Month to Tourney: 6A Teams, Players to Watch

Prep Hoops Staff

February 10, 2024 @ 09:29 AM

It's crunch time. Time for teams to build their resumes, improve their seedings, and polish their rotations in preparation of substate, with the ultimate prize – a state title – awaiting.   Here are teams and players to watch as we enter the final stretch:   Frontrunner – (three-way tie) Wichita Heights, Shawnee Mission Northwest, Blue Valley Northwest:   This is an obvious copout. But how do you pick a frontrunner when there appear to be three teams who have separated themselves from the pack? Each team has star power, depth and experience. One factor that might give Blue Valley Northwest an edge is their size. They can put 6-foot-8 [player_tooltip player_id='1461338' first='Joey' last='Matteoni'] (pictured) and massive Andrew Babalola on the floor at the same time, with length at point guard and the other spots.  Shawnee Mission Northwest has a ton of depth and several scoring options. But then, Heights has [player_tooltip player_id='1270090' first='TJ' last='Williams'].   Challenger – Junction City:   Who knew when last year's star, [player_tooltip player_id='1953932' first='Michael' last='Boganowski'], decided to focus on his football future that Junction City would actually improve? But that's what happened. The Blue Jays always have tough, fast ballhandlers who can play at lightning speed. [player_tooltip player_id='2321612' first='Jackson' last='Austin'] shoots the lights out and [player_tooltip player_id='2393789' first='Larkin' last='Turner'] brings physicality. The Blue Jays showed they are capable of beating anyone when they handed Blue Valley Northwest their only defeat in the state of Kansas.   Work to Do – Derby:   After they reached the final four of 6A last year, we had high expectations for the Panthers. They returned size, experience and great shooting ability. They have struggled to put it all together thus far. But we can still foresee this group getting on a roll. [player_tooltip player_id='1300833' first='Dallas' last='Metzger'] brings too much offensive firepower and [player_tooltip player_id='1953939' first='Kaden' last='Franklin'] is too good in the paint to think they won't be a factor. But they will need to find more rebounding and get all their shooters hot at the same time.   Main Man – [player_tooltip player_id='1270090' first='TJ' last='Williams']:   This is an easy choice, although Matteoni would be a good choice. Williams has been a leading man at the last two state tournaments, and he has proven he is a star when the bright lights are on. The Wichita State commit would like to finish his high school career with another title. He can do it all, playing the point but also dominating in the lane. He's at his best running the floor and making highlight plays with his athleticism.   Player to Watch – [player_tooltip player_id='1270290' first='Tasean' last='Williams']:   Williams hasn't put up the numbers he had his junior year when the team really relied on him to score. This season he's playing with a more talented and deep group, and he's reigned in some of his game. But make no mistake, Williams can still create offense and crank up the attack. He's a unique guard who could be a difference maker when its crunch time. He can outrace opponents to the goal and beat nearly any defender off the bounce. One of his greatest skills is drawing fouls on the drive, which could send opposing guards on the bench in big games.

It's crunch time. Time for teams to build their resumes, improve their seedings, and polish their rotations in preparation of substate, with the ultimate prize – a state title – awaiting.