Looking Ahead: Top Returners to 4A

<p>It’s football playoff time! That means basketball season is about a month off. Basketball practices will be tipping off soon. So it’s time to start looking ahead to the season. Let’s start with a look at the top returners by class.</p> <p>There would have been an elite crop of 4A returners, but first-teamers [player_tooltip player_id="787626" first="Mark" last="Mitchell"], [player_tooltip player_id="787630" first="Taj" last="Manning"] and [player_tooltip player_id="891902" first="Julian" last="Margrave"] all transferred from their high schools.</p> <p>Still, several all-staters return. Here are the top returners to 4A:</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="891925" first="Adriel" last="Smith"], 5-foot-10 guard, 2022, Rose Hill:</p> <p>With the losses at the top of the class, Smith might just be next in line for 4A Player of the Year. He was electric last season, pouring in better than 24 points per game. He is a flash in the open floor and can penetrate, finish in traffic, and dish. He’s not big, but he’s tough and strong with the ball.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="891911" first="Kaleb" last="Becker"], 6-foot-4 forward, 2022, Abilene (pictured):</p> <p>If Smith isn’t player of the year, it might be Becker. He’s been a one-man wrecking crew for a couple of years now, and he’s poised for a big senior year. Last year he averaged 16.6 points and 6.9 rebounds. He’s a rim-running, athletic big who can do some of everything.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1212148" first="Easton" last="Ewing"], 6-foot-6 forward, 2023, Independence:</p> <p>Ewing jumped to the top of the 4A returners by earning third-team as a sophomore. He’s a multi-sport athlete who pounds in the lane and produces a very well-balanced stat line. He racked up 13.5 boards and 2.6 blocks a game last year as one of the best defensive big men in the state. He was good for 18 points a contest and could go for 30-plus at times.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="891906" first="Trey" last="Moala"], 6-foot-7 forward, 2022, Paola:</p> <p>Moala is a big and aggressive big man who works hard at both ends. He earned third-team 4A as a junior with a stat line that shows his diverse skills. He averaged 17.1 points, 6.2 assists, and 2.3 assists as a junior. He will be one of the top bigs in the state as a senior.</p> <p>Other top returners to 4A:</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1140375" first="Jake" last="Fritz"], 2022, Wamego</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1268816" first="Brett" last="Gibbs"], 2022, Clearwater</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1268817" first="Eli" last="Hestand"], 2022, Labette County</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1268818" first="Kam" last="Koester"], 2022, Chanute</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="891916" first="Noah" last="McCullough"], 2022, Ottawa</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1268819" first="Nathan" last="Nemechek"], 2022, Andale</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1080180" first="Jack" last="Voth"], 2023, Buhler</p>