CLASS 5A: Players who Impressed

Israel Potoczny

March 18, 2020 @ 08:11 PM

The opening round of the Kansas 5A state championships opened on Wednesday with quarterfinal play at Emporia State University in Emporia. Andover (1) defeated Blue Valley Southwest (8) 60-59; Wichita Kapaun Mt Carmel (5) got past DeSoto (4) 49-42; Basehor-Linwood (2) defeated Andover Central (7) 76-72; and Hays (3) held off Topeka Highland Park (6) 46-43. The Kansas High School Activities Association announced on Thursday the remaining state tournament games will not be played. 12 — Max DeFever, 6’4, F, 2020, Blue Valley Southwest DeFever is a long, rangy big man who plays much bigger than his listed 6’4 height would suggest. He challenges shots in the paint, works hard on the glass and plays his role well. He came off the bench for Blue Valley Southwest to score two points, but recorded 10 rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots in 21 minutes of action. 45 — [player_tooltip player_id="885527" first="Cory" last="Davila"], 6’7, F, 2020, Basehor-Linwood Skilled big man who works hard at both ends of the court, Davila went for four points and added a team-high six rebounds and two blocks. Davila is a strong defensive player who holds his ground well in the post against opposing big men, challenges shots in the lane and works hard to prevent opposing teams from scoring at the rim. At the offensive end he has good hands and a soft shooting touch around the basket. 12 — Coby Morton, 6’3, F, 2020, DeSoto Morton is a hard-working old-school player who does whatever his team needs to win. He is a terrific screener who plays a physical brand of basketball, rebounds well and plays tough defense at both ends of the court. He scored eight points on 4-for-5 shooting in just 12 minutes off the DeSoto bench in a loss to Kapaun Mt. Carmel. 14 — Dylan Ruder, 6’10, F, 2020, Hays Ruder is an athletic and mobile big man who is willing to do the dirty work in the paint to help his team win. He runs the floor exceptionally well, is active around the basket at both ends of the court and is a terrific shot blocker. While he’s not a big scorer, Ruder has a good feel for passing the ball and plays an unselfish brand of basketball. Ruder scored three points and hauled in five rebounds and added a blocked shot in 23 minutes in a hard fought quarterfinal win over Topeka Highland Park. 30 — Thomas Zimmerman, 6’3, PF, 2020, Blue Valley Southwest A standout football player who has signed to compete at Emporia State, Zimmerman is a strong, physical interior player for Blue Valley Southwest who brings toughness and a team-first mentality to the floor. He went for a double-double, scoring 10 points and 11 rebounds on 5-for-8 shooting from the field in a hard fought 60-59 loss to Andover. 10 — [player_tooltip player_id="885506" first="Austin" last="Murrow"], 6’6, G/F, 2020, 6’3, Blue Valley Southwest Murrow might not have had his best game at the Class 5A quarterfinals against Andover, but still brought an all-around game to the floor and impacted the contest in multiple ways. He added six rebounds and assists and showed the ability to handle the ball, run the floor and defend multiple positions. Murrow is a smooth athletic wing who holds an offer from Central Missouri and is drawing interest from several other programs as well. 22 — [player_tooltip player_id="726584" first="Harper" last="Jonas"], 6’4, G/F, 2020, Andover Jonas is a smooth wing player with a terrific frame, good athleticism and a versatile skill set. He can play an inside-out brand of basketball, handle the ball, shoot from the perimeter and defend multiple positions. He is at his best as a slasher and a finisher in transition, but can also knock down open 3-pointers, has the size to see over a defense and works hard at both ends of the floor. He went for 13 points on 4-of-10 shooting and added eight rebounds. At last report, Jonas held an offer from Nebraska Wesleyan.