Changes to the Top, Big Risers highlight 2024 Rankings

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With a great deal of appreciation (and some sadness), we released the final edition of the 2024 class rankings. There were not only some Division I talents in this group, but there were a lot of guys who showed character, class and the winning gene.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At the top of the list, we did a significant amount of shuffling to see that guys wound in what we consider the correct spots. Perhaps the most significant adjustment at the top was to move Blue Valley Northwest's [player_tooltip player_id='1461338' first='Joey' last='Matteoni'] to the third spot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1270268' first='David' last='Cobin'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1270287' first='Will' last='Thengvall'] slid up the list slightly, rewarded primarily for the success they led their teams to in their senior seasons.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Making big leaps were small schoolers [player_tooltip player_id='1270271' first='Tanner' last='Heckel'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1953933' first='Joey' last='Dyck']. We were happy to get those two up there with the big school studs. They landed at #9 and #14 respectively.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Several players made double-digit leaps up the rankings. Here are six members of the 2024 class rankings who made jumps of at least 26 spots, in order of their final position (Note the jump listed indicates how far they rose prior to adding new players to the list):</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1953952' first='Kreighton' last='Kanitz'], 6-foot-2 guard, 2024, Moundridge – #26 from #90 (64 spots before new additions):</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's not like we didn't think Kanitz was a good player. It's just that, in the two years that we watched him at McPherson, he was a role player amongst a bunch of studs of relatively similar size and skill. It was hard for him to show all he could do. But after moving over to Moundridge, he took over a leadership role vacated by some star graduates who departed the Wildcats in 2023. He performed in every area, averaging 18 points, 5 boards and a couple of assists while bringing some physicality and toughness. Moundridge repeated as champs, and Kanitz earned first-team all state from KSHSAA.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1461441' first='Gavin' last='Harvey'], 5-foot-10 guard, 2024, Blue Valley West – #27 from #97 (70 spots before new additions):</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A sharpshooter who stepped up as a senior and picked up all-state honors from several outlets, Harvey earned a big bump. He led the Jaguars to a fine season and the doorstep of state. He racked up 17 points per game but also dealt out 3.5 assists as the sparkplug of the offense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1953943' first='Jack' last='Weimer'], 5-foot-9 guard, 2024, Hays – #40 from #70 (30 spots before new additions)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A spirited playmaker similar to Harvey, Weimer took over leadership of the Indians as a junior following graduation of some studs who showed him the way. He carried a big load in his final two season as the team looked to young players to step up. After a tough season of transition, Hays was back to its winning ways this year, in large part due to Weimer's leadership. He averaged 13 points and dished out 4 assists while also corralling 5 rebounds. His spot on KSHSAA's 5A second team demonstrates how highly respected the Hays senior was.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2147808' first='Ethan' last='Dillinger'], 6-foot-7 center, 2024, Erie #65 from #89 (27 spots before new additions):</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dillinger has sort of gone underappreciated as a basketball player because of his commitment to baseball. But after a solid couple of seasons, he blew up as a senior leader for a state tournament team. He's a dangerous shooter who spent more time in the paint this year and dominated around the goal. He earned first team all state from KSHSAA with an impressive stat line of 20 points, 12 boards and 4 blocks per outing.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1580560' first='Abdoulaye' last='Kante'], 6-foot-7 forward, 2024, Shawnee Mission East – #77 from #113 (39 spots before new additions):</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After blowing us away with his athleticism on the summer circuit in 2022, we didn't hear a lot from Kante for awhile. But he really excelled in his role this year, dominating with his defense and rebounding while contributing offensively. He has a rare combination of length, power and spring and was a big contributor for a good team as a senior. Rockhurst College recognizes his raw abilities and has big plans for him next year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1953954' first='Caden' last='Morgan'], 6-foot-4 forward, 2024, Lacrosse – #78 from #112 (37 spots before new additions):</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We've been following Morgan ever since his freshman season. He's an interesting player – not one to easily categorize. He's not really a forward, not really a guard, not really a scorer. He's a big, athletic playmaker with great ball skills. As a senior, he led the Leopards to state, dishing out 6 assists per game. He does it all, getting 13 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->