New Year, New Names: 3A

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Now a couple of weeks into the new year, it's time to bring credit to some guys we didn't know much about before. These 3A standouts might have been on our radar, but they weren't established as varsity standouts before December of last year:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2147820' first='Joey' last='Henderson']</strong>, 5-foot-8 guard, 2024, Concordia:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Henderson was a contributor a year ago, but he played in the shadow of some really good seniors. He's stepping into a bigger role this season. He's a ball hawk and a pesky defender who can also get hot from outside. He scored 22 points in a recent win over Republic County.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sam Hull</strong>, 6-foot-4 center, 2024, Humboldt:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Humboldt is a program that doesn't get a lot of mention. Hull is doing his best to change that. He's helped the Colts get off to a blistering 8-0 start. He's teaming with a couple of other veterans to give Humboldt a long and powerful front line. Hull is averaging 12 points, 6 rebounds, and is turning in 2 steals per game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ahmed Manserey</strong>, 5-foot-9 guard, 2023, Council Grove:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Braves graduated some really good seniors from last year's team, including a couple of guards who grabbed most of the playing time. Someone needed to step into that role, and Manserey has been impressive as a senior leader. The Braves have been competitive, and the senior is contributing 10 points and 5 boards. He went for 23 points and 7 rebounds against Northern Heights. But most impressive was probably his 16 points and 7 boards against Hillsboro.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jackson Rumford</strong>, 6-foot-5 center, 2025, Scott City:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Beavers lost one of the state's better big men in [player_tooltip player_id='1378441' first='Gus' last='Hawkins'], who transferred to Mill Valley and blew up into a football recruit. But a replacement was ready to step in. This season, Rumford has had some big games against smaller schools, and he has also held his own against some bigger schools like Liberal and Garden City. He's topped 20 points three times already this season. Rumford is a big man who gets after it on the glass, but who also moves well on the perimeter and lets it fly. The big sophomore is averaging 17 points and 11 rebounds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Caden Seems</strong>, 6-foot-3 forward, 2025, Phillipsburg:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After a slow start, the Panthers have strung together some nice games. Seems is providing some nice work in the paint to lead the way. He typically shoots a high percentage, producing 10 points per game. He's been consistently good on the glass, averaging 7 boards. He recently cleared 13 rebounds in a game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->