2022 Vets Used Expo KC For Tune-up

<p>For well-established veterans of high school programs, the 250 Expo KC was a chance to keep their skills fresh, connect with old friends, and of course battle one more time for bragging rights against players they won’t see during their final high school season.</p> <p>Here are a several highly decorated and well-known seniors who used the Expo as a tune-up (in alphabetical order):</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1076409" first="Kurtis" last="Beck"], Team 5, 6-foot-4 forward, Nemaha Central:</p> <p>Beck is a veteran of the high school and club wars, and he’s getting ready for a big senior campaign. Sunday he played with a lot of energy, running full court to affect plays. He has good hands in the lane and can catch and make plays on the move. He scored inside and on the perimeter, and his athleticism stood out.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1195624" first="Marcus" last="Beck"], Team 6, 6-foot-4 forward, Nemaha Central:</p> <p>Like his brother, Marcus is a smooth, lanky player who can knife through traffic to make plays. He’s lean, but strong, and he demonstrated some power on the drive. He also hit from deep. Defensively, he picked off some passes, one of which he took the other way for an athletic finish. He’s very handsy on defense.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1139921" first="Jimmy" last="Dorsey"], Team 7, 6-foot-6 forward, Wellsville:</p> <p>Dorsey has great length for a forward who can move inside and out. He’s a smooth ball handler who can push it full court. He collected some buckets on follows. He hit from the perimeter and on a step-back jumper. He’s already proven to be a handful at the small-school level for sure.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1300793" first="Trent" last="Duffey"], Team 3, 6-foot-2 guard, Hayden:</p> <p>Duffey has seen a lot of playing time over the years for Hayden. The Wildcats will look to him for senior leadership and production. Duffey is an all-out hustler who makes plays at both ends. He gets in the passing lane and picks off passes that hang in the air. He is tough on the drive and draws a lot of fouls. He can shoot it from deep.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1268817" first="Eli" last="Hestand"], Team 7, 5-foot-11 guard, Labette County (pictured):</p> <p>Already an honorable mention 4A performer, Hestand demonstrated a nifty crossover and some shiftiness in the open court Sunday. He penetrated consistently and drew fouls when he wasn’t dishing or getting to his shot. It’s not like Hestand came to the Expo as an unknown, but he impressed with ability to handle, shoot and get the ball to the right spot. He’s tough and competitive.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1076405" first="Howard" last="Johnson"], Team 1, 6-foot-1 guard, Junction City:</p> <p>Perhaps the most accomplished of this group, Johnson has been a Centenial League star for two years already. He played well within the team concept Sunday, distributing, defending and taking care of the ball. He’s an explosive driver with a million different ways to get to the hoop. He’s looking to stay healthy for a big bounce back campaign this year.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1300858" first="Carter" last="Lutz"], Team 7, 6-foot-4 forward, Nemaha Central:</p> <p>Lutz is one more long forward who could make Nemaha really tough this year. He plays really hard at the defensive end, where he has the combination of length, strength and agility to really tie up an opponent. He can guard multiple positions. He is a fine outside shooter, and he attacks rebounds. Look for this veteran to have a big senior campaign.</p>