6A Schools Hit Hardest by Graduation

Prep Hoops Staff

August 9, 2023 @ 02:09 PM

We've spent all summer talking about big opportunities for exciting new players. Some returners will see their roles grow. Some newcomers will pop on the scene taking over varsity positions. Most of those opportunities will arise due to graduation of 2023s who have since moved on.   A huge floss will be felt at Blue Valley Northwest, where the Huskies will have to replace 6A's number one player, Grant Stubblefield. But some other 6A schools will have to cope with bigger losses in terms of a combined loss of quantity and quality.   Here are some 6A schools who face huge losses to their rosters, as well as who they might look to to fill the gap:   Blue Valley North:   In terms of quantity, no one loses as much as the Mustangs. First and foremost, they lose the talents of big man Blake Garrett, the biggest riser of last season. He went from unranked to #29 in a matter of half a season. They also lose another impactful big in Adam Parks. The Mustangs will have to account for the loss of some high-quality guards, including veterans Jaxon Goldberg and Zach Sand. In all North loses eight players off its state tournament roster. They will lean heavily on talented big man Jaron Lashley, their most prominent returner. He's powerful and skilled in the low post and midrange.   Washburn Rural:   Washburn Rural says goodbye to three ranked players, led by guard/wing Jack Bachelor, the 13th ranked player in the state. The graduation of Bachelor will hit hard because not only is he talented, but he played a variety of roles, doing whatever the Junior Blues needed, and because of his immense experience accumulated over four years. Washburn Rural loses two rugged and multi-talented forwards in Jacob Hirschi and Wyatt Conklin. They were ranked #119 and #120 respectively. The Junior Blues return some size on the front line and some very talented young guards led by [player_tooltip player_id='1962887' first='Amare' last='Jones'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2169833' first='Kaden' last='Ballard']. Those rising juniors wound up getting a lot of the backcourt minutes as the season played out, freeing Bachelor to play off the ball.   Manhattan:   The Indians have been blessed with a big and talented front line led by Jack Wilson, ranked #22. Wilson was flanked by athletic lock-down defender Collins Elumogo and long-armed Cole Coonrod. Together they combined for a frontcourt that was tough and physical, but also able to step out and shoot from the perimeter. Guard Dre Delort will also be missed from the state tournament participant. Manhattan doesn't return any standouts, but guard [player_tooltip player_id='1173007' first='Jason' last='Kim'] (pictured) and forward [player_tooltip player_id='2321581' first='Landon' last='Knopp'] will do their best to fill the gap. They gained experience and have a lot of offensive potential.   Garden City:   Garden City's loss to Junction City at substate was crushing. The Buffaloes had lost just once prior, and that to defending champ Wichita Heights. Garden City had a one-two punch of Jace Steinmetz, ranked #26, and Caleb Wiese, #49. Two other seniors, big man Jake Underwood and guard Iziah Salinas played a big role in the team's success and won't be easy to replace. Leading the returners will be [player_tooltip player_id='1300816' first='Emilio' last='Zundt'], a small, shifty ball handler who should be able to lead the offense and create his own shots.

We've spent all summer talking about big opportunities for exciting new players. Some returners will see their roles grow. Some newcomers will pop on the scene taking over varsity positions. Most of those opportunities will arise due to graduation of 2023s who have since moved on.