CLASS 5A: Sophomores who Impressed

<p><span style="font-weight: 400">The opening round of the Kansas 5A state championships opened on Wednesday with quarterfinal play at Emporia State University in Emporia.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400">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.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400">The Kansas High School Activities Association announced on Thursday the remaining state tournament games will not be played.</span></p> <p><b>2 — David Kim, 6'3, G, 2022, Blue Valley Southwest</b></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400">A terrific floor general blessed with good size, frame and an outstanding feel for the game. He put together a strong all-around game in a hard fought 60-59 loss to Andover, scoring 10 points, and handed out a game high five assists. Kim put together a solid offseason a year ago running with MoKan 15U squad and saw that success carry over to the high school season. He is well-rounded scorer who can finish through contact, get to the basket and can also step out and make perimeter shots.</span></p> <p><b>24 — Skyler Clevenger, 6'0, G, 2022, Andover Central</b></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400">Clevenger has not yet gotten a lot of hype as a 2022 prospect but he is a well-rounded guard with potential. Playing for a deep Andover Central team, he came off the bench in Emporia but provided a spark and was on the floor in key moments. He is a crafty ball handler and is a terrific outside shooter. He went 3-for-4 from the field, 2-for-3 from 3 and scored eight points and added four rebounds.</span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><b>4 — [player_tooltip player_id="952447" first="Carson" last="Kieffer"], 6'1, G, 2022, Hays</b></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400">An underrated guard for Hays, Kieffer has good size and strength at 6'1 and plays a smart, heady game. He is at his best leading his team at the point guard position and plays well alongside fellow standout guard [player_tooltip player_id="889506" first="TJ" last="Nunnery"]. He is a solid all-around scorer who can get to the basket and finishes tough chances through contant. He scored 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting and added six rebounds and three assists in a hard fought win over Highland Park.</span></p> <p><b>1 — [player_tooltip player_id="891910" first="Trevor" last="McBride"], 6'1,G, 2022, Basehor-Linwood</b></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400">McBride put together a strong freshman season and a terrific summer running with SSA Elite a year ago. He is a strong two-way player who excels at the defensive end of the court, can handle the ball at a high level and is a terrific lead guard. McBride is a strong outside shooter, but often looks to defer to teammates and looks to set up others. He had a quiet game scoring the ball in the Bobcats' win over Andover Central, but played a good floor game.</span></p> <p><b>4 — [player_tooltip player_id="952449" first="Tyler" last="Schultze"], 5'10, G, 2022, DeSoto</b></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400">Schultze was a key varsity player as a freshman a year ago for DeSoto and has taken his game to new heights as a sophomore. He is a solid floor general who is strong with the ball and brings a gritty, tough brand of basketball to the court. He works hard at the defensive end, fights through screens and gets into opponents. He  went for eight points and three rebounds in DeSoto's quarterfinal contest.</span></p>