Class 5, District 16 Preview
The field has been set for the Class 5, District 16 tournament, which will be held at Park Hill High School. After Staley’s defeat of Winnetonka in the first-round game on Saturday, there are four strong teams remaining with Park…
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Continue ReadingThe field has been set for the Class 5, District 16 tournament, which will be held at Park Hill High School. After Staley’s defeat of Winnetonka in the first-round game on Saturday, there are four strong teams remaining with Park Hill, Oak Park, St. Joe Central and Staley. It should make for a very interesting two nights of basketball in the Kansas City area.
Top Seed: Park Hill – The host Trojans have one of the most talented teams in the state with size, athleticism, veteran experience and young emerging players. They have a dynamic pair of athletes in 6’1″ 2018 guard Ronnie Bell and 6’2″ 2017 wing Dru Smith. Both are capable of making big plays down the stretch in winning situations, which is all-to-important at this time of the year. There is good size inside in 6’9″ 2019 prospect Roman Wilson and 6’6″ 2018 shot-blocker Cecil Lee.
Top Challenger: Oak Park – The Northmen grabbed the No. 2 seed and are enjoying an excellent season, which includes the championship of the KC Suburban White Division. Oak Park features a dynamic 2018 duo on the perimeter in 6’3″ Ochai Agbaji and 6’1″ Kaden Evans. Agbaji has emerged as one of the premier wing players in the state’s Class of 2018 class with one big scoring game after another. Evans is an excellent point guard who has grown in stature in the past year and his game as grown as well. He can really shoot it from downtown. Any team with that kind of firepower on the perimeter is a threat in March.
Darkhorse: St. Joe Central – Speaking of perimeter firepower, the Indians have one of the state’s best backcourts in 2017s Matt Austin and Jaiden Bristol. Both can score, defend, pass and take over a game at any time. The 6’1″ Austin averages 18 points a game and can be a menace on defense with his quick hands. Meanwhile, the 6’0″ Bristol averages 16 points a game while grabbing a team-high six rebounds a game. Both can flat get it. They have received support from freshman guard A.J. Redman.
Players to Watch
2017
Dru Smith 6’2″ Park Hill
Matt Austin 6’1″ St. Joe Central
Jaiden Bristol 6’0″ St. Joe Central
Chester Graves 6’5″ Park Hill
Shale Hoth 6’4″ Staley
Ryan Bedard 6’2″ Staley
2018
Ochai Agbaji 6’4″ Oak Park
Kaden Evans 6’1″ Oak Park
Willy Majok 6’0″ Park Hill
Cecil Lee 6’6″ Park Hill
J’haidyn Richardson 6’4″ Oak Park
2019
Roman Wilson 6’9″ Park Hill
2020
A.J. Redman 5’10” St. Joe Central