Regis Jesuit girls basketball competing at a national level

Carl Mattei is starting to field the questions regularly. Just how good can his Regis Jesuit (Aurora, Colo.) girls basketball team be? Can they be his best team ever?

Well, when people are digging up lists of the best girls basketball teams to ever play in Colorado (for the sake of comparison), one gets the feeling the Raiders could be a special group. They opened their season Thursday night at Greeley West.

The Raiders are reigning Class 5A champs, but they are regarded a bit higher than that. They begin the season ranked No. 8 in MaxPreps' Xcellent 25 and are as high as No. 3 in one national publication. Such is life when six seniors already have signed to play at Division I programs.

"This is the best team I've ever coached, and keep in mind, I was a Division II coach for 11 years," Mattei said. "I'd put my team against any team in the country."

On the extensive list of commitments, power forward Diani Akigbogun and guard Justine Hall stand out. Akigbogun, who averaged 13.7 points and 8.1 rebounds last season, will be headed to Texas. Hall, who was the Raiders' top scorer with 17 a game, will play at Purdue.

"It's a lot less stressful for us," Akigbogun said. "Because now it's not life or death where, ‘OK, I have to find a school to go to next year.' That takes a lot of pressure of your shoulders where you can focus on one thing. It's not multiple things going through your head at one time."

In addition for the Raiders, center Jordan Molyneaux (Seton Hall), forward Kelsi Lidge (Drexel) and guards Neffie Lockley (Howard) and Anna Ptasinski (Lafayette) are bound for Division I programs. Regis' other senior, forward Cheyenne Cleveland, will play at Bethany College.

Mattei has compiled a 206-41 varsity record in nine seasons, including 5A titles in 2008-09 and last season. His Raiders will have their chance to strut their stuff on a national level early, as they'll participate in the top bracket of Nike Tournament of Champions in Arizona (Dec. 19-22).

Then it's off to St. Louis on Jan. 9 for the Coaches vs. Cancer Shootout, and then the Raiders fly back east to play in the heavily stacked Classic in the Country Tournament in mid-January.

"I think that we have a lot of great opportunities, and I definitely think that these are good times to show what we can do and show that we belong," Hall said.

The Raiders have the primary goal of repeating as state champions, but placing high on a national level definitely occupies their thoughts to some degree.

The benchmark for Colorado's best are the Highlands Ranch squads of the late-1990s, early-2000s, teams that featured athletes such as Ann Strother (Connecticut), Katy Flecky (Notre Dame), Susie Powers (Notre Dame, Colorado) and others; and the ThunderRidge dynasty of 2003-05 with Abby Waner (Duke) at the forefront.

The Raiders, though, haven't labeled an absolute number of where they'd like to finish on the national hierarchy.

"For me specifically, and I think my team as well, I don't really pay attention to the polls because rankings can change so quickly," Akigbogun said. "If you focus on where you're at or where people predict you to be, you aren't going to be able to push yourself to be the best that you can be."

Akigbogun, ultra-strong in the post and a standout rebounder, was certain that Texas will provide her that opportunity.

"I initially visited Michigan and I was pretty much dead-set on going there," Akigbogun said. "But when I got to Texas and I met coach (Karen Aston) for the first time and I went with a recruit and we shot around together, I realized that I wanted to be there. Just with the intensity level and how hard the girls work, the atmosphere was gold to me."

Hall's father, Darryl, was a defensive back for the Broncos from 1993-94 and her sister, Janae, is a volleyball middle blocker at Kansas. She narrowed a lengthy list of suitors to Nebraska and Purdue before deciding to go with the Boilermakers.

"They were my two favorite schools, so it came down to those two," Justine Hall said. "When I visited Purdue, I loved everything about it and I just had that feeling that it was the school for me."

Mattei has sent 31 of his 33 seniors to Division I programs, and the Raiders still watch and keep tabs on recent standouts such Katie Heckman (Duke), Marquelle Dent (Wyoming) and Mariah Williams (a senior last season at UCLA).

Regis' 2008-09 squad had been regarded as the Raiders' best ever (state champs and a No. 19 national ranking), but Mattei believes this group can surpass it. He went position by position, explaining why his current player might have a slight edge on the former.

"To compare it to the 2009 team is difficult, because this team is so much more athletic," Mattei said. "So to answer your question in a roundabout way, this is the best basketball team I've ever coached in 26 years. On top of that they're the most unselfish team I've ever coached.

"I've got so many kids who can score and they don't care who scores. That's a scary team. We have all these weapons and they'll just get the ball to whoever's hot. So, that's why it's the best team I've ever coached."