Mid-Season All-Stars First Team:

Prep Hoops Staff

January 31, 2024 @ 06:46 AM

With the season more or less half over, we've seen teams start to separate themselves and team leaders begin to stand out. With what we know with two months of basketball in the books, it's time to name the Prep Hoops Mid-Season All Stars.   We will name a first, second and third team. For this exercise, we named just five players – two guards, two forwards and a center. We took some liberty with the positions in order to try to get the five best players on each team.   Here are the Prep Hoops Mid-Season First Team All-Stars:   G - [player_tooltip player_id='1270268' first='David' last='Cobin'], 5-foot-10 guard, 2024, De Soto:   Cobin is just a pleasure to watch. He's one of the most creative guards you will see. He can get to any spot on the floor and has the vision and ball skills to exploit angles and make dishes you never saw coming. He can score with power and flair, but he spends a lot of his time getting teammates the ball.   He's been a leader since his sophomore year when he led the Wildcats to the brink of a 5A title. De Soto is in the hunt again, ranked 4th in 5A.   G – [player_tooltip player_id='1270296' first='Mason' last='English'], 6-foot-2 guard, 2024, Pittsburg:   We try not to put too much weight into stats, but you just can't deny what English does. Everyone knows he's one of the most prolific scorers in the state. But did you know he's averaging 9 assists per game? That's ridiculous from a guy who has to score to lead his team. There are a lot of other deserving guards we could have slotted here, but English gets the nod for his remarkable production.   F - [player_tooltip player_id='1270094' first='Andrell' last='Burton'], 6-foot-5 guard, 2024, Campus:   Burton has had the eye of scouts and the admiration of fans for years. But the problem was the Colts didn't win enough games to keep Burton in the spotlight. This year, he has a lot of support from teammates and have won a lot of games. As far as individual talent, it's coming together for the Drake commit: 24 points, 11 rebounds and 3 assists per game. We slotted him at forward on this team, a position he can certainly handle.   F - [player_tooltip player_id='1270090' first='TJ' last='Williams'], 6-foot-5 guard, 2024, Wichita Heights (pictured):   Williams could have been assigned any position on this team. He does everything for the Falcons. Williams is blessed with a great supporting cast, but there's never a question who is captain of the ship. He runs the point, directs the offense, and scores in every way possible. He rebounds and defends at a high level. The Wichita State signee has the Falcons in the thick of a very tough 6A race, just like every year.   C - [player_tooltip player_id='1461338' first='Joey' last='Matteoni'], 6-foot-8 forward, 2024, Blue Valley Northwest:   Has Matteoni received all the credit he really deserves for his play for the Huskies? He is without much question the best big man in the state and he has been key to two state runs for the team. Sure he's tall and dominates on the glass. But people need to recognize that he hits nearly 40% from deep. They need to understand that he's one of the most athletic and relentless rim runners in the state. With the size Blue Valley Northwest can run out, Matteoni is playing a more versatile role, which will prepare him to play at Northwest Missouri State next year. The Huskies are a good bet to be in the 6A title hunt once again.

With the season more or less half over, we've seen teams start to separate themselves and team leaders begin to stand out. With what we know with two months of basketball in the books, it's time to name the Prep Hoops Mid-Season All Stars.