The 2016 Wichita Eagle All-State boys basketball team
JERRICK HARDING
6-1, sr., Wichita Southeast
Stats: Harding, a four-year starter, led Southeast to a 20-5 record and a Class 6A runner-up finish. He averaged 34.3 points and scored 103 points in three games at the 6A tournament, breaking Dodge City star Ernie Goolsby’s 6A record of 97 points set in 1979, and scored 42 points in the Buffaloes’ quarterfinal win over Olathe East. Harding averaged 27.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.7 steals and was only the second player to lead the City League in scoring for three seasons, joining North’s Conner Frankamp. He finished his career fourth on the City League’s career scoring list with 1,818 points. Harding added 10 pounds of muscle in the offseason, and that hard work translated to his game this season in improved range and more power going to the basket.
College: Undecided
NCAA men’s pre-tournament pick: Kansas
Most memorable moment: “Probably making it to the championship game this year. We’d never gotten that far since I’ve been here and this was my funnest year at Southeast.”
Advice you’d give to young athletes: “Never get too high, never get too low. Know that you can always improve on your game.”
Favorite pastime outside of basketball: “Just chilling, hanging out with my friends and listening to music. I’m big into music … J.Cole, any Chicago rapper, to be honest.”
Coach Melvin Herring: “The thing about Jerrick that sticks out to me is that he just didn’t do it for one season, or a couple of seasons … he did it for all four years. Think about that. To have that consistency ... to come back year after year and play at such a high level is amazing to me. Whenever he stepped on the court, he was going to get buckets.
“There were times when other teams did everything they could to try and stop him and he would still score. And this season, he turned everything up a notch.”
DARRAJA PARNELL
6-3, sr., Andover Central
Stats: Parnell led the Jaguars to third place in Class 4A-I with a 20-5 record. The only game Parnell didn’t start in four seasons was the season opener his freshman year: he scored 29 points. Initially, he was a score-first player, but he progressed into a a do-everything, versatile player. This season he led Andover Central in scoring (22.0 points), assists (6.0) and rebounds (9.0), while shooting 61.1 percent from the field. Parnell, who was a Top 11 selection at wide receiver, had seven games where he was one assist or one rebound away from a triple double. In 85 career games, he scored 1,719 points, had 555 rebounds, 166 steals and 322 assists. He shot 56.9 percent from the field for his career. Teams feared his quickness and collapsed defensively as he neared the lane. But if Parnell couldn’t sneak through for a basket, he rifled passes to teammates for threes.
College: Central Arkansas
NCAA men’s pre-tournament pick: North Carolina
Most memorable moment: “Finishing my high school basketball career on a win. I know it wasn’t a state championship, but third isn’t too bad.”
Advice you’d give to young athletes: “Work hard through all four years. Don’t get comfortable with where you’re at. You can always get better.”
Favorite pastime outside of basketball: “Play video games. I stay up until 3, 4 in the morning playing video games. I may be arguably the best 2K player in the state, in the Midwest. That’s just what people say.”
Coach Jesse Herrmann: “We had several conversations with our coaching staff about if we had to guard him, how would we do it. There was no easy answer. He’s so versatile. He can play inside and outside. He’s a good passer and handles the ball so well. He has such a good first step and he’s so explosive and can go so fast with the ball.
“Defensively, he could guard a guard or a post just because of how athletic he was.”
DREW PYLE
6-3, sr., McPherson
Stats: Pyle led McPherson to the Class 4A-I title for the third straight season, finishing second with a 23-2 record. Pyle was part of two straight state titles and was 72-3 the last three seasons. A phenomenal shooter, Miege was forced to go to a triangle-and-two defense to shut Pyle and his brother, Ben, down offensively. Pyle scored more than 20 points in 20 games, while shooting 56 percent from the field and 43 percent from three-point range. He averaged 22.3 points and 3 assists. Pyle, the fifth-leading scorer in McPherson history, scored 55 points during the 4A-I tournament and made nine threes. As vital as he was as a scorer, he was just as important with his assists. Defensively he guarded opponents’ best offensive players.
College: Undecided
NCAA men’s pre-tournament pick: Michigan State
Most memorable moment: “Last year going undefeated and winning the state championship. That was probably the most memorable. It was great. We had a great group of guys. It was always fun being with them.”
Advice you’d give to young athletes: “Always work hard. Don’t take any days off. There’s plenty of days I’ve wished I was in the gym at least for a couple extra minutes or an extra day. It does fly by fast.”
Favorite pastime outside of basketball: “I golf, not very good, but it keeps me focused on school. And video games; I play Call of Duty.”
Coach Kurt Kinnamon: “Defensively he had to be able to keep guys in front of him and be a lockdown defender, too. That’s hard work when you’re asked to be the leading scorer, too. He did not seem to get tired. He took on that challenge and embraced it.
“The last couple years, the guys he was playing with were able to get him shots and take on that defensive assignment. This year he had to take on all of those roles, and he did a good job with it.”
JUSTIN ROBERTS
5-9, sr., Lawrence
Stats: Roberts led Lawrence to a 22-3 record and scored 31 points to help the Lions win the Class 6A third-place game. He is Lawrence’s career scoring leader with 1,549 points. Roberts, the son of Kansas assistant Norm Roberts, suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in April and a torn labrum in January, when he missed two full games. He played with a brace on his knee and shoulder, but led Lawrence with 19.9 points per game. He also averaged 3 assists. A true, scoring point guard, he got to the rim with ease and finished, and he made 80 percent of his career free throws. He’d often use his speed to fake a drive, step back and shoot a three-pointer.
College: Toledo
NCAA men’s pre-tournament pick: Kansas
Most memorable moment: “Probably last year, getting to the state championship, even though we didn’t win. It was a good season for us.… Just the atmosphere, knowing it can go down in history for your school, your state. It always means a lot.”
Advice you’d give to young athletes: “Just trust the process. When things aren’t going your way, due to injury or something, just fight through it and just believe and keep going.”
Favorite pastime outside of basketball: “Beat Darraja in 2K. He says he’s the best player in the Midwest. But I haven’t seen that on paper at all.”
Coach Mike Lewis: “He’s just real crafty. He’s an all-around scorer and can really score the basketball. He’s a natural scorer, but also a scoring point guard. This year with injuries and missing a couple games, he still finished with 442 total points. I look back and say, ‘Man, if he was healthy, what could have happened?’ He’s just a true competitor.
“… He’s a really tough kid. That toughness was contagious with hi teammates. He was tested, physically and mentally, with his injuries.”
MICHAEL WEATHERS
6-3, sr., Shawnee Mission North
Stats: Weathers helped lead SM North to a 21-4 record and its first Class 6A title with an 80-56 win over Wichita Southeast. He scored 73 points during the tournament, making 25 of 40 shots. Weathers, who played with his twin, Marcus, averaged 20.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 3.1 steals. He had 29 blocked shots and shot 58.7 percent from the field. Weathers scored 1,626 career points and because of his speed, he could get to the basket with ease. A dedication to lifting weights in the offseason helped him gain strength to better finish around basket. He was able to use his length and quickness defensively to shut down even the best scorers.
College: Undecided
NCAA men’s pre-tournament pick: North Carolina
Most memorable moment: “Winning state this year. Just to experience this with your team. It’s like a family, and we grew as a family over the year, so it was fun experiencing it with all of them.”
Advice you’d give to young athletes: “Work hard and stay consistent at what you do. if you put in the work, you will see the results. It’s just a matter of you being willing to try.”
Favorite pastime outside of basketball: “Mostly hang out and play video games with my friends. I play Call of Duty and I destroy Darraja every time.”
Coach Steve Stitzer: “He’s kind of irreplaceable. He was double-teamed, triple-teamed from last year on. There was no one that could stop him. He’s so instrumental in our run. Everyone bought in and followed him. He wanted to be a leader, and a leader has to step up, too. He showed everybody the way.
“He played defense. He played offense. He was everything you want on the court playing a basketball game.… There wasn’t anyone who could guard him and hold him one-on-one. They couldn’t stop him. It was so impressive to watch.”
MITCH FIEGEL
Collegiate coach
Fiegel, a two-time All-State coach of the year, won his sixth title when Collegiate beat Hugoton 68-49 in the Class 4A-II championship. Fiegel’s other five titles came in 3A, and he last won in 2009 and 2010.
Fiegel, who is 456-183 in 27 seasons at Collegiate, has finished second twice and third twice.
Collegiate, which finished the season on a 13-game winning streak, outscored opponents by an average of 71-43.
Senior Kendall Reed: “I’d say the thing that makes him a special coach is probably the experience that he has. He’s been coaching for 30 years, and he knows what he likes and doesn’t like. All the knowledge that he has acquired is something that has really helped, especially this team over the last four years, because he can share that knowledge to help the really good teams get to the highest levels.
“He just has a way of getting people to give their best effort. He has the ability to get the best out of all his players, even when they’re not playing well.”
This story was originally published March 19, 2016 at 12:29 PM with the headline "The 2016 Wichita Eagle All-State boys basketball team."