CLASS 4A BOYS BASKETBALL PLAYERS TO WATCH IN 2025-26
 
 

KEGAN BATES, LABETTE COUNTY

Bates returns for his third season as a starter and once again figures to be one of the key catalysts for the Grizzlies. The 5-foot-9 guard is coming off a standout junior campaign in which he averaged 13.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.0 steals per game. His production earned him second team All-SEK honors, along with honorable mention all-state honors. Bates is fresh off a successful football season where he helped the Grizzlies to the state semifinals this past fall and is a 2-time first team All-SEK wide receiver. 
 

KANIN BROWN, FORT SCOTT

Brown, a 6-3 combo guard, is entering his second year as a starter, and hopes to take another step forward for the Tigers this winter. Brown is coming off a breakout junior campaign in which he averaged 16.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, earning All-SEK second team and Class 4A all-state honorable mention honors. It was a significant leap from his sophomore season, when he contributed just under five points per game. Brown’s confidence and competitiveness have only grown after a stellar spring on the diamond, where he played a key role in Fort Scott’s 4A baseball state championship run. 
 

COOPER CARR, BALDWIN

Carr is a 4-year starter for a Baldwin team that finished last season with an 18-5 record as he guided the Bulldogs to a sub-state championship. Baldwin lost a tough first round matchup at the state tournament to the eventual champion, McPherson. Last season, Carr averaged 19 points, five rebounds and four assists a game. Carr has led the Bulldogs to three state tournament appearances, including a final four run in 2023. He is a two-time all-state first team performer and is a candidate for Class 4A Player of the Year. Carr is also coming off an all-state soccer season where he led the Bulldogs to state runner-up finish on the pitch.  
 

BRODY HASKELL, AUGUSTA
 
Haskell, a senior and four-year starter, averaged 13.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.7 assists last season as the Orioles finished 11-10. He earned All-Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail III first-team honors and All-Class 4A honorable mention, and entered the season as one of two returning double-figure scorers along with sophomore Beckham Stoops. Both sustained early-season injuries, with Stoops’ setback, a dislocated ankle, likely sidelining him for the duration of the season. Haskell’s healing will be integral to Augusta’s success this winter. He averaged 10 points in the Orioles’ first two games.
 

JACK HORSCH, ANDALE
 
Horsch played a key role in Andale’s 20-5 campaign last winter that ended with an unbeaten run through Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail IV and a fourth-place finish in Class 4A. The league’s reigning defensive player of the year, Horsch is also the Indians’ top returning scorer at 9.1 points per game, and averaged 6.5 rebounds and 2 assists. He was third in the league in 3-pointers and steals. The 6-foot Horsch provides experience that should help ease the graduation losses of five seniors. He earned first-team all-league honors as well as All-4A honorable mention. 
 

KELLEN LANNING, INDEPENDENCE

Lanning returns as one of the SEK’s most productive players and the clear centerpiece for the Bulldogs this winter. The 6-foot-2, two-year letterman has led Independence in scoring every season he’s been on the floor, and last year he expanded that to every major statistical category. Lanning delivered a standout junior campaign, averaging 16.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.1 steals over 21 games—leading the Bulldogs in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals. His all-around performance earned him first team All-SEK honors and a Class 4A all-state honorable mention. As a sophomore, he posted 13.5 points per game while again pacing Independence in scoring and picking up all-league and multiple statewide honorable mention nods. 
 

 
AIDEN MCCULLOUGH, OTTAWA

McCullough returns for his fourth and final season, coming off a standout year in which he averaged 18 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals per game for the Cyclones. A four-year starter, McCullough is just 104 points shy of 1,000 career points and 42 rebounds from 500, milestones he could hit this season. Last year, he earned Frontier League first team honors, Burlington All-Tournament MVP, and Class 4A all-state first team selection. He helped the Cyclones to a third-place finish at the state tournament with a convincing win over Andale. Ottawa ended with a 24-1 record, with their lone loss coming in the state semis to eventual state champion McPherson. 
 

LACHLAN MCRAE, TONGANOXIE

McRae enters his senior season at Tonganoxie with a resume as a four-year starter for the Chieftains and he has steadily improved his game each year. Last season, McRae averaged 11.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game, earning second team All-Frontier League honors and an honorable mention all-state recognition. Beyond basketball, he is a four-year varsity athlete in soccer, basketball, and golf. 
 

JULIAN MERAZ, ULYSSES

Meraz is Ulysses’ top returner as the Tigers look to improve on last season’s 5-15 campaign. He averaged 10.5 points, 3 assists and 2 steals as a junior. Meraz was a second-team All-Great West Activities Conference selection. He also earned honorable mention All-4A honors.

 

ARLEY MORRELL, PRATT
 
Morrell and the Greenbacks got their first taste of the state tournament since 2017, posting a 17-6 record in a season that ended with a two-point loss to Andale in the Class 4A quarterfinals. The 6-foot-6 Morrell, a football standout who recently signed with Iowa State, averaged 20 points and 11 rebounds last winter, earning All-Class 4A and unanimous All-Central Kansas League first-team honors. Morrell has already surpassed the 1,000-point career milestone and will likely surpass 600 career rebounds before the holiday break.
 

MANNY MYERS, MULVANE
 
A two-time Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail III MVP at quarterback, Myers also put up big numbers on the court last season, averaging a team-high 15.7 points and 4.5 rebounds to earn all-league first-team honors. The Wildcats finished just 6-15 with one league victory, but Myers was part of a young roster that graduated just one senior. The 6-foot guard was part of solid 1-2 scoring punch with senior classmate Canon Lazier, who averaged 13.8 points last season. Myers averaged 10.9 points as a sophomore, helping Mulvane to a 14-7 record.
  

 
CHANE PARKER, CONCORDIA
 
Parker was the lone underclassman on the All-North Central Kansas League first team last year after leading the Panthers to a 14-8 record and runner-up finish in the league standings. A three-year starter, the 6-foot-5 Parker is one of three returning starters for the Panthers this season and was their second-leading scorer last year at 9.7 points per game. He also led the team in rebounds at 7.5 per contest.
 

 
JETT PYLE, MCPHERSON
 
While Pyle’s cousin Gabe seized much of the state tournament spotlight last season with his buzzer-beating heroics for the Class 4A champion Bullpups, Jett put the finishing touches on a solid junior campaign. He returns after averaging 13.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists during McPherson’s 21-4 season. Jett joined Gabe on the All-Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail III first team and earned All-4A third-team honors as well. The Bullpups had some key graduation losses and are dealing with flood repairs to their venerable Roundhouse. But Pyle’s return keeps McPherson’s arrow pointing upward in the backcourt.
 

CASH SCHNEIDER, EUDORA

Schneider returns as a starter for the Cardinals after an impressive freshman campaign. The 6-3 guard helped Eudora reach the sub-state championship game last season, falling to Ottawa, which went on to finish third at state. Last year, Schneider earned second team All-Frontier League honors. He was Eudora’s top shooter as a freshman, highlighted by a 30-point game against a state tournament team in Baldwin. 
 

LEO SCHOENBERGER, BALDWIN

Schoenberger, a 6-6 forward, has been a big part of Baldwin’s recent success as he has led the Bulldogs to three straight state tournament appearances, including a final four run in 2023. Last season, the Bulldogs lost on a buzzer beater in the first round to the eventual state champion, McPherson, and finished with an 18-5 record. Schoenberger earned second team all-state honors as he averaged 13.3 points, 7 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. The Bulldog senior, who is committed to play at Concordia University, also led the Baldwin soccer program to a state runner-up finish in the fall as one of the state’s best defenders. 
 

 
RIGLEY SLEICHTER, SANTA FE TRAIL
 
After losing some offensive firepower off its 2023-24 team, Santa Fe Trail needed someone to fill that void and Sleichter did just that last year as a freshman. He quickly became a force for the Chargers and finished the season as their second-leading scorer at 14 points per game while also adding 5 rebounds and 5 assists per game. The 5-foot-7 point guard was a second-team All-Pioneer League selection and was honorable mention All-Class 3A. Sleichter, who was a first-team all-league pick in baseball, is fresh off quarterbacking Santa Fe Trail to its best football season in nearly 30 years as the Chargers went 11-1 and reached the Class 3A state semifinals.
 
 

LIAM TESMER, BISHOP MIEGE

Tesmer returns for his junior season to help lead the Stags after a strong sophomore campaign. Tesmer led Bishop Miege with 14 points a game, to go along with three assists and 2.5 steals a game. His performance earned him a spot on the Eastern Kansas League third team and was an honorable mention all-state selection. Tesmer is also coming off an impressive season on the track as he won three state medals in the jumps last spring, including a state runner-up performance in the long jump and a bronze in the high jump.