Centennial League Shaping Up for 2023-24

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Washburn Rural looked like the best team all season last year, but Manhattan and Junction City were the ones who advanced to state. Who will come out on top of the Centennial League this year?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Centennial League Preview:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Preseason Player of the Year:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1962887' first='Amare' last='Jones'], 6-foot guard, 2025, Washburn Rural</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There's no clear favorite for this award. Graduation claimed a bunch of the top talents. So we decided to go with the guy we think might ultimately be the best player in the league. That's Jones, who grew into the point guard role over the season last year and wound up one of the best in the league by the end. Then he raised his profile with a really good summer of club ball. He should be ready to lead this year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Preseason Team of the Year: Manhattan</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This was a toss-up between Washburn Rural and Manhattan. Both return a lot of nice pieces who got great experience last year. But both also lost significant leadership and production. So we'll go with Manhattan, who returns a lot of seniors who are all versatile and experienced.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Player to Watch:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1173007' first='Jason' last='Kim'], 6-foot guard, 2024, Manhattan</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kim has been a standout on the club circuit for years. He's a hard-working, fearless guard who can light it up and attack with intensity. He's been a very good contributor for Manhattan for a couple of years. Can he make the next step to one of the best guards in the league? He has the tools and the mental game to do it.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Other Top Players (in alphabetical order):&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2321612' first='Jackson' last='Austin']</strong>, 6-foot-1 guard, 2025, Junction City</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2169833' first='Kaden' last='Ballard'], 5-foot-11 guard, 2025, Washburn Rural</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2245737' first='Da'mykel' last='Hales'], 6-foot guard, 2025, Topeka High</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>JC Heim</strong>, 6-foot-3 forward, 2024, Washburn Rural</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1300870' first='Isaiah' last='Lyons'], 5-foot-10 guard, 2024, Topeka High</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1300863' first='Jacob' last='Padilla']</strong>, 5-foot-7 guard, 2024, Hayden</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rising Star:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1290136' first='River' last='Peters'], 6-foot-3 guard, 2025, Emporia:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Peters has two really good seasons under his belt for the Spartans. This should be the year he becomes the team leader and really shows his ability. He has size and explosive athleticism and a versatile, polished skill set.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Others Rising Stars (in alphabetical order):</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2209782' first='Lovell' last='Autry'], 5-foot-7 guard, 2026, Junction City</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>JJ Dunnigan</strong>, 6-foot-2 guard, 2026, Manhattan</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2228096' first='John' last='Hoytal']</strong>, 6-3 forward, 2026, Washburn Rural</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2321581' first='Landon' last='Knopp']</strong>, 6-foot-4 forward, 2025, Manhattan</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->