Topekans To Note Out of the Gate

<p>With a couple of weeks under their belts, a few Topekans are either off to hot starts or pushing for some notice. They aren’t stars…yet. But they are doing some significant things early:</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1080200" first="Sincere" last="Austin"], 5-foot-10 guard, 2023, Topeka West:</p> <p>A nice contributor to the Chargers’ run to the 5A championship game, Austin has taken an even bigger role this year. He’s called upon to run the action and also be more of an offensive threat. Austin has been solid, with 13 against Washburn Rural, 7 against Seaman, and 11 against Topeka High.</p> <p><strong>Carter Brian</strong>, 6-foot-guard, 2022, Cair Paravel:</p> <p>The record-setting quarterback is making an impact on the court for the 4-1 Lions. Cair Paravel is deep and talented, and not always pushed by the opposition. For that reason, stats don’t tell the whole story. But in the midst of some really good players, Brian is off to a good statistical start. He’s averaging 11.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists thus far.</p> <p><strong>Brennan Dodge</strong>, guard, 2024, Shawnee Heights:</p> <p>Thus far on the short season, Dodge has been the unquestioned top new comer in the Capital City. He hit seven 3-pointers against Seabury, then did it again against Ottawa. Those 33- and 29-point games were sandwiched around a 15 point effort against Topeka High. The T-Birds are 3-0. It will be interesting to see if Dodge and the team can keep up this hot start.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="891929" first="Mateo" last="Hyman"], 5-foot-11 guard, 2022, Seaman (pictured):</p> <p>Hyman has been really good for a couple of years now. So it shouldn’t be any surprise what he’s done the first three games of this season. But even for a talented vet like Hyman, this three game run is impressive: 20 vs. Junction City, 25 against Topeka West, 19 against Emporia.</p> <p><strong>Jacorey Robinson</strong>, 6-foot-4 forward, 2025, Highland Park:</p> <p>The fact that Robinson is getting on the floor at all for a talented Highland Park team is impressive. But the way his coach is using him is perhaps even more impressive. Robinson comes in to guard bigs, and to put pressure on the opposing centers so that teammate [player_tooltip player_id="1300865" first="Ketraleus" last="Aldridge"] can be freed up and avoid fouls. Robinson is a long, lean athlete who isn’t intimidated and accepts this challenging role. This is a guy you will hear a lot from before its over.</p>