Room at the Top – Candidates for 4A All-State

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Time marches on. Seniors who dominated the all-state teams last spring have graduated. That opens up the door for returning players to take their place in the spotlight.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A few returners will likely repeat on the 4A all state teams, starting with McPherson guards [player_tooltip player_id='1436793' first='Kyden' last='Thompson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1461339' first='Cory' last='Muehler'] and Eudora's [player_tooltip player_id='1461341' first='Logan' last='Sullivan'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's our best guess of who will rise up to claim a spot on 4A all-state teams next spring (in alphabetical order):</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1270098' first='Kaiden' last='Abasolo'], 6-foot guard, 2024, Mulvane:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A scorer extraordinaire, Abasolo will probably be one of the highest scorers in the state this year. He averaged 18 points per game last season and will have the team on his back as a senior. He's been a varsity player since his freshman season, so he's got tons of experience to draw upon.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1953942' first='Hudson' last='Baker'], 6-foot-8 center, 2024, Labette County:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Baker appears to be on the rise going into his senior year. He's impressed on the summer circuit and will be one of the tallest players in the state next year. Several really good bigs graduated from the 4A class, so Baker looks to be one of the best big men coming back. He's a shot blocker who could see his other numbers go up.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1962891' first='Carter' last='Burnett'], 6-foot-4 forward, 2025, Wellington:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Graduation will hit Wellington hard. Burnett will be the top returner from the state tournament team. He should naturally step into a much bigger role as a junior after averaging 8.5 points, 6 boards and 2 steals as a key supporting piece as a sophomore. He's long, athletic and can impact the game in a number of ways.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1300809' first='Dasean' last='Lewis'], 5-foot-10 guard, 2024, Hugoton:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hugoton was blessed with so much guard play last year. But when the bright lights were on at the state tournament, Lewis was a star. He scored 36 points on 9-14 shooting in the run to a state title. With the graduations of some all-state caliber guards, Lewis will probably play an even bigger role as a senior. Look for his 9 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists to increase.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1962886' first='Cole' last='Pladson'], 5-foot-10 guard, 2025, Clay Center:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the top sophomores at the state tournament a year ago, Pladson showed he is not afraid of the spotlight. He hit five 3-pointers in a gritty effort to keep his team in a game with eventual champ Hugoton. He averaged 14 points as a sophomore. He's got the size and power to be a problem for smaller guards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kaiden Seamster</strong>, 6-foot-3 forward, 2024, Chanute:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With graduations of 4A's big men opening the door, there's no reason not to think Seamster won't get some all-state attention. He is big and versatile and capable of scoring in a variety of ways. If Chanute can improve on their 14-7 record, Seamster's name will get more attention.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->