All-Tournament/All-Class First Team
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Since there were all-tournament teams named from each class of the state tournament, we won’t repeat that process. Instead, we took on a much tougher project – to name an All-Tournament/All-Class team. For this exercise, we disregarded class or level…
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Continue ReadingSince there were all-tournament teams named from each class of the state tournament, we won’t repeat that process. Instead, we took on a much tougher project – to name an All-Tournament/All-Class team.
For this exercise, we disregarded class or level of competition. This is just simply who had the best tournament at their level.
It was not a perfect process. Marcus Zeigler Jr Marcus Zeigler Jr 6'2" | PG Wichita Heights | 2023 State KS got left off, even though he’s one of the very best players in the state. His stats just didn’t pop like some others. Same for Brekyn Ratzlaff Brekyn Ratzlaff 6'0" | PG Hillsboro | 2023 State KS , whose two state championships tell you he’s one of the best as well.
In order to get the top-performing players on the first, second and third teams, we fudged a bit on position. And we created a 6th man position for players who tend to be able to do some of everything.
Here is the All-Tournament/All-Class First Team:
Guard:
Grant Stubblefield Grant Stubblefield 6'2" | PG Blue Valley Northwest | 2023 State KS , 6-foot-2 guard, 2023, BlueValley Northwest:
Stubblefield had arguably the best tournament of any guard in the state. He directed the Blue Valley offense to the big upset of Free State, and led the comeback against Wichita Heights that came up short. The Huskies relied on him a ton, and he proved he can run an offense while also getting his own buckets. He tallied 18 against Shawnee Mission Northwest, 26 against Free State, and 16 against Wichita Heights.
Guard:
David Cobin David Cobin 5'10" | PG De Soto | 2024 State #285 Nation KS , 5-foot-9 guard, 2024, DeSoto (pictured):
Cobin struggled in the championship against Seaman, but his first two games were out of this world. Cobin was incredible getting to the basket and drawing fouls. He hit acrobatic shots and came up big in the clutch, hitting the game winner against St. James. The sophomore tore up Blue Valley Southwest for 21 points, including 10-12 from the line. Then he went ballistic against St. James with 32. He got 10 in a disappointing finish against Seaman.
Forward:
Nahcs Wahwassuck Nahcs Wahwassuck 6'5" | CG Royal Valley | 2022 State KS , 6-foot-5 guard, 2022, Royal Valley:
Ok, so Wahwassuck doesn’t play the role of forward for the Panthers, but to get him on the first team with Stubblefield and Cobin, we’ll slot him here. At 6-foot-5 he could play any spot on the floor. He took his team to the brink, and did all he could in the championship loss to Hesston. Wahwassuck lived at the free throw line in the tournament: 27-30 in three games is pretty remarkable. His three game totals: 67 points and 13 assists.
Forward:
TJ Williams TJ Williams 6'5" | SG Wichita Heights | 2024 State #176 Nation KS , 6-foot-4 guard, 2024, Wichita Heights:
Williams does it all for Heights. He doesn’t have to have the ball in his hands, and he does a lot of dirty work. But at times he ran the point, showing he has the skills and the trust of his coach. His numbers don’t pop out at you until you consider the ball handling, rebounding and defense he brought. He scored 17 against Olathe North, 15 against Olathe West, and 11 against Blue Valley Northwest, hitting 16 of 26 attempts.
Center:
Joe Otting Joe Otting 6'3" | C Hayden | 2023 State KS , 6-foot-3 center, 2023, Hayden:
One of the few true centers in the field, Otting was impressive against the long athletes in the paint at the 4A tournament. Built more like an offensive lineman than a basketball player, Otting showed off the light feet and coordination that has college football recruiters salivating. He used craftiness and agility against the bigger posts at Salina to hit 15-22 attempts from the field and to get to the line 20 times. His 23 points and 9 rebounds against top-seeded Eudora was particularly memorable.
6th Man:
Jaxson Brandl Jaxson Brandl 6'2" | CG Greeley County | 2023 State KS , 6-foot-1 guard, 2023, Greeley County:
Brandl gets slotted as the 6th man to get others on the first team, but he gets our pick for Overall Player of the Tournament. He was consistently remarkable, leading his team to the 1A Div II title. Look at these ridiculous numbers: 10-17 2-2 24 points vs Pawnee Heights; 5-12 9-10 21 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists vs Northern Valley; 14-21 3-4 31 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists vs Hanover. Nothing more needs to be said.