VK Top 25: Let’s rank the area’s top basketball teams and give preseason league picks

The 2019-20 high school basketball season began Thursday as the Wichita East girls and South boys got wins.

Here are the top 25 boys and girls teams and league predictions in the Wichita area ahead of the bulk of the upcoming season:

Top 25 Boys Teams

1. Wichita Southeast (Class 6A)

Southeast finished third in Class 6A and won its first City League title since coach the Joe Mitchell days. With junior point guard Jackie Johnson III back from his first All-Metro selection, the Buffaloes are eyeing their first boys basketball title since 2008.

2. Andover Central (Class 5A)

The Jaguars are fresh off their first boys basketball title in school history. They beat Basehor-Linwood in the Class 5A title game. Andover Central brings back arguably the best player in the state in senior guard Xavier Bell.

3. Campus (Class 6A)

Campus returns perhaps the best roster in the Wichita area and maybe all of Kansas. The Colts lost to Southeast in their Class 6A sub-state championship game last season. They have never won a boys basketball title.

4. Bishop Carroll (Class 5A)

Bishop Carroll fell victim to one of the biggest comebacks in Kansas high school boys basketball history in the Class 5A semifinals last year. The Golden Eagles return top players like Alex Littlejohn and Tanner Mans.

5. Augusta (Class 4A)

The Orioles reached their first state title game for the first time since 1996 last year. Augusta lost to KC Piper in the last game of the 2018-19 season. Now it’s about replicating that success and showing it wasn’t a fluke.

6. Andale (Class 4A)

7. Eisenhower (Class 5A)

8. Collegiate (Class 3A)

9. Trinity Academy (Class 3A)

10. Maize South (Class 5A)

11. Maize (Class 5A)

12. Hutchinson Trinity (Class 2A)

13. Derby (Class 6A)

14. McPherson (Class 5A)

15. Wichita Heights (Class 6A)

16. Cheney (Class 3A)

17. Kapaun Mt. Carmel (Class 5A)

18. Andover (Class 5A)

19. Wichita South (Class 6A)

20. Rose Hill (Class 4A)

21. Wichita East (Class 6A)

22. Kingman (Class 3A)

23. Inman (Class 2A)

24. Wichita Northwest (Class 6A)

25. Arkansas City (Class 5A)

Boys League Predictions

City League

Southeast has to be the favorite out of the City League, but Carroll will be eager to get over the hump. Since the program’s revival in recent years, the Eagles haven’t won a title. You can also never count Heights out under coach Joe Auer, who enters his 25th season.

1. Wichita Southeast

2. Bishop Carroll

3. Wichita Heights

4. Wichita East

5. Kapaun Mt. Carmel

6. Wichita South

7. Wichita Northwest

8. Wichita West

9. Wichita North

AVCTL I

Campus is looking for school history and has the guns to do it. With Maize figured to be down after losing double-digit seniors, Derby still finding its footing after a 6-15 season and Salina Central replacing coach Doug Finch, the stars seem to be aligned for the Colts.

1. Campus

2. Maize

3. Derby

4. Salina Central

5. Salina South

6. Newton

7. Hutchinson

AVCTL II

Reigning 5A champion Andover Central is the obvious choice out of AVCTL II, but Eisenhower is on the rise. The Tigers are seeking their fourth state tournament appearance in five years, and with senior point guard Jordan Vincent, anything seems possible.

1. Andover Central

2. Eisenhower

3. Maize South

4. Andover

5. Arkansas City

6. Valley Center

7. Goddard

AVCTL III

Augusta took the state tournament by storm last season, reaching the Class 4A title game. Now the Orioles will look to carry that momentum into a league schedule featuring a much-improved Buhler team and of course McPherson.

1. Augusta

2. McPherson

3. Buhler

4. Circle

5. Winfield

6. El Dorado

AVCTL IV

It could be a matter of man vs. machine. Andale is one of the state’s most organized squads, but Collegiate’s Gradey Dick and Rose Hill’s Koby Campbell are two of Kansas’ best players. Do those teams have enough around them?

1. Andale

2. Collegiate

3. Rose Hill

4. Clearwater

5. Mulvane

6. Wellington

Central Plains League

Trinity quietly went through a coaching coach. Replacing former leader Chance Lindley will be one of the biggest challenges of the season.

1. Trinity Academy

2. Cheney

3. Kingman

4. Garden Plain

5. Belle Plaine

6. Chaparral

7. Medicine Lodge

8. Conway Springs

9. Douglass

10. Independent

Central Kansas League

There isn’t a runaway favorite in the CKL. Nickerson won it last year but lost its best player in unanimous All-CKL selection Hunter Jones. Haven has a lot of solid pieces coming back and could be the biggest contender in a league that could be a little down.

1. Haven

2. Nickerson

3. Hillsboro

4. Larned

5. Halstead

6. Hoisington

7. Hesston

8. Pratt

9. Smoky Valley

10. Lyons

Top 25 Girls Teams

1. Wichita Heights (Class 6A)

Heights has four of the top 25 players in the area, including Laniah Randle, who checks in at No. 3. The Falcons won the City League outright last season but were upset in the quarterfinal round of the state tournament.

2. Derby (Class 6A)

Derby lost an All-American but could be even better this season. The Panthers bring back a lot of unproven talent, but talent nonetheless.

3. Maize South (Class 5A)

Maize South had a brutal draw at state last year. Despite going undefeated in the regular season, the Mavericks were the No. 5 seed after forfeiting five games because of an eligibility issue. They lost to eventual champion St. Thomas Aquinas in the first round.

4. Goddard (Class 5A)

Goddard was just as good as Maize South last year. In fact, the Lions’ only two regular-season losses came to Maize South in tight games.

5. McPherson (Class 5A)

McPherson spawned a new rivalry with St. Thomas Aquinas in the state semifinals last season. After years of battles with Bishop Miege in 4A, the Pups are up in 5A and are looking to contend again with the four-time defending champion Saints.

6. Maize (Class 5A)

7. Cheney (Class 3A)

8. Garden Plain (Class 2A)

9. Nickerson (Class 4A)

10. Circle (Class 4A)

11. Bishop Carroll (Class 5A)

12. Hesston (Class 3A)

13. Halstead (Class 3A)

14. Andover Central (Class 5A)

15. Wichita East (Class 6A)

16. Andale (Class 4A)

17. Haven (Class 3A)

18. Trinity Academy (Class 3A)

19. Kapaun Mt. Carmel (Class 5A)

20. Eisenhower (Class 5A)

21. Wichita Northwest (Class 6A)

22. Conway Springs (Class 2A)

23. Rose Hill (Class 4A)

24. Augusta (Class 4A)

25. Wellington (Class 4A)

Girls League Predictions

City League

Heights is the favorite, and if the City League has another girls champion this season, it would be a wild upset. The Falcons have more talent on paper than anyone in the area, and the rest of the teams in the league have a lot to replace.

1. Wichita Heights

2. Bishop Carroll

3. Wichita East

4. Kapaun Mt. Carmel

5. Wichita Northwest

6. Wichita South

7. Wichita Southeast

8. Wichita West

9. Wichita North

AVCTL I

Signs point to the same old story, but maybe not. Derby has won the AVCTL I title three straight years over Maize, but the Panthers have a lot of big names to replace.

1. Derby

2. Maize

3. Salina Central

4. Newton

5. Hutchinson

6. Salina South

7. Campus

AVCTL II

This league is up for grabs. Maize South won it by two games last year, but Goddard might have more experience than the Mavericks this season, and Andover Central and Eisenhower are two of the up-and-coming teams to watch in all of Kansas.

1. Maize South

2. Goddard

3. Andover Central

4. Eisenhower

5. Andover

6. Valley Center

7. Arkansas City

AVCTL III

There is little reason to believe this year will be any different. McPherson is 73-2 against league opponents since joining AVCTL III. Circle and Augusta are formidable opponents, but the Bullpups have a potential championship roster this season.

1. McPherson

2. Circle

3. Augusta

4. Winfield

5. Buhler

6. El Dorado

AVCTL IV

Rose Hill was the talk of the town last season. The Rockets were one of the surprise teams of the area, and Andale had an uncharacteristically down season. The Indians will be out to prove it was just a fluke, but Rose Hill is trying to show it wasn’t.

1. Andale

2. Rose Hill

3. Wellington

4. Collegiate

5. Clearwater

6. Mulvane

Central Plains League

The CPL had the Class 2A champion and Class 3A runner-up in 2018-19. Rivals Garden Plain and Cheney had an outstanding 44-7 combined record. They figure to be nearly as strong this season, with some of the top players in the league on those rosters.

1. Cheney

2. Garden Plain

3. Trinity Academy

4. Conway Springs

5. Kingman

6. Chaparral

7. Medicine Lodge

8. Douglass

9. Independent

Central Kansas League

This might be the best league race in the Wichita area if not all of Kansas. At least four teams enter this season with the genuine belief that they can win their league title. If forced to choose, Nickerson probably has the deepest roster among the top contenders.

1. Nickerson

2. Hesston

3. Halstead

4. Haven

5. Pratt

6. Larned

7. Hillsboro

8. Smoky Valley

9. Lyons

10. Hoisington

Hayden Barber

The Wichita Eagle

316-269-6760

Wichita Eagle preps reporter Hayden Barber brings the area updates on all high school sports while adding those hard-to-find human-interest stories on Wichita’s student-athletes.