Hey Little Brother
There are a number of players around the state who are stepping into the big shoes of their older siblings, who made their mark in the high school ranks. Many of those former standouts are still enjoying success at the…
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Continue ReadingThere are a number of players around the state who are stepping into the big shoes of their older siblings, who made their mark in the high school ranks. Many of those former standouts are still enjoying success at the collegiate ranks. Meanwhile, those little brothers are holding it down as they make a name for themselves. Here are some of those little brothers who are keeping alive the family tradition.
Christian Bundy 6’6″ Nixa (2017): Christian is the the younger brother of Kameron Bundy, a former Nixa standout who led the Eagles to the Class 5 state finals in 2012. He just finished a terrific collegiate career at Drury. We Kameron was a top-flight guard, Christian is a dynamic power forward who can score in the post, run the court and throw down slam dunks in traffic.
Jared Ridder 6’7″ Kickapoo (2017): Jared is the younger brother of Matt Ridder, a former standout sharpshooter at Kickapoo who is now playing at Southwest Baptist. Young brother Jared has grown into one of the top players in the Midwest region with is size and shooting ability. He returns for his senior year after leading the Chiefs to the Class 5 state championship game. He has already signed with Xavier.
Cameron Van Leer 6’4″ Pacific (2018): Cameron is the younger brother of Cullen Van Leer, who finished his career in 2015 as Pacific’s all-time leading scorer. He is now a sophomore at the University of Missouri. Cameron is capably filling the shoes of his older brother as the showcase player at Pacific. As a sophomore, Cameron led the Indians in scoring en route to earning Class 4 All-State honors.
Ryan Stipanovich 6’7″ DeSmet (2017): Ryan is the younger brother of Sydney Stipanovich, who was one of the state’s top girls’ player during her career at St. Joseph’s Academy. She is also enjoying a stellar collegiate career at Princeton in the Ivy League. Ryan is one of the top perimeter shooting bigs in the state of Missouri. He has already signed with Bradley.
Xavier Womack 6’6″ Cardinal Ritter (2017): Xavier is the younger brother of Jah-Kobe Womack, who was an All-State performer at Cardinal Ritter, who is now a sophomore at Allen County Community College in Kansas. Xavier is one of the top returning players from a 23-win team that advanced to the Class 3 state quarterfinals. Xavier is a long, athletic combo forward who can crash the offensive boards and knock down jumpers.
Austin Thompson 6’2″ MICDS (2018): Austin is the younger brother of Robin Thompson, who was a two-time All-State performer at MICDS. Robin is now a redshirt sophomore at Missouri State. Austin is returning as the Rams’ starting point guard after serving as the floor leader on last year’s 18-9 team that won the Metro League title. While Robin was a standout combo forward, Austin is an athletic point guard who is a tenacious defender and good mid-range jump shooter.
Cameron Teson 5’9″ St. Charles (2019): Cameron is the younger brother of Casey Teson, a former All-State player who led St. Charles to the Class 4 state championship in 2015. Teson is now a sophomore at Eastern Illinois, where he made the Ohio Valley Conference All-Freshman Team last year. Cameron stepped into his brother’s shoes and enjoyed a big freshman season for the Pirates. he is a feisty competitor who can handle the ball and knock down 3-pointers.
Kobe Smith 6’4″ Ritenour (2018): Kobe is the younger brother of Aareon Smith, a former standout at Lafayette High who just finished a stellar collegiate career at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. He is now playing professionally overseas. Kobe is a talented wing forward who averaged 14 points a game as a sophomore at Ritenour. He has a strong athletic body and a versatile skill set.
Adam Moore 6’5″ Duchesne (2018): Adam is the younger brother of former Duchesne standouts Andrew and Alex Moore, who are both playing at Drury. Both were All-State players during their careers at Duchesne. Adam is starting to come into his own as a standout player for the Pioneers. He is a capable Stretch 4 who is an excellent shooter from 3-point range.
Brad Hailey 6’5″ Stanberry (2018): Brad is the younger brother of Daniel Hailey, who was the Class 1 Player of the Year after leading Stanberry to the state championship last season. He is now a freshman at UMKC. Brad has a chance to play alongside his brother Daniel last season and averaged 10 points a game during Stanberry’s championship run. He now becomes the showcase player at Stanberry as a junior.
Henry Gladson 6’5″ Chaminade (2018): Henry is the younger brother of Will Gladson, who was the starting center for Chaminade’s Class 5 state championship team last season. Big Will is now a freshman at Princeton. Although his is six inches shorter than his brother, Henry is a wide-body post player with good moves in the paint and a nice shooting touch out to 15 feet.
Cason Suggs 6’7″ Washington (2018): Cason is the youngest of four in a standout basketball family. Oldest brother Scott was Mr. Basketball at Washington High in 2008 at a former standout at the University of Washington. He is playing professionally in France. Ronnie Suggs was a former All-State player who is now a standout at Bradley while middle brother Skylur played college football at Lindenwood. Young Cason is an improving combo forward with nice length and an excellent shooting touch from the perimeter. He is on the verge of becoming a breaakthough player.