -- Riley transferred to Boulder in hopes of raising his own level of play by facing the state`s best competition.
The mark he left won`t soon be forgotten.
No Boulder County prep player has been better at least since Centaurus featured a gamer named Devon Beitzel, who is lacing up his sneakers this week to lead Northern Colorado to its first NCAA Tournament appearance. If not for Beitzel, the conversation wouldn`t halt until a guy who now makes his living in the NBA, Monarch and Boulder`s Louis Amundson.
"Ri`s making his own thing," Craig Grabau -- who played in an era when BHS was making regular title game appearances -- told the Camera this week of his and Riley`s legacy. "The game`s a lot different now than it was then. The players are much better athletes."
Riley`s transfer meant he had to sit the first 11 games of his junior season. The impact he made when he finally got to suit up for the Panthers was unmistakable.
Boulder stood at 6-5 on the season, with two of those losses coming against 4A competition and another against a team that finished with a losing record. The Panthers went 12-3 the rest of the way, nearly upsetting Regis in the Sweet 16.
His impact was no less this season, especially down the stretch. He averaged 28 points over the final four games. With his team trailing by 11 at halftime against Regis, he poured in 20 in the second half to lead the Panthers` rally, prompting Regis coach Ken Shaw to declare unquestionably that Grabau was the best player in the state this season.
But everyone who has watched knows the 6-foot-1 Grabau can light up the scoreboard. He can also rebound and defend. And it`s the way he makes others around him better that has stood out most. The pin-point, no-look bounce passes through traffic that draw the most oohs and ahhs. His leadership presence on the floor.
A scholarship offer from Western Kentucky is on the table. More are likely to come between now and April`s signing period.
No matter what, those of us who had the pleasure of watching know Grabau`s got his own place in Boulder`s prep lore secured.
"You get tired of trying to come up with different superlatives for his performance," BHS coach Alan Schulz said recently. "But Riley`s that good. It`s no joke. It`s no mistake
Read more: Lindenstein: Boulder's Grabau blazes his own trail - Boulder Daily Camera http://www.dailycamera.com/high-school-basketball/ ci_17604799#ixzz1
Lindenstein: Boulder's Grabau blazes his own trail
By Joshua Lindenstein Camera Sports Writer
Posted: 03/13/2011 12:04 AM MST
Boulder High School senior Riley Grabau drives past a Regis defender during Saturday's game. ( JEREMY PAPASSO )
The post-game father-son embrace between Boulder High guard Riley Grabau and his father Craig probably wouldn`t have looked much different regardless of the outcome of Saturday`s Class 5A state championship game.
A dad beaming with pride and a son soaking up every ounce he could, both with damp eyes.
Such scenes were happening all around Sox Walseth Court on both the winning and losing sides of two-time defending champ Regis` 63-59 triumph. That Craig was consoling really only matters in the record books.
Thirty-four years to the day that Craig helped lead Boulder High to a state championship in 1977, Riley was trying to do the same and give the pair a unique legacy at one school that few parents and children in this sports-crazy country can boast.
In the end, the trail Riley blazed was his own.
After winning 3A state titles at Faith Christian as a freshman and sophomore -- the first with older brother Chase -- Riley transferred to Boulder in hopes of raising his own level of play by facing the state`s best competition.
The mark he left won`t soon be forgotten.
No Boulder County prep player has been better at least since Centaurus featured a gamer named Devon Beitzel, who is lacing up his sneakers this week to lead Northern Colorado to its first NCAA Tournament appearance. If not for Beitzel, the conversation wouldn`t halt until a guy who now makes his living in the NBA, Monarch and Boulder`s Louis Amundson.
"Ri`s making his own thing," Craig Grabau -- who played in an era when BHS was making regular title game appearances -- told the Camera this week of his and Riley`s legacy. "The game`s a lot different now than it was then. The players are much better athletes."
Riley`s transfer meant he had to sit the first 11 games of his junior season. The impact he made when he finally got to suit up for the Panthers was unmistakable.
Boulder stood at 6-5 on the season, with two of those losses coming against 4A competition and another against a team that finished with a losing record. The Panthers went 12-3 the rest of the way, nearly upsetting Regis in the Sweet 16.
His impact was no less this season, especially down the stretch. He averaged 28 points over the final four games. With his team trailing by 11 at halftime against Regis, he poured in 20 in the second half to lead the Panthers` rally, prompting Regis coach Ken Shaw to declare unquestionably that Grabau was the best player in the state this season.
But everyone who has watched knows the 6-foot-1 Grabau can light up the scoreboard. He can also rebound and defend. And it`s the way he makes others around him better that has stood out most. The pin-point, no-look bounce passes through traffic that draw the most oohs and ahhs. His leadership presence on the floor.
A scholarship offer from Western Kentucky is on the table. More are likely to come between now and April`s signing period.
No matter what, those of us who had the pleasure of watching know Grabau`s got his own place in Boulder`s prep lore secured.
"You get tired of trying to come up with different superlatives for his performance," BHS coach Alan Schulz said recently. "But Riley`s that good. It`s no joke. It`s no mistake
Read more: Lindenstein: Boulder's Grabau blazes his own trail - Boulder Daily Camera http://www.dailycamera.com/high-school-basketball/ ci_17604799#ixzz1
