NE KS Guards to Know from the Spring

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're highlighting some players we watched this spring, making our way across the state by geographic region.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are some guards from northeast Kansas (excluding Topeka) who stood out (in alphabetical order):</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cohen Bloomquist</strong>, 5-foot-11 guard, Emporia, KS 94x50:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In our introduction to Bloomquist, we found him to be able to play against older competition, holding his own athletically and with the high IQ of a budding point guard. He is just 5-foot-11, but he plays like a guard who uses his length well. He sees the floor and knows when to go and when to rotate the ball and give someone else a chance. He really stood out finding seams and penetrating to drop very accurate floaters.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ben Devader</strong>, 5-foot-8 guard, St. Marys, SSA:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At Prep Hoops, we've written a ton over the past two years about guard [player_tooltip player_id='1962890' first='Brady' last='Hurla']. But Hurla isn't the only sharpshooter in the St. Marys backcourt. Devader is a high-quality shooter in his own right, and he isn't afraid to let it fly from really deep. He moves well without the ball to get in position to catch and shoot. He draws defenders out and has the ability to put the ball on the floor to penetrate and dish, or hit tough shots in traffic.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1962892' first='Caleb' last='Hepner']</strong>, 5-foot-11 guard, 2025, Ottawa, Kruse Elite Basketball Academy:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A guy who has played a lot of basketball at a high level already, Hepner is blending with a bunch of talented players with the Kruse program. He isn't trying to grab the spotlight. He does a great job drawing defenses and kicking the ball to shooters. He can run the point or play off the ball equally well. Hepner is physical and tough and can shoot it.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2403152' first='Dayne' last='Johnson']</strong>, 6-foot-2 guard, 2026, Silver Lake, KS 94x50:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prep Hoops scouts love Johnson's intelligence and his competitiveness, so we aren't surprised that he's excelling again this spring. On a club team that has a lot of guard talent and not a ton of height, Johnson is guarding big men and having to really rebound and make plays in the paint. He is athletic and smart enough to play any position. And of course he's taking the ball to the goal and scoring at the rim at a high level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Drake Mellies</strong>, 5-foot-11 guard, 2026, Jackson Heights, KS 94x50 United:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the gritty guards who the KS 94x50 United team a tough opponent is Mellies. He's experienced quite a bit of varsity ball already, so the club action is a great proving ground for this guy. He's about as fearless and combative as they come. Though not a big guy, he mixes it up, particularly when a rebound is in the air or the ball is in a scrum. He can really shoot it, so he is effective playing off the ball on the perimeter, but he can handle it end to end as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->