Top Unranked Playoff Performers 6A

<p>As you would expect, players ranked by Prep Hoops shined at the 6A tournament at Wichita 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 6A players who stood out in Wichita (in alphabetical order):</p> <p><strong>Dash Cleveland</strong>, 6-foot guard, 2022, Free State:</p> <p>Free State has several ranked players, including three guards in the top 10 of the 2022 class. Surely they don’t have more do they? Well three unranked players made impressions at Wichita, starting with the playmaking rocket aptly nicknamed “Dash” Cleveland. He got out of the gate with a bang, hitting 5-7 shots (including 2-2 from deep) for 12 points in the blowout of Manhattan. He scored just 7 points in the next two games, but he played active defense and handled the ball and pushed it aggressively. If Free State wasn’t loaded at guard, Cleveland would have made an even bigger name for himself.</p> <p><strong>Camren Edwards</strong>, 6-foot-2 guard, 2022, Free State:</p> <p>Edwards was in the same crowded backcourt as Cleveland. He didn’t get a lot of chance to showcase himself, but his scoring numbers were significant for the third-place Firebirds. He hit 4-5 shots against Blue Valley Northwest and 4-7 against Olathe West, scoring 20 points across the three games. Edwards is a long-armed guard who can push it up the floor in a hurry, body up smaller guards, and make some nice passes from the paint. He also showed some touch from deep with two 3s against Olathe West.</p> <p><strong>Emmanuel Epelle</strong>, 6-foot-5 forward 2022, Free State:</p> <p>One of the highlights of an otherwise somewhat uninspired consolation game was when Epelle laid out over the media table for a loose ball. It was a nice display of effort by the senior. He can run the floor with the best of big men, and with his leaping ability, his jump hook in the paint is almost unstoppable. He is an intimidating presence who makes an impact through rebounds and defense.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="946257" first="Dreylin" last="Kemp"]</strong>, 6-foot-4 forward, 2022, Wichita Heights:</p> <p>Kemp’s name may not jump out when you check box scores, but when you see him in person, he certainly makes an impression. The man is powerful and can leap out of the gym. He was a tough, energetic, vocal leader during the Falcons’ playoff run. And he was productive without taking a lot of shots. He shot 4-7 for 8 points while grabbing 9 rebounds against Olathe North, hit 2-4 for 4 points against Olathe West, and finished with perhaps his best game of his career for the last one. Kemp hit 5-7, including a couple of highlight-reel dunks, for 14 points in the final against Blue Valley Northwest.</p> <p><strong>Joey Matteoni</strong>, 6-foot-6 forward, 2024, Blue Valley Northwest:</p> <p>Rest assured, Matteoni’s name will be shooting up the class of 2024 rankings shortly. He is a long, rangy rebounder and intimidator who moves well and has nice ball skills for an up-and-comer. Matteoni was particularly impressive in the semifinal and final contests. In the upset of Free State, he hauled down 11 rebounds. And against the athletic front line of Wichita Heights, he hit 3-5 shots, 4-4 from the line and finished with 10 points and 7 rebounds. This is a player to watch as the Huskies rebuild next season.</p> <p><strong>Aidan Sowers</strong>, 6-foot-5 forward, 2022, Dodge City:</p> <p>It was tough for an unanked player to get a lot of notice in a losers-go-home format. But Aidan Sowers put up some nice numbers Dodge City’s loss to Olathe West. He hit 6-13 from the field and 2-2 from the line. In his final game, Sowers tallied 15 and 7 rebounds.</p>