Top Teams, Top Players: 5A

There are some really loaded teams in the latest version of the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association’s 5A rankings. Those clubs are spearheaded by some diverse and talented leaders. Here are some of the top players from the top teams in 5A:

#1 Maize South – Isaiah Atwater Isaiah Atwater 5'8" | PG Maize South | 2023 State KS , 5-foot-10 guard, 2023:

You could just see the Mavericks building to this point. They were growing the last couple of seasons with some really talented underclassmen. They’re putting it all together so far this season, with point guard Atwater running the show. He recently committed to Missouri Southern State and has been dealing in the early part of the season. He’s routinely in double figures and poured in 24 against rival Maize.

#2 Highland Park – Ketraleus Aldridge Ketraleus Aldridge 6'4" | SF Highland Park | 2023 State KS , 6-foot-5 forward, 2023 (pictured):

The Scots are loaded with a nice combination of veteran stars and hungry young newcomers. The group is led by Aldridge, an unselfish leader who can go get a bucket whenever the young guys need a lift. The Scots haven’t really faced a test yet, but they’ve been impressive. Check out Aldridge’s stat lines in two of the Scots’ wins: 28 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, 3 blocks against Southeast KC; 19 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals against Bonner Springs. Word is some pretty high level D1s have been communicating with Aldridge.

#3 Kapaun – Will Thengvall Will Thengvall 6'3" | SF Kapaun | 2024 State KS , 6-foot-4 forward, 2024:

Kapaun is deep and talented once again. Stepping into the leadership role left by his older brother Henry, Will is playing a diverse game and hitting shots from deep. He went for 20 against Manhattan to propel the team to 5-0 at the break.

#5 St James – Brian Hawthorne Brian Hawthorne 6'2" | PG St. James | 2023 State KS , 6-foot-2 guard, 2023:

Even despite some huge losses to graduation, St. James is back in the hunt, primarily due to the leadership of Hawthorne. The senior was huge in last year’s state tournament with 50 points in three games, and he’s averaging 23 points this season to go with 6 rebounds and 4 assists. He is a versatile guard who can really rebound and run an offense as well as score. He torched Washburn Rural with 31 and Wyandotte with 27.

#7 Topeka West – Xavier Alexander, 6-foot-1 guard, 2023:

Perhaps a bit of a surprise, the Chargers are off to a 5-1 record in the post-Elijah Brooks era. Alexander exploded out of the gate with several big scoring nights to assert himself as a team leader. He can shoot it from anywhere and is a big-bodied guard who is surprisingly athletic, as demonstrated by his 2 steals, 4 rebounds and 4 assists per game. He went for 31 against rival Seaman and is averaging 20 points so far this season.