KA-MO Shootout (Team Recaps)
KA-MO Shootout
One of the Kansas City area’s premier team camps featured several Missouri squad squaring off against some of the top teams in Kansas.
Blue Valley North (Kan.): Team has no shortage of size with a host of big, strong players. BVN has played without Miles Emery this spring, a Kansas Jayhawk football commit. The team has benefitted from the emergence of wing player Eric Batson, a 6’6 2018 forward who has taken his game to new heights this offseason.
Free State (Kan.): The Firebirds lost a lot from last year’s squad, including Sloan Thomsen, Shannon Cordes, Jay Dineen, Jacob Pavlyak and Cameron Clark … but the cupboard’s not completely bare. Free State received a big boost with the transfer of Noah Butler, who is a talented inside-outside 2019 forward, and they return one of the state’s top point guards in Garrett Luinstra. Those two will team with big man Jalan Robinson to form a solid trio and the squad will mix in a host of players ready to step into larger varsity roles this season.
Hayden (Kan.): One of the state’s most talented teams, Hayden was without 2018 forward DeShawn Hanika who has emerged as a football talent this offseason. However, even without Hanika, Hayden showed they will be a force this upcoming season. The squad features, among others, 2018 point guard Jett Canfield and 2019 wing Zack Harvey, 2019 guard Levi Braun, 2019 forward 6’5 Hayden Federico and others.
Shawnee Mission South (Kan.): South appears to be a team poised to take a big step forward this season despite the losses of AJ Webster and You Anei. The team features good guard play and solid interior play. The combination of wing player Jake Potthoff and interior player Hunter Schneider figures to be a tough match-up for opponents to contend with. Potthoff is a skilled guard with good size and length, while Schneider is a solid interior player with good hands and a good feel for scoring around the basket.
St. Thomas Aquinas (Kan.): Few teams lost as much as Aquinas last year, but the team features a host of talented players, including 2019 wing Joe Rost, who at 6’6 is a long rangy player who is deadly from 3-point range. Also returning is wing player Kenny Gavin who is capable of doing a little bit of everything, as well as Drew Nusbaum who is a solid point guard. The Saints are promoting a host of players from an undefeated JV squad as well.