5A Statistical Standouts at the Break

<p>The holiday break is here. Time to take stock in how teams and players have performed in the first month of games.</p> <p>As has been so well documented on Prep Hoops, the top ten teams in the state rankings have been led by some fine performances early in the season. But we don’t want to overlook some of the great individual work that was done in the early going.</p> <p>Let’s look at some of the early season 5A statistical standouts at the break:</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1080192" first="Isaiah" last="Atwater"], 5-foot-10 guard, 2023, Maize South:</p> <p>Atwater has always had the defense and ability to attack with the ball. But he’s developing into a premier distributor and quarterback of the Maize South offense. In the early going, the junior is averaging 5.2 assists to go with 13.0 points per game for the eighth-ranked Mustangs.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="891913" first="Jaron" last="Briggs"], 6-foot-4 guard, 2022, KC Piper:</p> <p>Briggs is making a claim for best player in the KC metro. It’s hard to argue that he’s not. Complete stats for Briggs weren’t available at the time of this writing, but he’s been over 20 in several games this year. Briggs is a huge guard who can rebound, defend, and score at every level. His combination of power and grace and skill is rare.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1076260" first="Elijah" last="Brooks"], 6-foot-4 guard, 2022, Topeka West:</p> <p>Brooks is trying to stake a claim for best 5A player outside of Wichita or Kansas City. After an injury-plagued junior season, he is demonstrating with his high-flying dunks that he’s back to full health. Brooks is carrying a lot of weight for the defending 5A finalists. He often has the ball in his hands to try to set up the Charger offense. That’s helped him accumulate 4.8 assists per game, to go with his 26.6 scoring average.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1075931" first="Jace" last="Linenberger"], 6-foot-7 center, 2022, Hays:</p> <p>Linenberger is one of the best big men in the state, regardless of classification. Defenses collapse all around him, beat him up and try to deny him the ball. But he just continues to produce. Linenberger is averaging 17.2 points and 9.0 rebounds for the ninth-ranked Indians.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="946269" first="Sam" last="Somerhalder"], 6-foot-7 forward, 2022, St. James Academy (pictured):</p> <p>This guy’s star has been on the rise for three years. Now he is putting his name right up there with Briggs for best player in KC. Somerhalder is averaging 19.2 points and 6.5 rebounds. He’s a slashing forward with point-guard skills and great length. He gets to the goal and finishes with athletic flair.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1080189" first="Eli" last="Shetlar"], 6-foot-5 guard, 2023, Andover:</p> <p>Shetlar was really good as a sophomore, but his stock soared over the summer when he showed he’s more than just an elite shooter. He is doing it all for the second-ranked Trojans. By blowing up for 34 in the last game before the break, Shetlar boosted his scoring average to 21.4 points per game. He’s also grabbing 7.2 boards and dealing out 2.4 assists. But all that extra responsibility hasn’t hurt his shooting touch any. Through five games, the junior is hitting a ridiculous 60% from deep.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1080170" first="Kobe" last="Smith"], 6-foot-1 guard, 2023, Andover Central:</p> <p>Smith has only been held below 20 points once this season, and that was 17 against Maize South. He’s carrying a lot of scoring load for the seventh-ranked team. His great athleticism creates a lot on the glass and on defense. The junior is grabbing 4.0 rebounds and producing 2.0 steals and 1.0 blocks per game.</p>