Spring Standouts: Wichita-Area Guards

<p>Spring tournaments gave us an opportunity to see some of the best from across Kansas together under one roof.</p> <p>Now that we’ve slid into the summer team-ball season, we can review the work we saw during the spring. We took a look at Wichita guards and bigs. Now let’s take a look back at some of the guards from schools in the greater Wichita area who stood out in the spring:</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1300857" first="Logan" last="Garner"], 6-foot-1 guard, 2024, El Dorado:</p> <p>Garner was the top sophomore on a really good El Dorado team last year, and he built on that succss this spring with the Wichita Padres. Garner brings a ton of energy, always pushing and driving through traffic to get things going. He attacks and can get to the rim or to a midrange jumper off the bounce. Garner is a gritty, tough leader.</p> <p><strong>Gavin Houston</strong>, 6-foot-2 guard, 2024, Derby:</p> <p>Guard play has been a forte of the Derby program the last couple of seasons, so playing time for young guards has been scarce. Houston showed he is ready to make a varsity impact next year with his play for Hunt United this spring. He is a smooth shooter from deep, always a threat to catch and shoot from an opening around the arc. Houston is smart and plays within a team concept and always brings energy.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1461438" first="Sam" last="Kemp"], 6-foot-2 guard, 2024, Valley Center:</p> <p>Kemp is a really long guard with a lot of skills, which he displayed as a key piece for the Valley Center varsity last year. The lefty built on that experience with a nice spring for Team Dream. He can shoot it from deep and in the midrange, and has a nice combination of ball handling skills and vision over a defender with his big frame.</p> <p><strong>Kohen Kotas</strong>, 6-foot-2 guard, 2024, Derby:</p> <p>Kotas is another young Derby guard angling for varsity playing time. He made a nice impression running with the Wichita Padres this spring. He showed effectiveness on the drive to penetrate and probe for openings for shooters. He hit the three and was active on defense. Kotas is a long guard with a nice handle and vision.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1432249" first="Cole" last="Newfarmer"], 6-foot-1 guard, 2024, Andover Central (pictured):</p> <p>The long, athletic Newfarmer really impressed with Team Dream this spring after getting his feet wet with the really good Jaguars varsity last year. He is fast and springy, going after boards from the guard spot, and running the floor effectively. He threw some nice entry passes and found shooters off the bounce. He is an energy-bringer for his teammates.</p>