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Thinking nothing of it

G. Sean Kelly

What does Demon sniper Sean Flohr think about when he finds himself with an open shot beyond the arc?

Nothing.

“I let the body take over,” the sophomore Glenwood Springs boys basketball player said. “Thinking is almost an enemy. I just let it happen instead of trying to make it happen.”



Flohr will likely have plenty of opportunities to “let it happen” as the Demons open the Class 4A District 7 tournament tonight against Moffat County at 8:15 at Grand Junction Central High School.

Flohr was one of a number of surprises this season for the Demons, who entered the campaign without a returning starter.



It was no secret Flohr could shoot – he won the Hoop Shoot national championship titles in 1996 and 2000 – but there was the question how he would adapt to the varsity level.

Leading the team in scoring with an average of almost 15 points per game answered any lingering doubts.

“I foresee Sean being the best player in the conference for the next two years,” said Glenwood coach Roger Duroux, who plans to retire following this season. “Whoever takes over here has an incredible player to work with.”

But until the Glenwood’s postseason is finished, Flohr and the rest of the squad belong to Duroux, and he’s looking forward to his final district tournament.

“I’m not approaching it any differently,” Duroux said. “I love the district tournament. I always feel at my best because so much is on the line.”

And, while Duroux is looking forward to his final district tournament, Flohr is looking to his first.

“The first game is the most important,” Flohr said. “If we win the first one we’re in state. We want to get the first one behind us, then whatever happens, happens.”

The top five teams at the district tourney advance to the state tournament. A first-round victory ensures a top four finish.

If Flohr’s growth continues as it has all season, some good things could be in store for the Demons, both at districts and the next two seasons.

Flohr, listed at 6-foot-5, is about 11⁄2 inches taller now than he was at the beginning of the season. But his real growth came on the court with varsity competition.

“I took leaps and bounds,” Flohr said. “It was mainly a learning year for me.”

A learning year in which he not only led the team in scoring, but also netted an average of 2.7 treys per game. His best 3-point shooting night came against Delta on Jan. 11 when Flohr tallied seven threes. The Demons won the game 58-56, and from that game on, Flohr averaged more than three 3-pointers per game.

Going through the growth spurt, Flohr has managed to keep control of his ever-expanding limbs, and Duroux expects that control to improve as his coordination catches up with his size.

“Sean needs to grow into his body,” Duroux said. “He’s starting to increase his footspeed and, as that develops, he’ll add another dimension to his game.”

“Footspeed is key in basketball because you use it on both offense and defense,” Flohr said. “If you have feet and shot, then you have a basketball player.”

The Demons’ first-round opponent should be fresh in their minds. In the regular-season finale on Saturday, Moffat County held off a Glenwood rally for a 57-55 victory.

Flohr had the ball in his hands for the potential game-tying shot as time expired, giving Moffat a season sweep over the Demons. The Bulldogs beat Glenwood 64-49 in the first meeting.

“We just need to get out and play the way we always do,” Flohr said.

The winner of tonight’s game plays Friday at 4:45 p.m. Mesa State against the winner of the Palisade versus Montezuma-Cortez game. The losers from the two games match up at 8:15 p.m. Friday at Fruita Monument High School.


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