Expo KC Kansas 2022 All-Star Team

<p>The 250 Expo KC held at Hy-Vee Arena on Oct. 3 brought together some of the top high school talent across Kansas and Missouri. The style of play and abundance of talent made it hard for some players to stand out. So picking an ‘all-star’ team is tough.</p> <p>But if you disregard position and just go with the five Kansas seniors who impressed the most at the 250 Expo, you come up with this set of ‘all-stars’ (in alphabetical order):</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1076260" first="Elijah" last="Brooks"], Team 9, 6-foot-4 guard, Topeka West:</p> <p>Brooks’ athleticism leaped out, even amongst this collection of top ballers. He gets off the floor so easily, he threw down some really impressive dunks without looking like he exerted himself. Brooks can blow by a defender, run the floor like a locomotive, and rise above the crowd. The opposition’s only hope was to entice Brooks into launching his much improved 3-point shot. He hit enough of those to make the trade-off a losing proposition.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1300823" first="Trey" last="Buckner"],</strong> Team 7, 5-foot-11 guard, Wichita Trinity:</p> <p>One of the most impressive point men at the Expo, Buckner hit a ton of 3-pointers, while also getting the ball to his teammates effectively. Buckner is a smooth ball handler and a heady passer. He would stand out even if he didn’t attempt a perimeter shot. But he knocked down 3’s at a dizzying rate Sunday.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="891905" first="Xavier" last="Hall"], Team 2, 6-foot guard, Miege (pictured):</p> <p>There were so many great point guards at the Expo (the 2023 class is full of them) that it’s tough to call anyone the best point man of the night. But Hall would certainly have to be considered in the running. He was lightning with the ball, with every kind of hesitation, crossover, step-back and blow-by you could ask for. He’s got a nice pull-up jumper that makes cutting him off extra difficult. Hall is a tough on-ball defender and he anticipates double teams, digs and interceptions in the passing lane very well.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1076412" first="Brady" last="Klotz"], Team 12, 6-foot-5 forward, Royal Valley:</p> <p>Klotz is a man-child. He’s powerful underneath and a beast when he gets on the block. But few players shot it from deep as well as Klotz Sunday. He showed off that range all night, including dropping eight 3’s in one game. He clears space well and rips down a lot of rebounds, hustles to get up and down, and muscles his way to buckets in traffic.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="946270" first="Trent" last="Stimac"], Team 7, 6-foot-2 guard, Bonner Springs:</p> <p>If you wanted to pick an MVP of the Expo, you would have to think long and hard about giving it to Stimac. He does so many things, some of which won’t show up in the stat sheet, to help his team win. He’s hard-nosed and relentless, and does it all with an even-keeled attitude. He handles the ball and distributes, never forces a bad shot, but drives with fearless abandon. He rebounds and defends with the best of them too.</p>