Eastern Kansas Top Marksmen

<p>The name of the game is putting the ball in the basket. Some guys do it better than others.</p> <p>Here’s a look at a few of the top returning shooters from Eastern Kansas (in alphabetical order):</p> <p><strong>Luke Fay</strong>, 6-foot guard, 2023, Cair Paravel:</p> <p>Fay was a defense-stretcher for CPLS, turning in some high-scoring games. He averaged 13.8 points per game as a sophomore, connecting on 34% of his shots from deep. Fay will be part of a talented group of returners at CPLS</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1140375" first="Jake" last="Fritz"], 6-foot-2 guard, 2022, Wamego (pictured):</p> <p>Fritz teamed with [player_tooltip player_id="730642" first="Tanner" last="Hecht"] to give Wamego a brilliant deep-shooting tandem. As the season went along, Fritz found more opportunities and responded with some of his best work in the second half of the season – 25 against Hayden, 24 against Chapman, 23 against Abilene. Fritz connected on an impressive 45% from deep last year, one of the best percentages among high-volume shooters in the state.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1139919" first="Pearse" last="Long"], 6-foot-5 forward, 2022, Lawrence:</p> <p>One of the biggest contributors on one of the state’s best teams last year, Long took attention away from leading scorer [player_tooltip player_id="599752" first="Zeke" last="Mayo"] with his ability to hit from deep. With his length and reach, Long can get shots off over defenders, and he will be called upon to have more games next year like his five 3-point effort against Mill Valley.</p> <p>Kellen Marshall, 6-foot-1 guard, 2022, Council Grove:</p> <p>Marshall is a hard-working guard who does a lot more than just bomb away. But he connected on 43 3-pointers last year, hitting at a 36% clip. In his two highest scoring outings last year, Marshall hit six triples in each.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1195609" first="Zander" last="Putthoff"], 6-foot-4 guard, 2022, Topeka West:</p> <p>Putthoff’s transfer to Topeka West produced a fortuitous match. The Chargers were loaded with athletic, driving ball handlers, and Putthoff provided a zone-busting, defense-stretching threat. Depending upon what defenses decided to do, Putthoff’s scoring output varied game to game. He scored approximately two-thirds of his points from behind the arc, making 63 triples on 42% shooting.</p> <p><strong>Cody Schurle</strong>, 6-foot-2 forward, Manhattan CHIEF:</p> <p>Here’s a name not many have heard yet. Schurle did fine work for a talented homeschool group from Manhattan last year, including burying 44 3-pointers. Schurle averaged 11.1 points per game as a sophomore, despite being surrounded by several other very talented players. Schurle hit at least six 3-pointers seven times last year.</p>