Who I’ve Seen : Summer Ball All-Kansas 2023 Team
While abbreviated, the 2020 summer ball season enabled players to put to work the individual skills many were doing on their own under quarantine restrictions. Some were fortunate to live in areas where communities did not close parks down and…
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Continue ReadingWhile abbreviated, the 2020 summer ball season enabled players to put to work the individual skills many were doing on their own under quarantine restrictions. Some were fortunate to live in areas where communities did not close parks down and were ready to hit the floor when the flag waved in mid- to late-May. Others did not see their first competition until the beginning of July. From the May MAYB scrimmage in Wichita to the Gameball camp in Garden City to MAYB Reign the Plains Exposure event on July 21, I have been in the gym seeing as many teams and players as possible. The result not only will show up in the rankings refresh that will come out in August, but also has been and will continue to appear in articles. What follows is my baker’s dozen summer 2023 all-Kansas team. It is restricted to only those players I saw play live. Enjoy.
Point Guards
Emily Eck
Emily
Eck
5'6" | CG
Ellis | 2023
State
KS
, Ellis, Western Kansas Elite 2023 – At the MAYB July 11 tournament in Andover, Eck showed she had arguable the best handles on the team that day. Including versus back court pressure she showed solid vision. A strong defender who with quick feet who sits down well.
Amaya Gallegos
Amaya
Gallegos
5'8" | PG
Garden City | 2023
State
KS
, 5’7″, Garden City, Gameball Basketball 16U – Having seen Gallegos several times this summer it is apparent how well her game is maturing. Gallegos is a very quick and strong on perimeter defender but is “stupid quick” off the bounce. She can get loose in many different ways to get to the basket. Being able to absorb contact and being a good free throw shooter, hanging “and 1s” on teams is likely to happen frequently this upcoming high school season.
Mia Sarwinski Mia Sarwinski 5'5" | PG Galena | 2023 State KS , Galena, Wheat State Elite Childs Sarwinski was a pleasant surprise at the July 11 MAYB tournament in Andover. She impressed with her dime dropping on the block including off the no-look. Sarwinski also elevates well on the jumper.
Gianna Vos Gianna Vos 5'9" | SG Hugoton | 2023 State KS , 5’7″, Hugoton, Gameball Basketball 16U – Vos can hurt you with a corner three or split two defenders off the bounce to score ugly. What is more noticeable is how well she distributes the ball.
Shooting Guards
Carli Carlson
Carli
Carlson
5'8" | SG
Clearwater | 2023
State
KS
, 5’8″, Clearwater, SSA Elite 2023 – At the MAYB Summer Kickoff in June (2020), Carlson showed speed in transition, quick feet and hands on defense, quickness to get to the basket, and athleticism on the perimeter including shooting with range.
Taryn Sides
Taryn
Sides
5'7" | CG
Phillipsburg | 2023
State
KS
, 5’6″, Phillipsburg, SSA Elite 2023 – I After Sides hung 35 points on Wheat State Elite Chaos last summer I quickly bought in to her scoring ability. Certainly not a fluke, she powered Phillipsburg to a school’s first 3A state tournament appearance. At MAYB Summer Kickoff she continued to show long three point range, quick hands, and the ability to score off the bounce with athleticism. While she can create her own shot, her length and speed helps her get transition baskets. Because she often makes plays out of the offense, defenders will ease up mentally — and then they are beat. An underrated defender, as she gets stronger she will continue to stand out as one of the premier scorers in state.
Sydney Watts Sydney Watts 5'9" | SG St. Thomas Aquinas | 2023 State KS , 5’9″, St. Thomas Aquinas, Next Level Eclipse 16U Red – Watts was impressive at MAYB Reign the Plains (July 21, 2020). She is clearly a player who is what poker players call a “second level thinker.” That IQ separates her. And having the talent to take advantage of it is what makes her so difficult to guard. A creative southpaw, she uses her perimeter ability to set up basket attacks. She has a diverse offensive game and can take a hit. Watts put together multiple moves on the left block to hit a well defended, triple over time game winning 8-footer. Defensively, she has perimeter quickness to shut down dribble drives and hands to pick pockets.
Combo Guards & Wings
Summya Adigun
Summya
Adigun
5'8" | SF
Hugoton | 2023
State
KS
, 5’8″, CG, Hugoton, Western Kansas Elite 2022 Adigun – I have seen Adigun several times going back to their win over Sterling at the Sterling tournament. Adigun has been playing the point much of the summer and has been a good creator in that position. She uses her strength and quick feet to not just go by defenders but also to go at them. She also is a perimeter threat. Adigun can play three positions and power forward on occasion. Continued work on going back up off the offensive rebound, using her left more when finishing with jumpers to avoid shot blocks, and getting more air under interior jumpers out of her post-up game is needed.
McKayla Miller McKayla Miller 6'1" | CG Cimarron | 2023 State KS , 6’0″, CG, Cimarron, Gameball Basketball 16U – After seeing her for the first time at the Gameball camp in Garden City, Miller continued to show at MAYB Summer Kickoff that she is one of the most versatile players in the class. As she continues to get stronger, her ability to play and defend four positions will only get stronger. Fast, heady, long, solid handles, rangy and creative on her shot, and with a very high IQ. She picked up two NCAA D II offers after the camp.
Kaleigh O’Brien
Kaleigh
O’Brien
5'10" | SG
Remington | 2023
State
KS
, 5’10”, G, Halstead, Wheat State Elite Childs – I enjoyed seeing O’Brien play at the MAYB Summer Kickoff. It was the first time since Halstead won their double overtime win over Nemaha Central in the class 3A quarterfinals. Her development continues to accelerate. She showed strong basket attacks off the bounce and end-to-end transition speed with the ball off the rebound. Another developing versatile player in the class.
Power Forwards & Centers
MyKayla Cunningham MyKayla Cunningham 5'9" | SG Salina Central | 2023 OH , 5’9″, PF, Salina Central, SSA Elite 2023 – Outside of Miller, Cunningham is the most versatile player I saw. She will be a serious matchup problem for opponents this upcoming season. At MAYB Summer Kickoff she showed quickness to cut off baseline drives and the IQ to help well from the off side. She also has three point range and can finish with athleticism.
Ava Jones
Ava
Jones
6'2" | PF
Nickerson | 2023
State
KS
, 6’2″, PF, Nickerson, Wheat State Elite Paul – Jones’ stock continues to rise not just in the class but in the state. It is only a matter of time before attention comes from outside the state. At the MAYB Summer Kickoff her hands, transition speed, and hustle were on display. Jones is very difficult to defend around the basket due to her ability to score in a variety of ways without be selfish. Jones has garnered several NCAA D I offers.
Avery Lowe Avery Lowe 6'3" | PF Maize South | 2023 State KS , 6’1″, PF, Maize South, Wichita Lady Defenders – Lowe is one of the best, yet unknown, players in the class. At the MAYB Get Back on the Court event (June 2020) she showed athleticism and physicality even when struggling with bigger, stronger players like Norton’s Tessa Hauser Tessa Hauser 6'2" | PF Norton | 2021 State KS . Lowe was able to use her length to her advantage to score at times and showed a nice duck-in move on the block, off the catch, to get a score. Her passing ability is deceptively good. Serious upside here.