Top Unranked Playoff Performers 5A

<p>As you would expect, players ranked by Prep Hoops shined at the 5A tournament at Emporia last week. But some unranked players found the big stage to their liking as well, making a big impact for their teams, and potentially putting themselves in position to be included when we update the rankings in May.</p> <p>As we have not posted a ranking of 2025s yet, the list below does not include ninth graders.</p> <p>Here are some unranked 5A players who stood out in Emporia (in alphabetical order):</p> <p><strong>Blake Boydston</strong>, 6-foot-1 guard, 2023, St. James:</p> <p>Boydston turned in some really effective and efficient play to help St. James to the third place finish. He hit 3-5 shots, including 2-2 from deep, for 8 points in the big upset of Topeka West. In the consolation game, he dropped 4-6 shots, including 2-3 from behind the arc, for 10 points against Maize. He makes smart passes and plays effective defense too. He will be a player to watch next season.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1407975" first="Aron" last="Davis"]</strong>, 6-foot-4 forward, 2023, Seaman:</p> <p>Looking back, it’s no surprise that the Vikings were just 7-7 while Davis sat with injuries in the first half of the season. Once he came back full strength, they took off. Davis was the physical presence in the middle that Seaman needed. Davis is an athletic big who can bang in the lane or float out to the perimeter, pulling opposing bigs away from the hoop. Davis pulled down 9 rebounds in the big upset of Kapaun, scored 9 points against Maize, and then he really took off. Davis, hit all 8 of his shots, scored 17 points and dished out 3 assists against DeSoto.</p> <p><strong>Dreighton Griess</strong>, 5-foot-11 forward, 2022, Seaman:</p> <p>Griess came to the rescue when Davis was injured. Though just 5-foot-11, he was called on to guard much bigger players and to provide a presence in the lane on offense. For that reason, we’ve called him a ‘forward’ here, even though he has the handle and slashing ability of a guard. Best of all, Greiss has a powerful build and the willingness to do whatever is necessary. He produced 5 important points against Kapaun, 4 against Maize, and like Davis, was huge in the DeSoto game. He hit 2-3 from the field, 5-6 free throws, and finished with 9 points and 2 rebounds in his last game.</p> <p><strong>John Niesen</strong>, 6-foot-3 forward, 2023, St. James Academy:</p> <p>Like Boydston, Niesen had a solid tournament, and was particularly big across the board against Maize in the consolation game. The junior hit 7-9 attempts, including 2-3 from deep, to be the second leading scorer in the game. He stuffed the stat sheet with 4 rebounds and 3 assists. With the graduation of [player_tooltip player_id="946269" first="Sam" last="Somerhalder"] and [player_tooltip player_id="946261" first="Garrett" last="Lynch"] coming, Niesen may take on a bigger role next season.</p> <p><strong>Ethan Schultze</strong>, 6-foot guard, 2022, DeSoto:</p> <p>The Schultz twins finished with a bang. Ethan helped lead DeSoto to the state finals after flying under the radar for the most part. He plays bigger than his size, and can handle it, shoot from outside, and battle in the lane with bigger players. Ethan scored 10 points and dished out 3 assists in the win against Blue Valley Southwest. He finished his career with 6 points and 3 rebounds against Seaman.</p> <p><strong>Gavin Wilhelm</strong>, 6-foot-5 forward, 2022, Seaman:</p> <p>Wilhelm was heralded most for his defense in the final game, where he hounded DeSoto’s [player_tooltip player_id="1270268" first="David" last="Cobin"], denying him the ball. Towering about 8 inches over Cobin, Wilhelm showed the quickness to stay with him, and the length to deny passes to him. Wilhelm has been a threat from deep and a force on the glass, and he played particularly well in the Vikings’ three-game state run. He hit two 3s and grabbed 8 boards in the final, and scored 22 points over the three games.</p>