Back to School Special – Kansas’ Finest Distributors

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With another school year in session, it's time to get reacquainted with the best of the best in the state. We're looking at a handful of the skills that separate the best from the rest in a rough ranking system. It's time to give some love to the guys who distribute the ball to scorers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(FYI, obviously, some guys could have qualified in more than one category. But in order to cover the best in the state, we only considered each individual player for one of seven categories. No repeats.)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kansas' Finest Distributors, 2023-2024:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1408946' first='Corbin' last='Johnson'], 6-foot-3 guard, 2025, Kapaun Mt. Carmel (pictured):</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Johnson shot to the top of the ranks of point guards with his work running the show for the Crusaders. He can do a lot of things, but we'll focus on his ability to get the ball to scorers. He is a tall, lanky point guard who can see over and pass around defenders. He was blessed with scorers all around him last season and he responded with 4.5 assists per game. Johnson's passing may go a little under-appreciated because he's also such a good scorer himself.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2169828' first='Eli' last='Benning']</strong>, 6-foot guard, 2025,, Wichita Northwest:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Benning is a clever and confident passer. He sees the floor and knows where opportunities for buckets are at. He is aggressive with his choice of passes. He averaged 4 assists per game as a sophomore. Like most of the guys on this list, he has good size, which allows him to see and to create angles for passes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1378440' first='Micah' last='Deaver'], 6-foot-1 guard, 2024, Olathe East:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long playmaker, Deaver has vision and understanding of where the ball needs to go. He has the handle to get where he wants to go and enjoys dealing out assists. Deaver has a knack for breaking down defenses, particularly in transition, and creating opportunities.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1756360' first='Eli' last='Lang'], 6-foot guard, 2024, Minneola:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Let's go with a small school guard who loves to deal out assists. Lang rarely attempts 10 or more shots per game. He prefers to get it teammates and he had double-digit assists several times as a junior. He averaged 7 assists per game for the Wildcats.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2211324' first='Alex' last='Casares']</strong>, 5-foot-10 guard, 2026, Shawnee Mission North:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Casares' IQ and ability to run an offense earned him instant playing time as a freshman. He is a pass-first point guard who has a tight handle and keeps his eyes up looking for teammates. He appears to always be under control and smart about where the ball goes. You may not have heard of him yet, but Casares is a point guard on the rise for his ability to distribute the ball with both the smart and the flashy pass.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Other top distributors (in alphabetical order):</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2147812' first='Michael' last='Matteucci']</strong>, Sacred Heart</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1772983' first='Breckin' last='McBride'], Basehor-Linwood</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1270298' first='Josiah' last='Polynice'], Olathe South</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1756354' first='Quevon' last='Purucker'], Salina South</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->