Big Spring Impressions – Kansas City-area forwards/centers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As school winds down and spring turns into summer, it's a good time to assess some of the standouts we've watched so far this club season. We covered the KC schools in two separate articles.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are a few forwards and centers we've enjoyed from the greater Kansas City area:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Micah Gibbs</strong>, 6-foot-3 forward, 2025, Basehor-Linwood, MOKAN (pictured):</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A lot of guys made big impressions this spring, but perhaps none bigger than Gibbs. He overpowered opponents around the goal, and showed off his athleticism playing fast and getting to rim. He and his teammates demoralized opponents by dunking and getting easy buckets early in games. Gibbs is strong and athletic and has some good ball skills on the perimeter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hoyt Hoffline</strong>, 6-foot-7 center, 2026, Paola, LTD:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's tempting to lump the Hoffline brothers together and evaluate them as one. But while they share a lot of the same traits, we will try to give each his just due. Hoyt is a shot blocker, first and foremost. He has good spring, good instincts, and obvious length. He intimidates drivers and opposing posts have a tough time getting shots off against him. He scores on putbacks and hustles to make an impact in transition at both ends.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lane Hoffline</strong>, 6-foot-7 center, 2026, Paola, LTD:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lane works hard and hustles, gets physical and uses his length to affect everything. This spring he showed good understanding and vision from the post, making nice kickout passes and outlets off defensive rebounds. He works really hard and is a solid team player.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Thatcher Ivey</strong>, 6-foot-2 forward, 2025, Mill Valley, MOKAN:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mill Valley is churning out so many good forwards, it's hard to get them all on the floor. Ivey is an athletic big forward who will be in the mix for playing time next fall. He's physical, plays bigger than his height and is effective in a variety of roles. He shows with MOKAN he can play at a high tempo, running in transition and attacking the goal when he has the ball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1946258' first='Shawn' last='McConnell']</strong>, 6-foot-1 forward, 2026, Gardner-Edgerton, SSA:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McConnell does so many positive things for his team. He is so effective catching in the midrange and making something good happen with the ball. He's a really nice passer, kicking out to shooters, dropping passes to teammates in the paint, or driving to draw defenders, then dish off. He has nice scoring ability around the goal, and can also let it fly from outside. He is really good at rebounding and pushing the ball up the floor, always making good decisions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->