BLUE VALLEY: Forwards who raised their profile
STILLWELL, Kan. — The second night of the Blue Valley Shootout saw Lawrence and Lee’s Summit North advance to the championship game, which will be played on Friday. Lawrence defeated Grandview, while Lee’s Summit North got past host Blue Valley.…
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Continue ReadingSTILLWELL, Kan. — The second night of the Blue Valley Shootout saw Lawrence and Lee’s Summit North advance to the championship game, which will be played on Friday. Lawrence defeated Grandview, while Lee’s Summit North got past host Blue Valley.
In the consolation bracket, Ruskin defeated Sumner, while Olathe South ran away from Wyandotte.
Here, Prep Hoops Kansas takes a look at several of the tournament’s top forwards.
John Boyer, 6’7, F, 2020, Olathe South
Boyer has terrific size at 6’7 and a well-rounded skill set on the block. He likes to post up, gets wide on the block and presents a good target for his guards. Boyer has a nice baseline spin move that he uses. gets terrific position in the paint and can turn and shoot soft shots off the glass out of the post. He largely let the game come to him but when aggressive he’s a tough match-up for opponents. Boyer went for 11 points and four rebounds with all his points coming in the second half in a 66-47 win over Wyandotte in the consolation bracket on Thursday.
Brett Chapple, 6’5, F, 2019, Lawrence
Chapple didn’t have a big game scoring the ball, but he was a force on the offensive boards. He hauled in 10 rebounds and scored six points, but those numbers bely his impact on the game. He is all hustle all the time, works hard in the paint, sets tough screens and is a pest at the defensive end of the floor.
Branden Eckles, 6’5, 2021, Olathe South
Eckles is one of the KC area’s top young big men with terrific size and length, good athleticism for a youngster, and a well-rounded versatile skill set that could see him eventually transition even more to the perimeter. He handles it well, can shoot it from the outside and likes to attack opposing big men off the dribble.
Eric Galbreath, 6’7, C, 2019, Lawrence
Galbreath gives Lawrence a rim protecting big man who runs the floor well, blocks shots and gets on the offensive glass. He’s not a big scorer, but is a hard worker who brings a big motor to the court.
Siler Tschirhart, 6’8, PF/C, 2019, Blue Valley
There aren’t many bigger, stronger interior players around the Tschirhart who has been a varsity standout for three years already. He works hard in the paint and has an old school type mentality for a big man, willing to post up and get big in the paint and forces double teams and help. He was often surrounded by a smaller Lee’s Summit North team on Thursday, but when given an opportunity he came up big in the lane.