Ranking a Baker’s Dozen of Wichita Area Top 2022s, #1-#7
At the halfway point of their high school careers, players in the class of 2022 are chomping at the bit to hit the hardwoods with their club teams or at basketball camps. They are looking to not just continue to…
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Continue ReadingAt the halfway point of their high school careers, players in the class of 2022 are chomping at the bit to hit the hardwoods with their club teams or at basketball camps. They are looking to not just continue to grow their game to help their high school teams make championship runs but to be seen by college coaches and scouts while doing it. In this first of two articles, Prep Girls Hoops Kansas ranks the top 2022 Wichita area players by starting with the top seven.
Kansas United 15 Soyez’s and Wichita Heights’ versatile wing [player_tooltip player_id="48268" first="Zyanna" last="Walker"] watches the ball after an opponent’s shot during a June, 2019, USJN Pre-nationals game. Photo by Robert Kelly.#1 Zyanna Walker Zyanna Walker 5'8" | PG Wichita Heights | 2022 State #15 Nation KS , 5’6″, CG, Wichita Heights, Kansas United — Currently ranked #2 in the class. Walker was a Kansas Basketball Coaches Association (KBCA) 6A second team and two time Greater Wichita League first team selection. A 5-star, ESPN HoopGurlz selected, she is ranked ranked #13. She was averaging more than 20 points per game when she went was lost for the season February 20, 2020, with a torn ACL. At the June 2019 USJN Border Battle, Dan Olson described her as a athletic combo-guard who manufactures shots; rises on her jumper in the mid-range game with a feathery touch; handles and attacks in the uptempo game, finishes plays to the rim with either hand; and is a confident playmaker with a BCS future. Walker has received offers from Wichita State, Tennessee, Oklahoma State, Missouri State, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State and others.
#2 Cayanna Stanley Cayanna Stanley 5'4" | PG Wichita Heights | 2022 State KS , 5’4″, PG, Wichita Heights, Oklahoma PWP Elite — Selected to the Greater Wichita League second team, Stanley is ranked #6 in the class. Very fast with strong ball handling skills, she can finish through contact when attacking the basket and is a perimeter threat. Was invited to John Lucas Top 160 late summer 2019. Stanley has been offered by Florida Atlantic University.
Playing for Kansas United this past summer, Andover Central’s [player_tooltip player_id="93975" first="Brittany" last="Harshaw"] denies the passing lane to a Game Changers’ post player during a June, 2019, USJN Prenationals tournament game. Photo by Robert Kelly.#3 Brittany Harshaw Brittany Harshaw 6'0" | PF Andover Central | 2022 State KS , 6’0″, PF, Andover Central, Wheat State Elite — Ranked #10 in the class, Harshaw was a 2020 KBCA 5A first team all-state and two time Arkansas Valley Chisholm Trail League (AVCTL) Div II first team selection. She averaged 17 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists. Harshaw has received offers from Wichita State, North Dakota State, and Creighton.
Eisenhower 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="93976" first="Kyla" last="Frenchers"] works to get by two defenders from the baseline corner. Image courtesy of [program_tooltip program_id='716118' first='Next' last='Level Eclipse'].#4 Kyla Frenchers Kyla Frenchers 5'6" | PG Maize | 2022 State KS , 5’6″, PG, Maize, Next Level Eclipse — Ranked #11 in the class, Frenchers is a two time KBCA 5A honorable mention selection. She was selected as AVCTL Div I honorable mention this past season after earning AVCTL Div II first team in 2019. She has quick feet defending opposing point guards, quick hands, no-look pass ability, and a strong cross over. Frenchers has a strong motor and finishes as well as shoot the three. She holds offers from Pittsburgh State and University of Texas Rio Grande.
Wichita Northwest 2022 SG [player_tooltip player_id="125011" first="Isis" last="Sanders"] absorbs contact attacking the basket against Shawnee Mission South. Photo by Robert Kelly. #5 Isis Sanders Isis Sanders 5'9" | SG Maize South | 2022 State KS , 5’8″, PG, Wichita Northwest, Kansas United — Selected as Greater Wichita League first team this past season, she is ranked #14 in the class. Sanders is quick, fast, athletic, smart, durable, and fierce. She has the smarts to let drivers go by then their block shot from behind. Sanders can score and hurt other teams with her vision to dish off the bounce to open interior or perimeter teammates and with her headiness while dribbling with speed in transition. Plays with a chip on her shoulder and will attack an opponent relentlessly like it’s personal. She finishes with a variety of shots including a strong baby hook, quickly pulls up for a short jumper off the drive, and is comfortable attacking the basket from a variety of spots. If she gets her three point game up above 35% she will be one of the most difficult players to guard in any class.
Wichita Northwest 2022 point guard [player_tooltip player_id="158575" first="Maycee" last="James"] finishes against Shawnee Mission South. Photo by Robert Kelly.#6 Maycee James Maycee James 5'9" | CG Goddard | 2022 State KS , 5’9″, CG, Wichita Northwest, Kansas United — #28 2020 Greater Wichita League second team. A scorer. Fast, quick, and aggressive offensively with strong handles. Good offensive rebounder. Very quick and scrappy defensively. Plays and defends PG to wing position routinely. Finishes athletically. Physical and durable.
#7 Ellie Stearns, 5’8″, SG/SF, Andover Central, Wheat State Elite — Unranked. 2020 AVCTL Div II second team. Averaged 10 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.5 steals, and 2.3 assists. Shot 34% from three with 42 makes and 69% from the line. Assists to turnovers ratio of 1.24 to 1. Actively moves without the ball. Able to quickly hit the spot-up three or get into the lane off the bounce. Finishes creatively and around the rim. Denies interior pass into the post well. Fills space well with IQ on the break. While unranked, expect Stearns to debut up the ladder in the next state rankings refresh.
Featured image: Kansas United 15 Soyez’s Guadelupe Urbina-Montes (26), Maycee James Maycee James 5'9" | CG Goddard | 2022 State KS (13), and Zyanna Walker Zyanna Walker 5'8" | PG Wichita Heights | 2022 State #15 Nation KS (1) get back on defense against Kansas Fury in their June, 2019, USJN Pre-nationals game. Photo by Robert Kelly.