The two philosopher kings of Colorado prep hoops, with 17 state championships and nearly 1,800 victories between them, crossed paths in a quiet corner of the Denver Coliseum, far from view of an amped-up crowd buzzing in anticipation of the biggest game of the season.

Denver East coach Rudy Carey clasped his hands, bent at the waist like a samurai and respectfully bowed his head toward the heart of Denver Christian legend Dick Katte.

Sixty minutes prior to tipoff of the Class 6A championship game between East and Fossil Ridge on Saturday, Katte told Carey: “Go do good, young man.”

Then with the calm of a basketball Yoda, Katte reassured Carey: “I know you will do well.”

Led by the gravity-defying drives of D’Aundre Samuels and the pure-as-falling-snow jump shot of Jack Greenwood, East then went out and ran a very good Fossil Ridge team into the ground, winning 82-61.

Well, could you kindly give me a rewrite of the Colorado prep history book?

While eavesdropping on the conversation between Katte and Carey an hour before tip between the Angels and Sabercats, it turns out I didn’t give those two graybeards, with nearly a century of spectacular success between them, quite enough credit. With the 10th state title of his brilliant career, Carey and Katte now have 18 championships between them.

But who’s counting?

Not Carey, who knows a thing or two about the pick and roll, but doesn’t get caught up in the math of personal glory. He stood on the periphery, wiping sweat from his brow and maybe a small tear from his eye, as the Angels bounced with joy around the trophy during a victory celebration on the court.

“Don’t make it about me, Kiz. It’s all about these kids. I was just a fraction of what happened here,” Carey told me. “If D’Aundre Samuels isn’t the player of the year, there shouldn’t be one named.”

A long time ago, John Wooden shared his wisdom with a knucklehead sportswriter, teaching me a coach who thinks he’s great carelessly allows ego to do the talking, but a championship culture is humbly built by a coach who views himself as a servant to the dreams and ambition of his players.

Those words resonated again with me Saturday, when Katte explained how he first began to appreciate Carey more than 40 years ago, while attending a youth basketball clinic in Denver and watching in wonder as eight-year-old kids hung on every word and tagged along in Carey’s wake. When Carey broke his state record of 876 victories in December, Katte could be found in the stands, paying his respect to the new king.

Leadership is an act of service, not ego.

Samuels, who scored 25 points against Fossil Ridge despite hopping off the floor with a painful injury during the third quarter, will be forever grateful for the opportunity to be here for the 897th victory of Carey’s prep career.

“This championship is a lot about coach,” Samuels said. “I’m very proud to be part of his legacy. He’s inspirational.”

During the course of five decades, the game of basketball and the city of Denver have changed, in ways that sometimes make Katte shake his head in disbelief.

For example: Katte won his first state championship with Denver Christian way back in 1970, during the same week when he moved into the house in the University Park neighborhood where he and wife still reside to this day.

Katte paid the tidy sum of $25,500 for his forever home, which is a three-minute walk up the street from where I now live. There’s a brand-new build that just went up for sale in the block that separates our residences. The list price? $2.1 million.

Luis Garcia, a 16-year-old member of the East soccer team, recently died from a gunshot wound suffered in February while he sat inside a car near the school.

“We’re in kind of a dark place right now,” said Carey, whose players warmed up for the state championship game in T-shirts decrying gun violence. “We’re trying to be a bright light for the Denver East community.”

Sports can be a salve for a community in pain.

And basketball wisdom never grows old.

Rudy Carey stands alone

Denver East’s Rudy Carey has surpassed Merino coaching legend Ron Vlasin for the most state titles won by a Colorado high school boys basketball coach. Here’s a look at the top five:

Carey’s two stops

Rudy Carey won state titles with both Denver East and Manual. Perhaps not coincidentally, those two schools are now tied for the most boys’ basketball state titles.

Source: CHSAANow.com.

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