Season Superlatives: Highlighting Top Athletes

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Spring season is off to a great start. But we want to recognize some of the standouts from the past high school season before we move totally into the next phase. So we are going to focus on Season Superlatives in a variety of categories: leaders, stat sheet stuffers, defenders, athletes</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's a salute to some of the state's best athletes:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1588339"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"While there are plenty of great athletes across the state, we're always going to start lists of athletes with Wilkins. This guy has an incredible combination of length, raw strength and explosiveness. He covers the court with his long strides, soars through the air either on the run or from a standing jump, and has great reach with long arms. He's thin, but impressively strong, with a chiseled upper body and powerful legs.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["1270271"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Heckel has all the skills to be great. The speed, quickness and explosiveness of a track star, and the physicality of a football standout. He can really get up, as seen in his soaring dunks. And he has a high sports IQ, which is seen in his anticipation and nose for the ball.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["1588415"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"If you like tall leapers like Wilkins, and you like multisport studs like Heckel, then you're going to love Cure. He's long, explosive and powerful. He showed off his shot blocking and alley-oop finishing abilities on the state-tournament Goodland run. Cure has a rare kind of athleticism that plays in any sport and it is really dominant running the floor.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["1588392"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Kim is an interesting athlete because he hasn't always been tall. He was a quick, hustling guard who had the athleticism to compete with older guys as a freshman. But he continues to grow and is now a big guard who can still defend on the perimeter, running with small, quick guards. But now he's also an above the rim finisher and bulked up athlete who can do everything you need on the court.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["2393781"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Here's your guy if you like high-flyers. Rowley is a “leaper” in every sense of the word. He has a catalogue of highlight dunks, but he does more than just dunk. He can sky to protect the rim, he can run the floor to affect transition, and he has the foot speed and coordination to move gracefully around the perimeter and to put the ball on the floor. He's long, quick and physical.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66250219166f8"} /-->