All-State Basketball: Meet the premier players in Kansas from the 2018-19 season

Top 15 Boys

FIRST TEAM

Xavier Bell - Andover Central, 6-4, Jr.

One of the most explosive and promising players in Kansas, Xavier Bell was one of the catalysts to Andover Central’s first boys basketball state championship.

As part of the one of the most dangerous trios in Kansas along with All-State seniors Braden Belt and Easton Leedom, Bell led the way with 20 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. He had 16 points and 10 rebounds in the Jaguars’ 58-47 win over Basehor-Linwood in the Class 5A title game and surpassed 1,000 career points in just his third season.

Bell has already started to receive Division I offers. He brings an aggressiveness in the paint and excellent shot selection that makes him a top five player in Kansas. His court vision is well above average and he quarterbacks the Jaguars’ offense.

Bell’s workload will increase significantly next year with Leedom and Belt graduating. After winning the state title, he said he looked forward to taking the torch but still could not believe what he and the group had accomplished.

Christian Braun - Blue Valley Northwest, 6-7, Sr.

Christian Braun was the latest installment of Blue Valley North’s Division I talent in the 2018-19 season.

While helping the Huskies to their third straight Class 6A state championship, a 53-41 win over Washburn Rural, Braun was the unquestioned leader, averaging 29.6 points and 10 rebounds per game in Kansas’ top classification of high school basketball on his way to single-season school records in both categories.

Last year, Braun fell in line among arguably the most talented team in the state with All-Class seniors Joe Pleasant, Parker Braun and Sam Ward. This season, he both filled the void of their absence and carried on the Huskies’ tradition, pushing Blue Valley Northwest to a 66-9 record over the past three seasons.

Braun helped BV Northwest to a 23-2 record with only one loss to a Kansas-based team and is committed to play at the University of Kansas following his graduation.

Cevin Clark - Arkansas City, 5-11, Sr.

No one averaged more points.

Cevin Clark was must-see basketball throughout 2018-19, averaging 31.8 points and 5.7 assists in his final season at Arkansas City. He finished 80 points shy of 2,000 for his career.

Ark City was a bit of a Cindarella story last year. The Bulldogs finished third in Class 4A-Division I with a win over this year’s 5A champion, Andover Central, to end the season.

This year wasn’t as fruitful, but Clark served as a beacon not only to the team but also to the Ark City community. He finished with games of 46, 45 and 41 points. He dropped 40 three times and at least 30 six other times. He never scored fewer than 21.

Clark played in 87 games throughout his Bulldogs career. He shot 54 percent from the floor as a senior and 48 percent for his career.

Clark broke down defenses like houses of cards. He attacked the paint and shot from deep. He got to the free-throw line and often guarded the opponent’s top scorer, including All-State selection Xavier Bell, who played in AVCTL II with Clark.

Clark is signed to play at Cowley County after his graduation.

Caleb Grill - Maize, 6-4, Sr.

Caleb Grill received the most All-State coaches’ nominations of any player in Kansas.

Grill, who has signed to play at South Dakota State, led Maize to its best season in school history. The Eagles reached the Class 5A semifinals before falling 74-66 to eventual champion Andover Central in what was a one-possession game with 90 seconds to go.

Although defenses keyed in on him throughout the season, Grill averaged 18.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. But that wasn’t all. Grill was the Eagles’ leader in points, steals and assist-to-turnover ratio.

He shot 48 percent from the floor and 35 percent from three-point range. He surpassed 1,000 career points as a senior and finished games with 43 and 30 points, and also had 10 others in which he scored at least 20.

Grill has been named the MVP of AVCTL I, arguably the strongest league in Kansas, for the second straight year. He was the MVP of the Colby midseason tournament and is now a two-time Wichita Eagle All-Metro selection.

Caleb Muia - Girard, 6-3, Sr.

Girard shined brightest in Class 3A in 2018-19 because of Caleb Muia.

Muia averaged 23.9 points, 10 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.8 steals a night in leading the Trojans to the first boys basketball title in school history with a 22-3 record and 49-45 win over Beloit in the championship game.

Girard’s title had been building. Two years ago, the Trojans finished 8-9. Last season, they were 14-5. But Muia took the leap from good to great this year, as evidenced in the state semifinal game against TMP-Marian.

In that 62-50 win, Muia scored 33 points and snared 11 rebounds. He accounted for well over half the Trojans’ points.

Muia was a freshman the last time Girard made the state tournament. The Trojans entered the tourney undefeated but fell in the semifinal round to eventual champion Collegiate and finished fourth. This year, Muia led them over the hump and to history.

Jesse Herrmann - Andover Central, Coach of the Year

After knocking on the door for three years, the Jaguars walked into Kansas’ elite club this season.

Andover Central won its first boys basketball title in school history after three straight trips to the state semifinals without a championship. Coach Jesse Herrmann was the orchestrator.

Directing three of Kansas’ top players in junior Xavier Bell and seniors Easton Leedom and Braden Belt, Andover Central finished the season 22-3 after a 58-47 win over Basehor-Linwood in the Class 5A title game.

As Leedom dribbled out the final seconds, Herrmann raced down the sideline toward the Jaguars’ student section in Emporia’s White Auditorium and released a yell and fist-pump that had been longing to come out.

Andover Central’s big three combined to average 54.8 points per game and totaled 67 in its semifinal victory over undefeated Maize.

Herrmann is the only coach in Andover Central history. The school opened in 2001 and has been building to this year’s title since. After winning the championship, Herrmann said it is special to think back to all the former players who know what went into the 2018-19 product.

Second Team

Ty Berry - Newton, 6-3, Jr.

Tymer Jackson - Olathe North, 6-1, Sr.

Jackie Johnson III - Wichita Southeast, 5-10, So.

Brett Liebl - Central Plains, 6-3, Sr.

John Pfannenstiel - Ness City, 6-1, Sr.

Third Team

Braden Belt - Andover Central, 6-0, Sr.

Easton Hunter - Andale, 6-2, Jr.

Kael Kordonowy - Maize South, 6-6, Sr.

Easton Leedom - Andover Central, 6-3, Sr.

Trey Sides - Phillipsburg, 6-1, Sr.

Top 15 Girls

FIRST TEAM

Carly Bachelor - Washburn Rural, 6-0, Sr.

Carly Bachelor has been climbing a mountain for four years.

In danger of never getting to the top, facing a Derby team that hadn’t lost in 44 straight games, she pushed through. Washburn Rural beat Derby in the state semifinals and Topeka a day later in the championship game to capture the Junior Blues’ first state title in a decade.

In the 55-50 upset of Derby, Bachelor had 22 points and 12 rebounds, going toe-to-toe with fellow All-State selection Kennedy Brown. She repeated that production in Washburn Rural’s 54-42 win over Topeka in the final.

Bachelor leaves Topeka as the leading career scorer and rebounder in Washburn Rural history with 1,776 and 953, respectively. She was named the Centennial League’s MVP three times and makes her first appearance on the Eagle’s All-State Team this season.

Bachelor averaged 19.4 points and 9.5 rebounds as a senior, production she will hope to maintain after signing to continue her career at Creighton.

Kennedy Brown - Derby, 6-6, Sr.

One of the greats to come through Kansas has played her final high school game.

Kennedy Brown, Kansas’ first female McDonald’s All-American, wrapped up her career with a third-place finish in Class 6A after a 71-40 win over Olathe Northwest. It wasn’t the payoff the Panthers were looking for, but the accolades of this senior class are undeniable.

Brown and the Derby girls class of 2019 finished their high school careers with the first state championship in school history and the longest undefeated streak in school history — spanning 44 games, four trips to the state tournament and three spots in the state semifinals.

Brown went out strong in the Panthers’ third-place game, finishing with 23 points and 16 rebounds, a block shy of a triple-double.

As a senior, Brown averaged 17.2 points, 11.8 rebounds and 4 blocks per game. She was named MVP of AVCTL I, a league that featured three sub-state finalists, and finished her career as the No. 2 scrorer and rebounder in Panthers history with 1,463 points and 1,121 boards. She holds the program’s top spot with 434 career blocks.

Brown has played with the U.S. U18 National Team and is signed to continue her career at Oregon State.

Sarah Beth Gueldner - Olathe Northwest, 5-9, Sr.

Sarah Beth Gueldner’s career was filled with high points, but she saved her best for the final stretch.

Olathe Northwest finished fourth in Class 6A. Gueldner averaged 23.7 points in three recent state-tourney games and scored 31 in the Ravens’ 57-46 victory over then-undefeated Liberal in the quarterfinals.

Gueldner’s name is splattered throughout the Northwest record book. She leaves with the top spot in career, season and single-game points, plus three-pointers attempted, made and percentage. And that sharpshooting ability will land her at Drake next season.

Gueldner was named the Sunflower League MVP in a conference that included state qualifiers Olathe North, Olathe East and Shawnee Mission Northwest. She averaged 21.6 points per game as a senior and hit 57 three-pointers.

Olathe Northwest finished 16-9. It was the Ravens’ best season since 2012, the only other time they have reached the final four of a state tournament.

Emily Ryan - Central Plains, 5-10, Jr.

Emily Ryan received the most coaches’ nominations in our girls All-State voting.

Ryan has become a small-town basketball icon in Kansas. She make her second straight trip to the Eagle’s All-State top five after winning her third state championship in three seasons with a 50-34 victory over Hanover. The most dangerous news for teams across the state: She returns for her last run next season.

Ryan averaged 30.6 points per game as a junior. Only All-State boys selection Cevin Clark posted more, and Ryan typically played about 20 minutes.

Along with being a prolific scorer, shooting 72 percent from the floor and 49 percent from three-point range, Ryan added 6.1 assists and 5.6 steals per game.

In the championship game, Ryan finished with 29 points, six assists and six blocks. This season, she had 14 games of at least 30 points and a season-high of 49.

Former Claflin star Jackie Stiles holds eight Kansas high school girls basketball records. With Ryan’s return next season, she has the potential to cut that number down.

Ryan sits ninth on the state’s all-time scoring list with 2,292 career points. She is the only junior in Kansas history to eclipse 2,000.

Alayna Townsell - St. Thomas Aquinas, 6-0, Sr.

There were questions, but Alayna Townsell and the Saints had answers.

With the graduation of last year’s All-State selection Sereena Weledji, St. Thomas Aquinas figured to be strong but down compared with its previous three state championship teams. That didn’t prove true as Townsell led the Saints to their fourth straight title, a 59-38 win over Blue Valley Southwest in Class 5A.

Opponents focused their defensive efforts on Townsell. In a quarterfinal game at the state tournament, then-undefeated Maize South held her scoreless. She bounced back with 34 points over the final two games.

Townsell is poised from any point on the floor. She can shoot from distance or put her back to the basket against the tallest players in the state. Her quickness and footwork make her a nightmare to guard.

Townsell was a first-team All-Eastern Kansas League selection and averaged 16 points and four rebounds while facing double teams throughout the season.

She finished her Aquinas career with four trips to the state tournament and four state championships. She will bring that winning pedigree to Hampton, where she is committed to play upon her graduation.

Pat Stiles - Central Plains, Coach of the Year

Central Plains holds the longest win streak in Kansas high school basketball history, and Stiles and his staff are the only constant.

The Oilers broke the record previously held by the Hoxie girls with a 69-13 sub-state title win over Atwood that sent them to their seventh state tournament appearance in the past eight years. They went on to win their sixth straight title, a state record.

Central Plains’ past three titles have come thanks in part to All-State selection Emily Ryan, one of the most respected players in Kansas, but Stiles has implemented a winning culture with lofty expectations.

This year, the Oilers played some of the best teams in the state during the regular season. They beat 2A runner-up Sterling by 35, 1A regional runner-up Otis-Bison by 29 and later by 30 and 3A sub-state finalist Haven by 33.

They beat their three state tournament opponents by a combined 93 points, and Ryan returns next year for her senior season.

Second Team

Ryan Cobbins - KC Piper, 6-0, Sr.

Kade Hackerott - Goddard, 5-11, Jr.

Claire Kaifes - Mill Valley, 5-11, Sr.

Payton Verhulst - Bishop Miege, 6-2, So.

Katie Wagner - Maize South, 5-11, Jr.

Third Team

Nijaree Canady - Topeka, 6-0, Fr.

Macy Doebele - Hanover, 5-11, Sr.

Bri Rutherford - South Central, 5-7, Sr.

Nena Taylor - Parsons, 5-8, Sr.

Dani Winslow - Olathe South, 6-0, Jr.