Back to State: Returners From 6A Tourney Teams

Prep Hoops Staff

November 1, 2023 @ 12:24 PM

It's impossible to predict who will be making the trip to state tournaments in March of 2024, but a good place to start is to look at who returns from the state teams from last spring.   Let's look at the state teams who return the most talent this year, starting with the 6A class, where a bunch of teams return a nucleus of their teams from a year ago:   Blue Valley Northwest – finished first in 2023:   The Huskies lose the best player in last year's tournament – Grant Stubblefield. But they return arguably the best big man in the tournament in [player_tooltip player_id='1461338' first='Joey' last='Matteoni'] (pictured). They bring back forward [player_tooltip player_id='1270297' first='Jaxon' last='Klein'], who may be ready for a bigger role, and guard [player_tooltip player_id='1300838' first='Jacob' last='Fritz'], whose stock soared at the end of the season. The big question for the Huskies is whether star football recruit Gavin Hoffman will suit up for his senior season or move on to the University of Iowa as an early graduate.   Wichita Heights – finished second in 2023:   The Falcons lost several really good seniors from last year's team, but they bring back the best player in the state in [player_tooltip player_id='1270090' first='TJ' last='Williams']. His versatility makes up for losses at several positions. He can play big, play the point, pop popcorn, sell programs…whatever the team needs. Super defender [player_tooltip player_id='1588339' first='Amalachi' last='Wilkins'] will be back as one of the best athletes in the state. Heights returns one of its top reserves in [player_tooltip player_id='1962885' first='Chase' last='Robinson'], who should be ready for more responsibility as a junior.   Derby – finished third in 2023:   Derby lost a trio of stud guards, but returns four of its top players from a year ago. [player_tooltip player_id='1953939' first='Kaden' last='Franklin'] is a powerful presence in the paint who will give the Panthers an advantage over most opponents. Around him will be three guards who can light it up from anywhere. [player_tooltip player_id='1300833' first='Dallas' last='Metzger'] returns with the most experience and has size to score in a variety of ways. [player_tooltip player_id='2169844' first='Jack' last='Ulwelling'] and Mason Anderson are ready to take the minutes from the graduated guards and provide ball handling, shooting and pesky defense.   Olathe North – lost to Derby in first round:   The Eagles have a lot of their top contributors back, including the dynamic duo of [player_tooltip player_id='1580478' first='TJ' last='Porter'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1402310' first='Jaalan' last='Watson'] in the backcourt. Those two will keep the pace at a fever pitch and can generate a lot of offense. They have their lone big man back, [player_tooltip player_id='2209776' first='Cameron' last='Love']. Aiden Bruce leads a group of returners who also played important roles.   Shawnee Mission Northwest:   This team brings back essentially everything. A trio of versatile juniors are back with a ton of experience in [player_tooltip player_id='1962889' first='Van' last='Collins'], [player_tooltip player_id='1588348' first='Keaton' last='Wagler'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1588406' first='Aiven' last='Riley']. Those guys can get buckets in a variety of ways, so offense shouldn't be a problem. If you're worried about defense, they have post [player_tooltip player_id='2209778' first='Ethan' last='Taylor'] who should make a huge leap after scratching the surface of his ability as a freshman. And Deven Bolton is a veteran point guard who should handle ball handling and defense in the backcourt. If you wonder which team returns the most talent from last year's tournament, it's the Cougars.

It's impossible to predict who will be making the trip to state tournaments in March of 2024, but a good place to start is to look at who returns from the state teams from last spring.