5 Salina-area Seniors in the Spotlight

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Senior season: established players are ready to be the stars. Risers are ready for their moment to shine. There will be a few guys we've never even heard of who will have big years.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are five Salina seniors who will be in the spotlight (in alphabetical order):</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"id":"block_63691e52b04a1","name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Luke Gebhart","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2023","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'0u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"77244","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Southeast of Saline","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Gebhardt is star quarterback of a undefeated team rolling in the playoffs. On the basketball court, he is the fiery leader of a loaded team full of seniors. He plays basketball with that same kind of grit and intensity he displays on the gridiron. He is a quality ball handler and facilitator who can defend and is always the first on the floor for a loose ball. He averaged 11 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists as a junior. But his greatest contribution is in toughness and will to win.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["1080195"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Hastings has been lighting it up for three years. He scored over 1,000 points in three years at Solomon. For his senior year, he's taking his talents to Salina South. Sometimes transfers can get held up by KSHSAA, so we'll see how this plays out. It will be fun to see how his game translates to the 5A level. He's a slick ball handler who can create his own shot. There's no limit to the distance on his shot, forcing defenses to guard him 20-plus feet from the goal.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["1378391"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Part of that loaded group at Southeast of Saline, Morrical-Palmer (pictured) might be the most physically gifted. He's a well-built, powerful and explosive leaper who can play a lot of spots for the Trojans. With so much talent around him, he's a “Swiss-army-knife” type, scoring without taking a ton of shots, rebounding, handling the ball and defending in the paint and on the perimeter. Not surprising, he averaged 13 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists as a junior.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["1432327"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Pihl is the leading returner from a balanced Viking team that graduated a couple of good seniors. He's a quick ball handler who slashes and stretches defenses out of shape by his aggressive attacks. He finds openings to get off threes and hits at a nice clip. His distribution showed in 3.5 assists per game as a junior. He also averaged 10 points and 4 boards from the point guard spot.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["1080163"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Sawyers has had the admiration of Prep Hoops scouts for three years. He is an unselfish, skilled and smart player. And he just keeps growing. He's now listed at 6-foot-7. On a loaded team, he's a versatile big man who will be hard for small-school opponents to match. He's handsy on defense and runs the floor. Last year, Sawyers averaged 16 points, 6 boards and 3.5 assists.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"align":"","mode":"preview"} /-->