North Central Kansas League Preview

<p>Abilene represented the North Central Kansas League in the 4A state tournament last season, where it fell to McPherson in the first round. The Cowboys return the top player in the league, but there will be considerable rebuilding across the board. Marysville, in particular, loses a lot of talent from a good season.</p> <p>Chapman and Concordia will be teams to watch, with returning experience and some serious length.</p> <p>Preseason Player of the Year:</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="891911" first="Kaleb" last="Becker"], 6-foot-4 forward, 2022, Abilene (pictured):</p> <p>Becker is a powerful and athlete big man who can run the floor, play at the rim and score from every level. He averaged 16 points and 7.5 rebounds for balanced team last year that went 13-6 last year. He will be the most experienced and most talented player in the league this year.</p> <p>Returning Stars:</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1140375" first="Jake" last="Fritz"], 6-foot-2 guard, 2022, Wamego:</p> <p>Fritz is a shooter who can really catch fire. With all-stater Tanner Hecht gone, the focus will be on Fritz to do more than shoot from the perimeter. He’s an experienced and heady veteran. He and Springer were the only juniors to join Becker on the league first team.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1268820" first="Burk" last="Springer"], 5-foot-10 guard, 2022, Wamego:</p> <p>Often overlooked among the brilliant shooters at Wamego, Springer is a hard-nosed competitor who handles the ball, pushes the tempo and lays his body on the line. He’s a disruptive defender.</p> <p><strong>Mark Hoffman</strong>, 5-foot-10 guard, 2023, Clay Center:</p> <p>The only sophomore to receive league honors last season, Hoffman was named to the second team.</p> <p>Other Returning Stars:</p> <p><strong>Trey Adams</strong>, 6-foot-2 guard, 2022, Chapman<br /> <strong>Camden Liebau</strong>, 6-foot-1 guard, 2022, Chapman<br /> <strong>Cav Carlgren</strong>, 6-foot-1 guard, 2022, Concordia</p> <p>Players to watch:</p> <p><strong>Tyler Hobrock</strong>, 6-foot-4 forward, 2022, Concordia:</p> <p>Hobrock is a long presence to complement Carlgren for the Panthers. He had several games in double figures last season, and will see a bump in his touches with several good players lost to graduation.</p> <p><strong>Jack Lauer,</strong> 6-foot-2 guard, 2023, Marysville:</p> <p>Lauer wasn’t the focal point of the Marysville offense last year, but he showed the ability to defend, make plays, and fill it up from the perimeter. It will be interesting to see if he can step into the void left from the Bulldogs’ group of graduates.</p> <p>Other Players to Watch:</p> <p><strong>Aceyn Cash</strong>, 6-foot-3 forward, 2023, Concordia</p> <p><strong>Ledjor Rowden</strong>, 5-foot-10 guard, 2022, Wamego</p>