Top Teams, Unsung Heroes: 4A

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stars don't make teams great. It takes everyone. The late December rankings of 4A teams is a perfect opportunity to highlight some of the unsung heroes leading their teams to success:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#1 McPherson – <strong>Mason Miller</strong>, 6-foot-4 center, 2023:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Bullpups better come out of the gate fast. They open with #4 ranked Circle. McPherson has a stable of talented and athletic guards who get out and run and can all score from deep. Miller is providing them the length and rim protection they need in the paint. Miller is a slender, springy post who runs the floor, finishes around the rim and blocks shots. His leadership and contribution makes McPherson a balanced team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#2 Miege - [player_tooltip player_id='1080201' first='Daegan' last='Jensen'], 6-foot-3 forward, 2023:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Stags have played a weird schedule. They've played just three games, none against Kansas opponents. They get a big test Friday against St. James. They are still adjusting to heavy graduation losses. Jensen has taken his scoring up a tick as one of the featured weapons in his senior season. He's averaging 15 points and 4 boards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#3 Hayden - <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1530221' first='Ayden' last='McGibboney']</strong>, 6-foot-2 guard, 2026:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Is it too early to consider a freshman a team leader? Maybe. But it's no surprise that McGibboney is making a big contribution already. After a great summer of hoops he made a significant contribution on the football field. He's physically advanced and has the IQ and maturity to go with it. He's scored in double figures in several games and is a force on the defensive end and on the glass too.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#8 Wellington - <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1146293' first='Montel' last='Tate']</strong>, 6-foot-4 forward, 2023 (pictured)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tate stands out when he's on the court. His physicality and explosiveness is eye-catching. He's a leaper who runs the court exceptionally and moves fluidly through defenses to find openings to catch and score. He is a demon on the glass and a rim protector. No wonder he's a coveted football star too. Wellington rolled to a 6-1 start and will be a team to reckon with.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p># 9 Baldwin - <strong>Samuel Darnell,</strong> 6-foot-4 forward, 2023:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Baldwin blew out all its opponents en route to a 6-0 record to start the year. They should be tested Friday against Eudora. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1357791' first='Caleb' last='Carr'] is the leader of this guard-oriented group, but Darnell's contribution in the paint has balanced the team. Darnell is averaging 12 points and 6 rebounds. He hits 63% of his shots for the year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->