For the initially time due to the fact the 2015-16 season, the Springfield Information-Leader is bringing again its All-Ozarks basketball teams as we honor the ideal higher faculty athletes from throughout southwest Missouri.
In addition to our Dominant Dozen, in which we title the 12 most impactful players of the time, we’re offering you our choices for who the major gamers in the location ended up in a group format regardless of class and conference. We are picking this staff primarily based on who in the region we would most want on the flooring with the match on the line.
The Information-Leader is asserting a initial and a second group and honorable mention selections. Athletes were chosen by News-Chief observations, conversations with coaches and some others, observing emphasize movies and weekly figures, the player’s team’s power of schedule and viewing each and every player’s effect on their teams in the course of the year.
Listed here are the Information-Leader All-Ozarks boys’ basketball choices for the 2022-23 year.
To start with Crew All-Ozarks
Ahlante Askew, Republic
Askew’s enhancement from his freshman year to his senior was fairly the journey to enjoy. He was tabbed as the following wonderful participant to occur out of Republic and lived up to it through his very last few seasons.
Askew stepped into area superstardom these very last two years, primarily this year, as a player who could set on a show anytime he took the ground. He could place up big factors when desired but he was so committed to finding teammates concerned and supporting them build whilst using a 15-12 staff from a year in the past to a single that finished 24-4 this season and was a person of the greatest teams in the spot all period extensive.
His numbers this year have been what you’d want to see from an unselfish guard who ended up on the all-point out staff. He averaged 15.5 details, 5.3 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game. He’s been one of the area’s greatest for a number of seasons now and we’re fired up to see whatever’s next for him.
Kael Combs, Nixa
The recipient of the Information-Leader’s 2022-23 significant university boys’ basketball participant of the 12 months honor was unstoppable all period and was the most entertaining participant to view on a nightly basis.
His supreme athleticism divided him from the relaxation as a star both on the court docket and on the soccer field. Combs manufactured people about him greater though participating in his initial period as a stage guard beneath 1st-calendar year head coach Brock Blansit.
There ended up only a handful of gamers in the point out who could gradual him down as he set up the next-most factors in a solitary time in Nixa’s record. He averaged 23.4 details, 6.9 rebounds and 6.1 assists for every recreation. Anyone demands to signal him quickly.
Jacob Lafferty, Sparta
There was not a participant in the Ozarks who burst on to the scene rather like Lafferty did this time as he emerged as just one of its elite gamers.
Lafferty elevated Sparta to becoming one particular of the greatest groups in the region. The 6-foot-5 junior experienced a knack for recognizing when he was able of getting in excess of video games by just currently being a better athlete than anyone on the floor or when he was experience with his jump shot — and he’d do it all with a smile on his facial area.
Heading into 2023-24, Lafferty will be in conversations when thinking about who the very best participant in the place is.
Kyle Pock, Bolivar
A spectacular occupation for Pock finished with a Class 5 Participant of the Year honor when he averaged 20.6 points, 8.7 boards, 1.2 blocks and 3 assists for every match. He might be the greatest player to at any time occur via Bolivar.
The Northern Iowa dedicate made it by way of a hard 12 months that involved a stretch of games he performed by disease and a several games late in the calendar year with a hand injuries. He still had a younger Liberators workforce be competitive versus some of the very best in the Ozarks on a nightly basis.
Pure prospect-clever, Pock was the finest in the Ozarks this season. He is received the Division I human body and the capability to shoot from anywhere. He played every single place on the court docket in each individual of his 4 seasons and he was just one of the greatest passers and rebounders the region has had about the previous several seasons. Pock was a pleasure to observe perform in the Ozarks and he is heading to be ultra-effective in whatsoever he decides to do.
Brayden Shorter, Kickapoo
The coronary heart of the Chiefs’ state runner-up crew, Shorter built an affect at Kickapoo in his two all-state seasons in the starting lineup and as one particular of the most effective overall players in southwest Missouri.
The 6-foot-5 wing was a person of the additional entertaining players to look at when he acquired going. Just one of the highlights from a good year was when he started out to really feel it from deep and just commenced throwing up 3’s and knocking them down in a district championship acquire more than Nixa.
Shorter finished the yr averaging 17.8 points and was a 42.7{b037f4174007d005f1ab9cb8d1aafc050eb5d7e8c07298e478acc145e540df6a} shooter from deep. He waited for his prospect throughout his freshman and sophomore many years and then designed the most of his odds for the duration of his junior and senior seasons. He was the top player on what turned out to be the ideal staff in the Ozarks.
Next Workforce All-Ozarks
- Tom Emrick, Mansfield
- Cole Griesemer, Hillcrest
- Trae Oetting, Kickapoo
- Curry Sutherland, Logan-Rogersville
- All Wright, Joplin
Honorable Point out
- Jay Baxter, Stockton
- Ryder Blevins, Forsyth
- Nick Burri, Greenwood
- Luke Bushey, Dadeville
- Wil Carlton, Marionville
- Amarre Clark, Hillcrest
- Collin Clark, Greenwood
- Jalon Cryer, Hartville
- Clayton Garrison, Chadwick
- Elias Govan, Parkview
- Isaiah Inexperienced, Neosho
- Cooper Extensive, Seneca
- Brady Nicholson, Ash Grove
- Aaron Poage, Camdenton
- Jaxon Rowden, Good Grove
- Josh Shockley, Cabool
- Garrett Snyder, Hollister
- JD Tate, Spokane
- Max Templeman, Carthage
- Aiden Vaught, Crane
- Cody Voysey, Strafford
Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist with the Springfield News-Leader. You can make contact with him at 417-371-6987, by electronic mail at [email protected] or Twitter at @WyattWheeler_NL.
