The Summit High School boys basketball team is entering a new era.

After eight years of Jordan Buller being at the helm of the program, Summit head football coach Paul Lopez has taken over the reins of boys basketball team as the interim head coach.

Last season, the Tigers earned a record of 12-12, which was enough for the team to return to the Class 4A playoffs for the first time since 2021. With a new coach this season, Summit will look to make the playoffs again this winter, but like any team, will face several challenges throughout the season.

Beyond navigating a new coaching staff, Summit will also be tasked with filling the void left by the five seniors that graduated from last year’s team. Seniors included playmakers like Emilio Jain, Hank Chabot and Max Nakos as well as leaders like Matthew Valdez.

Despite losing the graduating seniors, Summit has returned a group of players that are not only powerful athletes, but also have the skills necessary to be leaders on the team.

Most notably, Summit will rely on the star power and expertise of senior guard ​​Eduardo Gutierrez. Gutierrez led the team in points last season, averaging 14 points per game and scoring a total of 336 points.

In addition to being able to score for the Tigers, Gutierrez possesses an ability to invigorate his teammates and harness that competitive edge that is necessary to win in close games. 

Another strong returner for the Tigers will be senior Alejandro Baray-Jain. Last season as a junior, Baray-Jain played in a total of 18 varsity games where he averaged 0.8 points, 0.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. Fresh off a huge football season, Baray-Jain will look to be a leader for the Tigers on the court this winter, serving as one of the team’s captains.

“It is my last year, so I just want to finish off strong,” Baray-Jain said. “With Coach Buller and Coach Kimball leaving last year and Coach Lopez and Coach Kelly stepping up, we didn’t see it as a challenge — we are grateful for it everyday. Everyone is a leader on this team. Being named a captain on this team by Coach Lopez already — I am beyond grateful for that.”

Gutierrez and Baray-Jain will be supported by several newcomers to the varsity roster. Notable additions come from the Tigers’ football team and include senior Sean Mullaly as well as senior Cesar Sauceda.

Like Baray-Jain, Mullaly and Sauceda were mainstays for the Summit football team this past fall. The two seniors, alongside Baray-Jain, were team captains for the Summit football team throughout the team’s 3-7 season.

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<figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Summit head coach Paul Lopez talks to his team after the Tigers’ home opener on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024.</figcaption><figcaption>Cody Jones/Summit Daily News</figcaption>

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Like the girls basketball team, the Summit boys will make the transition from 4A to Class 5A this winter. Although some of the team’s opponents may be a little bit more challenging, the Tigers’ 5A Western Slope league schedule is full of familiar teams.

Featuring Battle Mountain, Eagle Valley and Glenwood Springs, Summit has a good chance of ranking high in the four-team league by the season’s end. Last winter, Summit defeated Battle Mountain by over 30 points while falling to Glenwood Springs by six.

Summit will see where it stands as a team on Wednesday, Dec. 6, when it takes on Windsor High School as part of the GoJo Tipoff Classic in Fort Collins. 

“Coach Lopez and Kelly are new to this,” Baray-Jain said. “Basketball is a completely different sport from football. They need all the help from us. We need to pave the way for the new kids. We will see how we respond to (Windsor). They are a good 6A team. They were really good last year. … It is going to be a tough game, but the way we go into the game is going to affect others in the long run.”

Summit will play on the road for the first month of the season before hosting Evergreen High School in Breckenridge on Jan. 7.