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There are no real stars return to the United Kansas Conference, but there will be a lot of nice players and teams to watch this season. There are also some pretty interesting up-and-comers that will be worth keeping an eye…
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Continue ReadingThere are no real stars return to the United Kansas Conference, but there will be a lot of nice players and teams to watch this season. There are also some pretty interesting up-and-comers that will be worth keeping an eye on.
Taking away from the crop of returners are the transfers of the top two juniors last season – Jordan Brown Jordan Brown 6'2" | SG St Francis | 2022 State GA of Basehor-Linwood and Tyrese Cannon Tyrese Cannon 6'3" | SF Leavenworth | 2022 KS of Leavenworth. But those departures open the door for even more guys to step up.
Preseason Player of the Year:
Trevor Mcbride Trevor Mcbride 6'2" | CG Basehor Linwood | 2022 State KS / Carter Bergman Carter Bergman 6'1" | SG Basehor-Linwood | 2022 State KS , guards, 2022, Basehor-Linwood:
How can you pick between these two? They are both versatile and talented guards who play off each other. With some other talent around them, it’s really a team synergy that helps these guys succeed, and will also limit any individual from putting up huge stats. Basehor-Linwood is expected to contend for a state title, and these two will lead the way.
Returning Stars:
JaiKuan Darthard, 6-foot-4 forward, 2022, Leavenworth:
Darthard is long, athletic and heady wing who played a supporting role to Cannon last season. He’s a football star who gets after it on defense and gets his hands on a lot of balls in the air. He runs well and gets a lot of baskets at the rim.
Nate Pewe, 6-foot-4 forward, 2022, Shawnee Heights:
Pewe’s stock really rose in the second half of last season. He wound up averaging 10 points and 6 boards, but a lot of his numbers jumped in the last moth. He hit four 3-pointers against Basehor-Linwood in what might be a preview of what to expect this year. Pewe is a long, athletic player who has put team-first for the past two seasons.
Other Returning Stars:
Ty Hofer Ty Hofer 6'4" | SF Basehor-Linwood | 2022 State KS , 6-foot-4 forward, 2022, Basehor-Linwood
Players to watch:
Cedric Bates, 6-foot-6 forward, 2022, Turner:
Turner will look to Bates in hopes of getting some wins after an 0-18 season. He’s a big man who protects the rim and disrupts anyone who penetrates the lane. He has some skills outside of the post and nice touch on his left-handed shot.
Joren Remington, 6-foot-3 forward, 2022, Lansing:
Remington is a nice shooter who returns with a 10.7 average last season. He’s the only returning starter from a really good team that graduated a lot of talent. Remington will move from supporting piece to the focal point for Lansing.
David Cobin David Cobin 5'10" | PG De Soto | 2024 State #285 Nation KS , 5-foot-10 guard, 2024, DeSoto:
Watch for Cobin’s name in the box scores. It was unknown if he would return (or how soon) from injury this fall. But what he showed during the summer made scouts believe he could make an immediate impact on the varsity level as a sophomore. He’s a demon in the open court and knows how to make plays with the ball in his hands.
Other Players to Watch:
Tyson Ruud Tyson Ruud 6'5" | SF Basehor-Linwood | 2023 State KS 6-foot-5 forward, 2023, Basehor-Linwood
Ethan Schultze, 6-foot-1 guard, 2022, DeSoto
Tyler Schultze Tyler Schultze 5'10" | PG DeSoto | 2022 State KS , 6-foot-1 guard, 2022, DeSoto