Spring Standouts: Western KS Guards
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Spring tournaments gave us an opportunity to see some of the best from across Kansas together under one roof. The opportunity is especially meaningful to players from small schools and from towns out west. We knew about some like Hugoton’s…
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Continue ReadingSpring tournaments gave us an opportunity to see some of the best from across Kansas together under one roof. The opportunity is especially meaningful to players from small schools and from towns out west.
We knew about some like Hugoton’s Ryle Riddlesperger Ryle Riddlesperger 6'2" | PG Hugoton | 2023 State KS Greeley County’s Jaxson Brandl Jaxson Brandl 6'2" | CG Greeley County | 2023 State KS . But some others seized the opportunity to jump on our radar.
Here are a few guards from Western Kansas who stood out:
Clayton Cole, 5-foot-9 guard, 2023, Elkhart:
Cole is a small guy from a small school with big heart. He’s a multisport athlete who is quick with the ball and a pest on the defensive end. He has a nose for the loose ball and is especially good at penetrating in transition to find an open teammate, leading to lots of assists.
Kyzer Fox, 6-foot guard, 2024, Hays:
Fox is effective at getting in the lane to catch and score, and he attacks off the dribble, penetrating to dish or get off a quick release. He shows some nice moves in the post, demonstrating some versatility and the potential to be a matchup problem for small guards. He scores in a variety of ways and loves to push the tempo. Fox hasn’t had much opportunity to break into the talented Indians lineup. But his time is coming.
Dylan Gansel, 6-foot guard, 2024 Hill City:
Gansel was an important contributor for Hill City last year, averaging 7 points and 4 assists. He showed this spring that he is quick with the ball and has a nice release on his pull up jumper. He sees the floor and pushes the ball to create opportunities for transition buckets.
Manny Gonzalez, 5-foot-8 guard, 2024, Goodland:
Gonzalez is a penetrator who gets the ball to teammates through traffic. He is really disruptive at the defensive end, harassing dribblers and getting into passing lanes. He does everything at full speed and is an effective distributor, hence the 2 assists per game he averaged for Goodland as a sophomore.
Griffin Heger, 5-foot-10 guard, 2024, Hugoton:
Heger blew the doors off at the Prep Hoops tournament in Wichita a few weeks ago. He’s always been a fundamentally smart and intense worker. But he took a big step toward being a scorer at Wichita. He dropped the 3-pointer with consistency, got to the rim in transition, and hit tough shots on the move. Heger is fast and fearless. Combined with his defensive effort and willingness to do the dirty work, Heger has been a standout this spring.
Hunter Vaughn Hunter Vaughn 5'11" | CG Colby | 2023 State KS , 6-foot guard, 2023, Colby (pictured):
Vaughn was one of the biggest eye-openers of the spring season. Sure, he averaged 19 a game last year for Colby. But when you see him in action, you appreciate the overall game of the rising senior. He is an efficient ball handler and distributor with good vision. With talented teammates on his spring team, he plays under control and makes good decisions. But that doesn’t stop him from dropping the 3-pointer or creating his own shot off the bounce from time to time.