Topeka Bigs Ready for Action

<p>Topeka high schools graduated a group of seniors who had dominated the city for a couple of years. There will be a changing of the guard of sorts this year in the Capital City.</p> <p>Here are some Topeka bigs vying for bigger roles next season (in alphabetical order):</p> <p><strong>Ketraleus Aldridge</strong>, 6-foot-4 forward, 2023, Highland Park:</p> <p>Highland Park graduates a ton of veteran talent, particularly big [player_tooltip player_id="889474" first="Corey" last="Powell"]. The Scots will have to rebuild, and may have an athletic wing to build around in Aldridge. He’s a long lefthander who is showing off a lot of skills this summer for KC United, particularly the ability to get into the lane and score or draw fouls. He can get up to the rim, shoot on the move, and his ball-handling skills are pretty smooth for a big guy. He can handle the ball end to end, and could play just about every position if needed.</p> <p><strong>Gabriel Davis</strong>, 6-foot-6 center, 2023, Highland Park:</p> <p>The big man from Highland Park continues to develop his skills and chisel his enormous frame. Davis works hard, runs the floor, and tries to apply the fundamentals in the post. He has soft hands and a gentle touch around the goal. His long arms and wide body are intimidating in the middle of the lane.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1214588" first="Mason" last="Gomez"], 6-foot-2 forward, 2023, Topeka West (pictured):</p> <p>Gomez has been a sharpshooter for the Topeka West JV, as well as for the Kansas 94x50 Elite club. His range is expansive, and he is cool and confident when he catches and shoots in rhythm. Playing time is always tough to get with the loaded Chargers, but Gomez might be able to carve out a role. He can do a lot more than just shoot – he’s got good size, length and foot speed to defend, rebound, and play in transition.</p> <p><strong>Ty Gossard</strong>, 6-foot-3 forward, 2024 Cair Paravel:</p> <p>Gossard is a long, lean forward/center who got some good minutes on a really talented and up-and-coming Cair Paravel team last year. He has the coordination to catch, face the basket, shoot from the midrange, and contribute to moving the ball. When not called upon to be a primary scorer, he turned in some good rebounding numbers. CPLS returns nearly everyone, but watch for Gossard’s role to grow.</p> <p><strong>Jacob Hirschi</strong>, 6-foot-2 forward, 2023, Washburn Rural:</p> <p>While most eyes will be on [player_tooltip player_id="1080205" first="Wyatt" last="Conklin"] to pick up a lot of minutes at the forward spot, watch for Hirschi to expand his role. He can shoot, handle the ball, and is a solidly built guy who can mix it up inside.</p>