Teams to Watch: 5A

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Seaman shocked the state by claiming the 5A tournament over several more highly ranked opponents. Will there be a surprise team that rises to the top again this year?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's a look at some of the teams to watch in 5A, framed as “Returners,” “Contenders” and “Unknowns”:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Returners:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>De Soto – The Wildcats got on a roll last spring and made it to the state title game. That feat will be tough to match, but several key players return. It all starts with returning point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1270268' first='David' last='Cobin'] (pictured), who went crazy at the state tournament. He'll be flanked by senior guards [player_tooltip player_id='1290287' first='Trent' last='Johnson'] and <strong>Blake Hicks</strong>, a couple of veterans of the playoff run. De Soto didn't play with a lot of size last year and will need some young big men to step up.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kapaun – The Crusaders were bitterly disappointed when they fell in the first round of the state tournament a year ago. They are stocked with talent again, having lost just one big piece from that team in <strong>Henry Thengvall</strong>. They bring back length and athleticism. The question will be how coach <strong>Steve Eck</strong> mixes and matches all the talent he returns. He will probably rely some on bigs like [player_tooltip player_id='1270303' first='Teagan' last='Charles'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1408946' first='Corbin' last='Johnson'] to play the guard position. Eck may need a traditional point guard like <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2387724' first='Brooks' last='Powers']</strong> to step up.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Challengers:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Highland Park – The Scots return arguably the best collection of experience and athleticism in the state. They lack a true post player, however, which could be problematic against some opponents. The Scots run their opponents to death with a stable of guards led by [player_tooltip player_id='1454197' first='Tre' last='Richardson'], arguably the fastest basketball player in the state. They've got one of the most explosive players in senior [player_tooltip player_id='1300865' first='Ketraleus' last='Aldridge'], and experience in [player_tooltip player_id='1300861' first='Quentin' last='Adams'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1378392' first='Jahmir' last='Kingcannon']. Watch for sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1588346' first='Jacorey' last='Robinson'] to take a big step forward after playing a key reserve role as a freshman.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Andover – The Trojans return a brilliant group of seniors who learned tough lessons when they fell short of the tournament a year ago. They are led by the state's top senior, [player_tooltip player_id='1080189' first='Eli' last='Shetlar'], who has developed into more than just a sharpshooter. [player_tooltip player_id='1254402' first='Chris' last='Harris'] is another long wing who can go inside and mix it up or drop bombs from deep. [player_tooltip player_id='1080185' first='BJ' last='Redic'] is a rugged guard and [player_tooltip player_id='1300871' first='Brad' last='Harris'] is a smart and tough point man. Throw in [player_tooltip player_id='1408578' first='Devon' last='Neal-McFarthing'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1080190' first='Brady' last='Strausz'] and this team is experienced and deep.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Unknown:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aquinas - The Saints were very disappointed with their 7-14 record a year ago, but there's lots of new talent to build on. They have some key returners, led by senior [player_tooltip player_id='1080165' first='Will' last='Rost']. But look for a group of sophomores to step up and have a big impact. Huge posts [player_tooltip player_id='1588347' first='Will' last='Goode'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1588391' first='Julian' last='Marks'] could dominate the paint. Sophomore guards [player_tooltip player_id='1588381' first='London' last='Burton'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1588390' first='Isaiah' last='Freeman'] will bring a serious infusion of talent too. Each of those four got varsity experience as a ninth grader and should be confident and ready to go.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->