The 50 players you need to know this high school basketball season

BOYS

1. Israel Barnes, 6-4, sr., Southeast forward

Last season Barnes proved he was the best scorer in the City League. Now he’ll try to lead Southeast to a City League title following a junior campaign where he averaged 27.8 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. Barnes, a Weber State signee, has the versatility to guard most positions on the court and has the speed and strength to create his own shot against any defender.

2. Ben Pyle, 6-8, sr., McPherson forward

One of the smoothest scorers in Kansas, thanks to guard-like skills in a 6-8 frame. Pyle, a Western Illinois signee, averaged 22.8 points and 9.2 rebounds per game last season on a 20-5 team that reached the 4A I championship game. With the majority of the production returning, McPherson will be even stronger this season.

3. Ty Berry, 6-3, so., Newton guard

He’s behind some really good seniors, but this ranking still may be too low for Berry, who is one of the country’s fastest-rising recruits in the Class of 2020. As a freshman, Berry averaged 21.8 points and led Newton to a sub-state championship game. He’s one of the most gifted offensive players in Kansas and is poised for even bigger offensive numbers this season.

4. Tyler Brown, 6-1, sr., Derby guard

No one filled up the basket more than Brown last season, as he scored 50 points in a single game and averaged 30 for an up-and-down Valley Center team. The Hutchinson signee transferred to Derby for his senior season, as 6A competition will have to find a way to slow down one of the area’s purest scorers and best creators.

5. Dylan Vincent, 6-2, sr., Eisenhower guard

Vincent averaged 21.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 6.7 assists on Eisenhower’s best team in program history, which finished with a 23-2 record and took third place in 5A. He won’t have big man Matt Pile to run the pick-and-roll anymore, but look for Vincent, a Hutchinson recruit, to find other ways to continue to fill up the basket.

6. Cody McNerney, 6-1, sr., Collegiate guard

Mitch Fiegel has had a lot of winners over the years and McNerney’s competitiveness and ability to carry a team ranks right up there over the years. He averaged 17.9 points and 6.6 rebounds per game in Collegiate’s five-out, five-in subbing pattern. Not only a tremendous offensive player, but has the ability to play lock-down defense when he wants.

7. Mason Alexander, 6-1, sr., McPherson guard

The definition of a bucket-getter, Alexander is a tenacious competitor who has a slick offensive game and plays with flair. Him and Ben Pyle might be the most deadly scoring duo in Kansas. Alexander averaged 14.3 points and 4.3 assists last season, but should see those numbers tick upward with the majority of McPherson’s team back.

8. Mitchell Woodward, 6-3, sr., Kapaun guard

He was part of the three-headed monster that terrorized the City League season in Kapaun’s run to its first league title in decades. Woodward is the only one returning, so look for his offensive numbers to jump up even higher from last season. He’s a matchup nightmare with the ability to score in the post on guards and take bigger defenders out to the perimeter and torture them with threes and mid-range jumpers.

9. Jonny Clausing, 6-7, sr., Augusta center

The lone true big man in the Top 10, Clausing is the prototypical center in the high school game. He has a go-to move on the low block that’s difficult to stop, even when the defender knows it’s coming, and Clausing is an ideal rim protector for the Orioles.

10. Bryant Mocaby, 6-5, sr., Derby guard

Like Brown, Mocaby has transferred to Derby for his senior season after torching the nets elsewhere in the AV-CTL. Mocaby averaged more than 20 points per game at Goddard and already has 1,000 career points, thanks to his outside shooting touch in a 6-5 frame. How him and Brown mesh in Derby will be one of the most exciting storylines this season.

11. Caleb Grill, 6-2, jr., Maize guard

12. Devin Davis, 6-1, sr., Heights guard

13. Braden Belt, 6-0, jr., Andover Central guard

14. Remy Lemovou, 6-8, sr., South center

15. Cevin Clark, 5-11, jr., Arkansas City guard

16. AJ Snipes, 6-2, sr., Wellington guard

17. Xavier Bell, 6-3, so., Andover Central guard

18. Bo Gooch, 5-11, jr., Belle Plaine guard

19. Luke Evans, 6-1, sr., Carroll guard

20. Easton Hunter, 6-3, so., Andale guard

21. Tyler Kahmann, 6-3, jr., Campus forward

22. Deahvian Manning, 5-9, sr., South guard

23. Clay Cundiff, 6-5, jr., Carroll forward

24. Trent Scheer, 5-10, sr., Cheney guard

25. Bryce Wiedemann, 6-5, sr., Maize South forward

GIRLS

1. Taylor Robertson, 5-9, sr., McPherson guard

It’s hard to argue against Robertson being the best pure scorer and deadliest shooter in Kansas. She’s on pace to shatter all of McPherson’s program records, an impressive feat in itself considering how many Division I players have come through. Robertson will be the latest after signing with Oklahoma in the fall. With Mandi Cooks out at the start of the season, Robertson could average close to 30 points.

2. Kennedy Brown, 6-6, jr., Derby forward

One of the nation’s top recruits for the Class of 2019, Brown will have her pick of colleges when the time comes. It’s hard to find a 6-6 player who can shoot from the outside like Brown. In the high school game, Brown remains her most effective near the basket where she can protect the rim and suck up all rebounds. She’ll be close to a double-double machine for a Derby team that has its sights set on a 6A title.

3. Ryann Stearns, 5-9, sr., Andover Central guard

When Stearns makes up her mind with the ball, there’s few defenders in the state who can stop her. She has a nice outside shot, but also the aggressiveness to take it to the rim and finish in the paint. The senior is headed to Texas-San Antonio after high school, but she appears to be in store for a big senior season with the Jaguars after averaging 16 points last year.

4. Tre’Zure Jobe, 5-7, sr., South guard

There was an inkling of doubt last season that South could maintain its winning ways and Jobe all but answered those questions by taking her game to the next level. She averaged a team-high 14 points per game on a 22-1 South team that played at a slow pace and lost its first game in the state tournament. Look for Jobe, an Emporia State signee, to have even bigger numbers in her senior year.

5. Tor’e Alford, 5-7, jr., Derby guard

An under-rated point guard on one of the best teams in 6A, Alford returns for her third straight season running Jodie Karsak’s offense. Alford, who is verbally committed to Missouri State, didn’t put up flashy stats last season, but usually came up big when the Panthers needed it the most. She’s surrounded by top-notch talent, so look for Alford to have another big season setting others up.

6. Bailey Bangert, 5-5, sr., Kingman guard

One of the premier scorers in 3A last season, Bangert averaged 18.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.1 assists for the Eagles. Bangert can shoot it from outside, but has an all-around game and forces defenders to guard her everywhere on the court. Despite constant attention, Bangert still finds a way to deliver 20 points nearly every game.

7. Kailey Jo Ince, 6-2, sr., Hesston forward

One of the state’s best volleyball players, Ince is also a standout basketball player. She has the athleticism to move up and down the court well and knows how to leverage her 6-2 frame inside. Ince, a Northern Colorado volleyball signee, averaged 12 points and 8 rebounds last season.

8. Kade Hackerott, 5-11, so., Goddard forward

A coach’s daughter, Hackerott looked every bit the part last season doing all of the little things that added up big for a winning Goddard team. She averaged 8.5 points and 7.6 rebounds as a freshman and with much of last season’s production graduated, look for Hackerott to use her versatility to claim a larger role in Goddard’s offense this season.

9. Ashton McCorry, 6-0, sr., Carroll forward

A shoulder injury kept McCorry out of volleyball season, but she should return in time for the start of basketball season. A long, athletic presence in a 6-0 frame, McCorry has a high basketball IQ and the length to disrupt opponents on defense. The Pittsburg State signee averaged 8.1 points and 5.2 rebounds last season.

10. Dejanae Arnold, 5-11, sr., Northwest forward

A tremendous leaper whose skills translate over from the volleyball court, Arnold was close to a double-double every game last season for Northwest. In her senior year, she’ll be even more of a factor for the Grizzlies inside.

11. DesiRay Kernal, 6-1, jr., Newton guard

12. Taylor Joplin, 6-0, sr., Garden Plain forward

13. Shanti Henry, 5-6, jr., Andover guard

14. Taylor Antonowich, 5-10, sr., Newton guard

15. Avery Rusk, 5-9, sr., Wellington guard

16. Anna Roulston, 6-0, sr., Kapaun forward

17. Loan-Anh Johnson, 5-8, sr., South guard

18. Carissa Beck, 5-7, jr., Circle guard

19. Sabrina Bellar, 5-10, sr., Conway Springs forward

20. Shayland French, 5-9, sr., Wellington forward

21. Emmiley Hendrixson, 5-3, sr., Haven guard

22. Alexis Snodgrass, 5-11, jr., Northwest guard

23. Brenna Monty, 5-6, sr., Kapaun guard

24. Kadie Smith, 5-11, sr., Cheney forward

25. Lea Coccetella, 5-10, sr., Independent guard

This story was originally published November 29, 2017 at 7:26 PM with the headline "The 50 players you need to know this high school basketball season."