High school basketball preview: Andover Central Jaguars (+video)
Schedule
December – 4, Salina South; 8, at Hutchinson; 11, at Andover; 15, Eisenhower; 18, Valley Center.
January – 5, at Maize South; 8, Arkansas City; 12, Derby; 14, 15 or 16, TBA at Koch Arena; 22, at Maize (G); 21-23, at Chanute tournament (B); 26-30, at Newton tournament (G); 29, at Maize (B).
February – 2, at Goddard; 5, Andover; 9, at Eisenhower; 12, at Valley Center; 16, Maize South; 19, Goddard; 25, at Arkansas City.
Boys
Coach: Jesse Herrmann, 15th season
Last season: 15-7
Top players
Darraja Parnell, 6-2, sr., G
Cole Taylor, 6-0, jr., G
Isaac Anthimedes, 6-1, jr., G
Eyan Curtis, 5-10, sr., G
Andrew Rafferty, 5-11, sr., G
As a freshman, Parnell scored 29 points in Andover Central’s opener. His scoring hasn’t waned, and he has developed into one of the area’s most exciting players.
“It seems like he’s been playing a long time,” Herrmann said. “He’s hard to deal with if you’re playing against us because he’s so versatile and he can play inside and outside. He handles the ball a lot for us, and we can do a lot of things to make the offense go through him. He’s such an offensive weapon.”
Parnell averaged 12.9 points as a freshman, 23.1 as a sophomore and then as a junior, when he was an All-Metro selection, he averaged 21.3. He has committed to play at Central Arkansas.
He’s paired with Taylor, a can’t-miss shooter, and together they averaged 36 points per game last season.
Throw in the smooth-shooting Anthimedes and Andover Central should be a team to watch.
“I think we’re going to be fun to watch, we’ll play pretty fast and we’ll be able to score the ball,” Herrmann said. “People like to watch that.”
Curtis and Rafferty add to Andover Central’s impressive depth at guard. But Andover Central doesn’t have dominating inside players or much height, so rebounding could be an issue.
“I’m concerned about getting enough possessions to beat good teams,” Herrmann said. “Even if we’re shooting at a high percentage, if the other team has the ball more than you, it’s tough.”
The return of 6-foot-3 Peyton Huslig, who missed his junior season with a broken hand suffered during football season, could ease some of the inside concerns.
Girls
Coach: Stana Jefferson, 12th season
Last season: 18-4
Top players
Amanda Kakoulias, 5-10, sr., F
Maddie Leedom, 5-0, sr., G
Beth Schulte, 5-8, jr., G-F
Ryann Stearns, 5-9, so., G
Andover Central graduated three standouts who played for Jefferson all four seasons. But Jefferson has lost top-notch players in the past and still won.
In her 11 seasons, she has won two state titles and finished in the top four five times in Classes 4A and 5A. She also has one losing season and three with fewer than 17 wins.
“We have kids who can play, but they’ll have to do a lot of the little things that will make the team work,” Jefferson said.
Kakoulias, who has signed with Emporia State, is athletic and can be a game-changer, but she needs to be consistent.
“She brings a ton to the table, especially her athleticisim,” Jefferson said of Kakoulias. “… Maddie (Leedom) is a ball of fire and she’s going to be defensively all over the place. As a point guard, she understands the offense and type of speed and play that we want on the court.”
Leedom missed much of last season with injury but should fill in well at point guard, a position that had been run admirably by Masen Stamp, who graduated.
Schulte’s defensive presence is key, while Stearns got valuable varsity minutes as a freshman.
“I think we have all the pieces of the puzzle,” Jefferson said. “But it’s going to come down to how long it takes to get those pieces together.”
Joanna Chadwick
This story was originally published November 19, 2015 at 8:47 AM with the headline "High school basketball preview: Andover Central Jaguars (+video)."