Matthew Meyer and his Greeley West boys basketball coaching staff may be setting their sights firmly on the future.
But for the Spartans, perhaps the best way to proceed toward the future is by giving a clear nod to the past.
In his second year as head coach, Meyer — alongside assistant coaches Andre Sepeda, Chance Hurtado and Aaron Bensinger — is working toward building an identity within his program that shouts, “Spartans basketball.”
Ideally, that identity will be easily recognizable to longtime followers of the program.
“We’re not the biggest team, so we’ve got to play the way Greeley West basketball used to play, and that’s scrappy, with tough defense,” Meyer said, moments after his team’s hard-fought 52-46 home win over crosstown rival Northridge on Thursday. “They got a taste of victory at the beginning of the year (starting 2-0). Then, we lost a few. And, I think they were hungry. We haven’t seen that hunger for a few years. It’s refreshing.”
Greeley West's Elliot Burns (20) puts up a shot during a boy's basketball game between Northridge and Greeley West at Greeley West High School in Greeley on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (Brice Tucker/Staff Photographer)Greeley West’s gritty win against the Grizzlies perhaps provided the exact blueprint for how Meyer and his players hope to continue to win moving forward.
For three quarters, the two rivals traded leads until the Spartans (3-4) used a serious of aggressive drives to the hoop and some timely defensive stops to lead by as many as seven points in the fourth quarter.
Though Northridge (0-9) showed plenty of fight in its own right, Greeley West’s yeomanlike players were quick to maximize their opportunities — corralling loose balls and offensive rebounds — to offset, at times, lukewarm shooting.
The Spartans may not be the biggest or tallest team.
They may not have the most sheer talent of any team in the respected Class 6A/5A/4A Northern Conference.
Greeley West's Zavier Montelongo (14) shoots a free throw during a boy's basketball game between Northridge and Greeley West at Greeley West High School in Greeley on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (Brice Tucker/Staff Photographer)But, they’re dead set on outworking their opponents.
On Thursday, they made winning “ugly” look plenty pretty.
“We knew this season, we weren’t going to be a big team at all,” West junior guard Joel Vega said. “So, we have to work hard. We run in almost every practice to make sure we’re (conditioned) right for our games. We know we can outwork any team.”
After a season as an assistant coach for West, Meyer took over the Spartans program as the interim coach a year ago.
West struggled through a 2-21 campaign this past season.
Greeley West's Karter Nickell (5) puts up a shot during a boy's basketball game between Northridge and Greeley West at Greeley West High School in Greeley on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (Brice Tucker/Staff Photographer)With Thursday’s win, the Spartans have already surpassed this past season’s win total.
But, merely beating a crosstown rival and being a game under .500 isn’t likely to satisfy senior guard Karter Nickell and his teammates.
Meyer pushed his players during a rigorous offseason and continues to do so during challenging in-season practices.
Nickell and the rest of West’s squad hope all that work continues to pay dividends.
“Hard work and defense,” Nickell said, detailing exactly that the team hangs its hat on. “We’re a family. Honestly, we can really do anything, if we work together.”
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