The Durango High School boys basketball team received its highest seed ever at No. 4 in this year’s Colorado High School Activities Association’s 4A state basketball tournament on Sunday. Though the Demons have plenty of weapons to warrant such praise, the remarkable feat wouldn’t have been possible without jack-of-all-trades senior Steven Wyman.
Wyman carries a 4.04 weighted grade point average and has his sights on studying engineering or business down the road. Though he might not realize it, he’s already doing both. The 6-foot-6 versatile big man has spent all season building the Demons up to the top of the 4A rankings, and he’s all business heading into the postseason.
After a 20-3 regular season record and the team’s first 5A/4A Southwestern League title in a decade, Wyman and his teammates are eying a deep postseason run. With three potential games on their home court, they’ve got a decent shot.
“We worked really hard to earn these games at home and that’s going to be huge for us,” Wyman said. “It’s hard for me to look past the next game and that’s how I’m going to approach it. But, I want to make it to the Final 4 in Denver. That would be a great way to end my senior season.”
Wyman’s basketball career has taken an interesting path. In middle school, he was one of the tallest kids and played center, but somewhere along the line everyone caught up to him in height.
“All of a sudden, I had to start working on guard skills because I wasn’t the biggest guy anymore and everyone else was growing,” he said. “I think it finally happened for me after my freshman year, so I started working on my inside game because I was taller than everyone again. It was weird but I think it helped me in the long run.”
The ball-handing and perimeter shooting skills he developed between growth spurts are evident when watching him do his work on the court. Wyman has the unique ability to handle the ball at mid-court, take much slower guys away from the basket, penetrate past them and dunk over unfortunate opponents in the paint.
“He can do it all,” Durango head coach Alan Batiste said. “I think it took him awhile to get comfortable as a star player, but he’s just started to blossom. Just recently, we’re seeing the best Steven Wyman and it’s come at a pretty good time.”
Wyman, the son of Julie Andersen and Thomas Wyman, dropped 20 points and 13 rebounds in the league title clinching game Saturday at Grand Junction. He has scored in double figures in seven of the team’s last nine games and has tallied 17 or more in four of the last six. He leads the team by a large margin with 40 blocked shots, while the next closest Demon only has eight. He also leads the team with 6.6 rebounds per game and shoots a team-high 63-percent from the field.
Wyman has the potential to play basketball at the next level, but his focus at the moment is helping the Demons win one game at a time until the dream season is over.
“I’m living in the moment right now,” he said. “Bringing a league title back to Durango feels like we’re at the top of the world. I honestly think we have a good shot of going all the way.”
Wyman and the Demons will begin their trek toward a state title at 7 p.m. Saturday against the winner of a first-round matchup between Elizabeth and Niwot.
jfries@durangoherald.com
Behind the scenes
What is your favorite sports movie?: Semi-pro
What is your dream car?: Bugatti
Who is your celebrity crush?: Margot Robbie
What is your favorite video game?: Skyrim
Which teacher or coach has had a great impact on your life?: Alan Batiste and Dalon Parker have done a lot for me. They taught me to just be who I am and how to really compete.
What is your Favorite outdoors activity?: Golf
What is your favorite local restaurant?: Steamworks
Where is the your least favorite place to go play?: Fruita. The drive is tough and the fans are pretty rowdy.
What is your favorite vacation spot?: New Hampshire
What place would you like to visit one day?: Greece
