Award Ceremony Update

by David Brox - davidbrox@shukc.com 

No the date is not changing.  We are still set for December 17th, 10:00 AM at the Legends theater.  We have a special guest presenter that I am real excited about.  He will be presenting the Offensive Player of the Year award.

I can say now that I have all the trophies set and ready to go.  There were a few damaged in shipping but that has been resolved.

Award Ceremony

The above link will provide all the details we have released so far about the candidates and information pertaining to the event.  The event will begin promptly at 10:05 so please plan to arrive a little early.  I want to provide plenty of time for pictures at the end.

Emmitt Lockridge - President of the Black Officer Association which is one of our sponsors for the event will be presenting the Game of the Year award.

Tyrone Bates - Director of Alternative Schools will be presenting the Coach of the Year award.

Marlon Mitchell - Class of 92 and starting QB for Schlagle will be presenting the Play of the Year award.  Marlon's mortgage company will be an event sponsor.

Nick Sloan - KCK Preps will be presenting the Defensive Player of the Year award.  Nick is an individual sponsor for the event.  His donation and help has been fantastic as well as appreciated.

Our special guest presenter as stated before will announce the Offensive Player of the Year.

David Brox - KCK Preps and SHUKC will be announcing the Top Prospect award.

I want to thank Steve Williams Sr. who has been extremely helpful in passing the word around and helping promote what we are trying to accomplish.  I have talked to many of the coaches as well and am now in a mode of counting the days.

I am awaiting a final decision from the district 500 in relation to jerseys.  We have their firm support for attendance but some discussions are still taking place on the use of jerseys.  I am very patient and happy with the response we have gotten from the district so I am thinking positive that this will work out.  I think the pictures will be awesome.  So parents and friends please make sure you bring your cameras.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/events/285112408177515/

If you are attending please click attending on this event if you are on facebook.  I have a room that seats 150 to 184 and some idea on the numbers will be good information to have.

I am truly excited and nervous as I have never planned anything like this.  Its success is important to lay a foundation for a new age of sports coverage in KCK.  We will not take a back seat to Johnson County and the Missouri schools.  It is a community effort however and I am asking for everyone to support us with your time.

Feedback and questions are 100% welcome at the email up top.

NOTES:

• I still need a couple of hostesses.  I really would like cheerleaders to be at the event in uniform to again show the unity of the community.
• I found Justin Lockery who I think is the only one I haven't heard back from.  This is obviously not a required event but I want to make sure at least everyone is aware.  If you do not attend we will work through coaches to get trophies to the players.

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My first ballot in the 810 Varsity poll

By NICK SLOAN, NJSloan212@gmail.com

As mentioned last week, KCK Preps has a ballot for the 810 WHB high school basketball poll.

I'll post the full poll that includes everyone's votes later, but in the interest of transparency, I've decided to disclose mine every week.

With it just being the second full week in Kansas and the third week in Missouri, this poll will be the worst poll of the year simply because information is limited. Here in a few weeks and early January, we should be able to distinguish the true contenders.

Anyway, here's my initial ballot, along with comments about some of the teams. 

1. Olathe Northwest: Willie Cauley, the 6'10 monster in the middle, has signed to play college basketball at Kentucky. His teammate Shavon Shields will be heading to Nebraska. Having two big-time Division 1 prospects as starters is never a bad thing. They are loaded and even though they have not played a game yet, they start number one on my ballot.

2. Lee's Summit North: Will Harrington and Tory Miller are your inside and outside duo for Lee's Summit North. The Broncos started off with two 20-point victories and did it in different fashions. They absolutely shut down Lincoln Prep, holding them to 26 points and four points in the first half. They also demonstrated that they could score into the 70s. Five players so far are averaging at least six points. They are very balanced and look for them to be high in this poll all year.

3. Blue Valley Northwest: Clayton Custer is a stud. Custer sliced up Harmon's defense, as the sophomore scored 26 points. Custer will have to lead the way this year, as the Huskies lost three of their top players. However, their 29-point victory against the Hawks shows they should have another good year.

4. Sumner Academy: As 2011 starts, they are the pride of KCK. Their victory against Hogan Prep was awesome and Marcus Allen's 31 points were outstanding. Allen and Benny Parker scored 59 points in the game. Can they do that each night? Who knows, but the Sabres are off to a great start and that win should get metro-wide attention. The message: Sumner's not going anywhere. I still think Sumner has a little issue with depth, but sometimes depth can be overrated - especially when you have Parker and Allen. (FULL DISCLOSURE for new readers - I'm a Sumner Academy alum.)

5. Hogan Prep: Even with the loss to Sumner Academy, I still I have them in my Top 5. They will be a great team and are the big favorite to repeat in Missouri Class 3. Once that team comes together, look out. I expect them to do very well in the Leavenworth Tournament next week.

6. Lansing
7. Blue Springs South
8. Blue Valley North

9. Basehor-Linwood: A 35-point win on the road is a great start for the Bobcats. Along with Colin Murphy, Ryan Murphy and Ben Johnson, I'm hearing that a couple of sophomore guards played against Tonganoxie. If guard play continues to trend upwards, the Bobcats will be in this poll all year long.

10. Rockhurst
11. Olathe South

12. Ottawa: Semi Ojeleye's 36 points against St. James Academy and the Cyclones only allowing 44 points on defense are signs that Ottawa could be a tricky assignment for Sumner Academy in sub-state. Ottawa impressed me in this game and Ojeleye is unbelievable. (Please pick Missouri, Semi!)

13. Lee's Summit West
14. Ruskin
15. Olathe East

16. Liberty North: Liberty North won their first early season tournament. Their victory against a state-ranked team in Platte County is a big victory for them. A nice 3-0 start for the Eagles.

17. Leavenworth
18. O'Hara

19. Schlagle: I love Schlagle's trio of guards entering the season. Devante Clark, Houston Shackelford and D.J. Sayles should be solid all year. Also, don't forget LaRay Young. He can do damage on the wing and inside as well

20. Bishop Miege
21. Platte County
22. Grandview
23. St. Thomas Aquinas
24. Truman

25. Washington: Here's what's so fun about polls. This time come next week, Washington could be in the Top 10. I'm still not sure what to think about Washington yet. Am I the only person in the media or any voter who knows that Tra'Vaughn White, Kalen Allen, the Hibler Twins and Jervon Hooks all graduated? They lost around 90 percent of their scoring. Plus, it's unknown whether or not Dominique Wilson will be available. I respect the Wildcats basketball program a lot, but how is this team ranked so high in so many polls? There's talent with Washington, but they have giant shoes to fill. Tra'Vaughn had the heart of a lion. It's so tough to replace that. If they win against Raytown South and beat Leavenworth, they'll be in my Top 10. I think this team potentially could sneak up into the Top 5 if Wilson plays and the juniors mature. But right now, there are a ton of question marks about this team. And Washington fans - go read my coverage on The Kansan last year if you think I'm being too negative. This isn't negative - it's honesty.

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Piper Pirates Basketball Breakdown

The Piper Pirates are small but a scrappy bunch. They will be lead by junior PG Calvin Johnson. He is a lefty and I was very impressed with his overall game. Thanks to a mistake on the program of Friday nights game against Bonner Springs I thought I saw a star being born as they had number 12 listed as a freshman. I don't have his complete stat line but the eye test tells me that this kid can play.

DJ Stewart is playing a F/C role for this team and I thought he did a good job on the boards and getting to the foul line. I will need to watch him a few more times but he played very strong and has some good jumping ability. He however is going to be outsized by many big men Piper faces this year.

Guard Tyrone Jennings was extremely aggressive player going to the rim. He hit 1 of Piper's two 3 pointers in the game. The jitters were alive and well for both teams Friday so we will have to see if he is a shooter or not as time progresses.

Jennings was the leading scorer in the game but I can see that passing around a bit as any of the 5 kids starting could lead the team in scoring. We will also keep any eye on freshman Colton Beebe who scored 9 points. Getting significant time as a freshman is either a sign the team is not very deep or this young man is a player. I will cheer for the later. Good luck Colton.

We will have to see how their depth plays out over the course of the season. They traded punches with Bonner Friday night but faded late. Piper is playing in the Eudora tournament 12/6 opening against Schlagle. Good luck to the Pirates.

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AROUND THE METRO: Ojeleye, Kansas 4A basketball starts off strong

By NICK SLOAN, NJSloan212@gmail.com

Though we generally dedicate KCK Preps to athletes in Kansas City, Kan., and the Kaw Valley League, being a high school basketball junkie, it's tough for me not to write on the sport.

That said, each weekend, I'll be posting an "Around the Metro" column about high school basketball in Kansas City. I read a ton of stories and check out the MaxPreps pages of the teams who do them to see which players are standing out.

Plus, as a voter for 810 WHB's metro-wide poll, I need to start educating myself about Missouri basketball very quickly. This gives me an opportunity to do that.

Here's what is on my mind this week:

Semi Ojeleye, Ottawa Cyclones

- Ottawa dominates fellow 4A power St. James Academy. Ottawa handled St. James Academy 62-44 Friday night at home. The Cyclones were impressive and while St. James Academy's Clint McCullough scored 21 points, his teammates could just score 23 points. McCullough was the best player for the Thunder, but the best player on the court Friday night was Semi Ojeleye, a major Division 1 stud. Ojeleye, who's received offers from both Kansas State and Missouri, had 36 points Friday night. The most impressive item may have been Ottawa's defense, which gets criticized quite a bit by fans. They held the Thunder to just 44 points.

- KCK continues its recent wave of success against Kansas City, Mo., powers. Sumner Academy's four-point win in overtime against highly-ranked Hogan Prep suggests the Sabres should remain the favorite to win the 4A title for the third-straight year. Marcus Allen's 31-point game was awesome and he entered himself into the KCK Preps Player of the Year competition with that outing. Benny Parker's 28 points were all but expected in game where a high-pace of play was guaranteed. Still, that victory continues a recent wave of momentum for KCK basketball over KCMO basketball. Last year, Sumner Academy defeated Raytown South and Lincoln Prep in two fun basketball games. Washington owned Kansas City, Mo., basketball - defeating Raytown South and future state-title winners from Hogan Prep in two of the best games of the 2010-11 season. Though KCMO will always be deeper than KCK in basketball, the Sabres and Wildcats have given KCK plenty to be proud about over the past two years in basketball. The bragging rights are also nice.

- Basehor-Linwood, Lansing live up to hype in first week. Both Basehor and Lansing earned 35-point victories against Kaw Valley League competition this week. While Tonganoxie and Bishop Ward may not be strong contenders this year, 35-point blowouts are statement wins. Ryan Murphy, Colin Murphy and Ben Johnson combined for 47 points for the Bobcats and demonstrated why I think they are the best 1-2-3 punch in the Kaw Valley League. Lansing was led by Izaiah Grice's 16 points, but 10 different Lions scored and displayed the depth they are expected to have this year. The Basehor-Lansing games should be excellent this year and both teams are among the best three teams in their respective classes.

Clayton Custer, Blue Valley Northwest

- Blue Valley Northwest impressive in 29-point win against Harmon. Now, Harmon was without a few of their good players Friday night. Still, it's a bit of a rebuilding year for the Huskies, who lost EKL Player of the Year Brett Fisher, Morgan Smith and George Bugarinovic from last year's team due to graduation. Clayton Custer's 26 point night led the way against the Hawks and it looks as if BVNW will have another good year at the 6A level. Who knows what to make of Harmon. Despite having some good players out, a 30-point loss on the road to a rebuilding Huskies team was not ideal.

- 4A teams impressive early on. Earlier this week, I touched on the 4A basketball class in Kansas. So far, the typical powers look strong. Sumner Academy, Ottawa and Basehor look like strong competitors for that state title.

- Staying on the Kansas side, Blue Valley North displayed excellent balance in their 70-60 win over Olathe East. Both teams were in the preseason Top 10 in the 810 Varsity poll. Erik Higginbotham led the team with 13 points, while Connor Erikson and Conner Crooker both scored 12 points. Jawan Emery added 10 for the Mustangs. Scott Edwards, who was on the All-EKL Basketball Team last year, was held to 8 points, but is expected to have another big year for Blue Valley North.

- On the Missouri side, O'Hara senior big man Daniel Hurtt is quickly building himself a nice resume as a DiRenna Award candidate. While the Celtics competition hasn't been exactly murder's row (more like a fairground's row of shooting ducks), Hurtt is off to a very good start. He's averaging 29 points a game so far this season. On Friday against Pembroke Hill, Hurtt had 37 points and 19 rebounds. That's a good line against anyone. Hurtt was overshadowed by guys like D.J. Jackson last year, but he's the undisputed leader of the team this year. Look for "The Big Hurtt" to have a big year.

- Hogan Prep won't have too much time to heal after a loss against Sumner Academy. Hogan Prep is still one of the top five teams in the metro area despite the loss. Hogan should hammer Wyandotte in the opening round of the Leavenworth tournament next week, but possible showdowns against Highland Park, Washington or Raytown South loom later on in the tournament. Hogan Prep has an opportunity to redeem themselves after a tough loss to the Sabres. The Rams are probably the favorite entering the tournament, but Sumner Academy proved they are vulnerable. Alex Garvin and Deon Tripp's 24 combined points in their true varsity starting debuts should be inspiration for Washington's young group of guys.

- Deron Hill impressive as Ruskin earns two overtime wins. Ruskin defeated Grandview 83-82 on the road to start the season and defeated Lee's Summit 74-72 Friday night, both in overtime. The story for the team so far is the performance of Hill. Hill put up 44 points and 8 assists in the victory against Grandview, a game featuring two of the Top 25 teams in the 810 Varsity poll. He "only" scored 16 points against Lee's Summit, but is averaging 30 points on the dot. For those wanting a rematch between Ruskin and Grandview, it's possible. Both teams are in the Raymore-Peculiar Tournament next week and could face each other in the title game on December 9.

Willie Cauley, Olathe Northwest

- Lee's Summit North starts season with two big blowout victories. The deep and balanced Broncos defeated Northeast 74-52 to begin the season on Nov. 29 and handled Lincoln Prep 55-26. The Broncos held Lincoln Prep to just six points in the first half and played suffocating defense all night long. So far, five players are averaging at least six points a game. Will Harrington and Tory Miller will likely be the one-two punch during the season. Miller's 6'8" frame will be difficult to defend.

- Some big boys roll the ball out for the first time this season in meaningful games. Rockhurst and Blue Springs South will compete in the Blue Springs Tournament. Both teams could do significant damage at their class level this year in Missouri, with Rockhurst bringing back a ton of experience this season. On the Kansas side, the top-ranked Olathe Northwest squad led by future Kentucky Wildcat Willie Cauley will start their season in the Blue Valley Shootout. The Ravens and Sumner Academy could very well meet in the title game. In KCK, Washington and Schlagle will begin their quest for a state tournament birth in Kansas 5A. Questions surround Dominique Wilson's availability this year for the Wildcats. If he's available, look out. If not, look for some growing pains this year early on for Washington. Schlagle's threesome of guards with Davante Clark, Houston Shackelford and D.J. Sayles could give the Stallions a nice chance for a good season. Washington will play in the always stacked Leavenworth Tournament, while Schlagle begins their season against Piper.

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