Kansas High School Basketball Stories, ITT

[Sandstone Outcropping]

So I was going down a rabbit hole about KS high school basketball coaches and ran across this article about Keith Riley at Hill City. He has been a coach there since 1967. Still the head coach. Has won 3 state titles. Coached his son Geoff to a 2A state title in 1998. Has the ringneck off to a 5-1 start this season. Share incredible KS high basketball stories, ITT. If you like Hoosiers, you will love this thread.

https://sportsinks.com/part-i-of-iii-thats-what-he-loves-to-do-20-stories-on-how-hill-citys-keith-riley-moved-past-john-lockes-legendary-731-victories/

[Sandstone Outcropping]

Also, before he was our starting center, Hayden Gillum had a role in making this story involving the Hanover Wildcats go viral:

https://twitter.com/Hayden_Gillum55/status/972315946890203136?s=20&t=pdrBKBbU4m16AyFTvHYUmA

[Sandstone Outcropping]

Classic footage of 1996 Sylvan Unified Mustangs on their way to a 1A state championship. They would go on to eliminate a heavily favored Brewster squad (starring future K-Stater Josh Reid who had been obliterating all kinds of statistical records) in the semifinals of the state tourney.

[Gooch]

That is a big ass team for 1A.

[nicname]

Classic footage of 1996 Sylvan Unified Mustangs on their way to a 1A state championship. They would go on to eliminate a heavily favored Brewster squad (starring future K-Stater Josh Reid who had been obliterating all kinds of statistical records) in the semifinals of the state tourney.

Absolute beasts in football as well. Post rock assassins

[Sandstone Outcropping]

Classic footage of 1996 Sylvan Unified Mustangs on their way to a 1A state championship. They would go on to eliminate a heavily favored Brewster squad (starring future K-Stater Josh Reid who had been obliterating all kinds of statistical records) in the semifinals of the state tourney.

Absolute beasts in football as well. Post rock assassins

They were rugged, af on the gridiron -- the most physical 8-man teams I've ever seen.

We played against this team in basketball and got totally ran out of the gym. Their court felt like it was 120 feet long. I wonder what Darris (sophomore on this team) and Clint (freshman on this team) are up to these days.

[nicname]

Classic footage of 1996 Sylvan Unified Mustangs on their way to a 1A state championship. They would go on to eliminate a heavily favored Brewster squad (starring future K-Stater Josh Reid who had been obliterating all kinds of statistical records) in the semifinals of the state tourney.

Absolute beasts in football as well. Post rock assassins

They were rugged, af on the gridiron -- the most physical 8-man teams I've ever seen.

We played against this team in basketball and got totally ran out of the gym. Their court felt like it was 120 feet long. I wonder what Darris (sophomore on this team) and Clint (freshman on this team) are up to these days.

I believe they had ~60 boys in HS at that time and like 55 played football. Seems as basketball was similar.

[BIG APPLE CAT]

When I was a jr our guys won state (6A) against the hutch salt hawks. For all the talent on that team I believe Taj Grey was the only one who would go on to play D1 ball (Oklahoma)

[Sandstone Outcropping]

When I was a jr our guys won state (6A) against the hutch salt hawks. For all the talent on that team I believe Taj Grey was the only one who would go on to play D1 ball (Oklahoma)

Amazing talent differential between 6A school and small schools. Still a quantum leap from that level to D1

[BIG APPLE CAT]

I had some classes with a guy who was on the varsity team that year and literally never played a single minute. Like not even mop up time. And one time I got into a little 4 on 4 pickup game against him - and granted that meant it was 7 marginally athletic guys and 1 varsity basketball player but anyway my point is it could have been 7 on 1 and he still would have mushroom stamped all of us in the face, with ease.

[Kid In the Hall]

Remember this dude?

[BIG APPLE CAT]

Korleone Young? ::takes drag of cigarette:: I haven’t heard that name in years

[Sandstone Outcropping]

Remember this dude?

I had forgotten all about that guy but I remember the name now that you bring it up.

[Kid In the Hall]

That video was a bit weird, but the clips of Young showed that he was far beyond his competition in high school. I have no idea if he played on the AAU circuit at the time, but, in theory, that would have offered a better glimpse of how he stacked up and, presumably, would have informed his decision to go straight to the NBA.

I saw him play a few times in high school and the fact that he couldn't really shoot beyond 10 feet didn't matter - he was so much more dynamic than everyone he was going against.

[Sandstone Outcropping]

That video was a bit weird, but the clips of Young showed that he was far beyond his competition in high school. I have no idea if he played on the AAU circuit at the time, but, in theory, that would have offered a better glimpse of how he stacked up and, presumably, would have informed his decision to go straight to the NBA.

I saw him play a few times in high school and the fact that he couldn't really shoot beyond 10 feet didn't matter - he was so much more dynamic than everyone he was going against.

Another top KS player from that time frame was L Dee Murdock from Columbus. No idea what he did after HS.

[MakeItRain]

That video was a bit weird, but the clips of Young showed that he was far beyond his competition in high school. I have no idea if he played on the AAU circuit at the time, but, in theory, that would have offered a better glimpse of how he stacked up and, presumably, would have informed his decision to go straight to the NBA.

I saw him play a few times in high school and the fact that he couldn't really shoot beyond 10 feet didn't matter - he was so much more dynamic than everyone he was going against.

Yeah, that video was so weird that I couldn't make it to the end. I'm a contemporary of Korleone but I never played against him. He didn't play AAU, as we know it now. KSHSAA rules made it hard and there weren't a lot of those teams around the state. He did play on some summer teams though. He was only at East for two years, then he went to a military prep on the east coast, to get ready for the NBA, he was never going to college. I'm sure once he went out east he played traditional AAU ball.

[Kid In the Hall]

That video was a bit weird, but the clips of Young showed that he was far beyond his competition in high school. I have no idea if he played on the AAU circuit at the time, but, in theory, that would have offered a better glimpse of how he stacked up and, presumably, would have informed his decision to go straight to the NBA.

I saw him play a few times in high school and the fact that he couldn't really shoot beyond 10 feet didn't matter - he was so much more dynamic than everyone he was going against.

Yeah, that video was so weird that I couldn't make it to the end. I'm a contemporary of Korleone but I never played against him. He didn't play AAU, as we know it now. KSHSAA rules made it hard and there weren't a lot of those teams around the state. He did play on some summer teams though. He was only at East for two years, then he went to a military prep on the east coast, to get ready for the NBA, he was never going to college. I'm sure once he went out east he played traditional AAU ball.

That's right - totally forgot about that prep year at Hargrave. I think I must have seen him in the 96-97 bball season at East.

[BIG APPLE CAT]

Maurice Evans was also a Wichita basketballer from that same time.

[MakeItRain]

Maurice Evans was also a Wichita basketballer from that same time.

I did play against him and his cousin D'Angelo. Maurice was a freshman, D'Angelo was a senior. They were #1 in 3A we were #2 in 6A. I guarded both of them at one point in the game, we whooped that ass

We played against a ridiculous amount of D1 and pro athletes my senior year alone.
Maurice Evans
D'Angelo Evans
Brian Goolsby
Jereme Tuman
Lamar Chapman
TJ Pugh
Othello Meadows
Scott Elarton
Chris Marsh
A couple of others I can't remember right now

[Kid In the Hall]

Maurice Evans was also a Wichita basketballer from that same time.

Evans was the guy who prompted the eternal baby Roy Williams to call him after his announcement and tell him he couldn't believe a kid would pick a school like Wichita State over KU, that he would regret it for the rest of his life, etc.

Real grown up stuff.

[nicname]

I never knew MIR was such a super stud.

[MakeItRain]

I never knew MIR was such a super stud.

We were a top 10 team in the region so our 27 year old first year coach was really ambitious with scheduling. Also back then the Western Athletic Conference, was amazing in basketball. Garden and Dodge were both top 5 in 6A. Liberal, Hays, and Great Bend were all ranked in 5A.

[Skipper44]

That video was a bit weird, but the clips of Young showed that he was far beyond his competition in high school. I have no idea if he played on the AAU circuit at the time, but, in theory, that would have offered a better glimpse of how he stacked up and, presumably, would have informed his decision to go straight to the NBA.

I saw him play a few times in high school and the fact that he couldn't really shoot beyond 10 feet didn't matter - he was so much more dynamic than everyone he was going against.

Yeah, that video was so weird that I couldn't make it to the end. I'm a contemporary of Korleone but I never played against him. He didn't play AAU, as we know it now. KSHSAA rules made it hard and there weren't a lot of those teams around the state. He did play on some summer teams though. He was only at East for two years, then he went to a military prep on the east coast, to get ready for the NBA, he was never going to college. I'm sure once he went out east he played traditional AAU ball.

Young played AAU on the 76ers with the Rush bros, Corey Magette, etc

[MakeItRain]

That video was a bit weird, but the clips of Young showed that he was far beyond his competition in high school. I have no idea if he played on the AAU circuit at the time, but, in theory, that would have offered a better glimpse of how he stacked up and, presumably, would have informed his decision to go straight to the NBA.

I saw him play a few times in high school and the fact that he couldn't really shoot beyond 10 feet didn't matter - he was so much more dynamic than everyone he was going against.

Yeah, that video was so weird that I couldn't make it to the end. I'm a contemporary of Korleone but I never played against him. He didn't play AAU, as we know it now. KSHSAA rules made it hard and there weren't a lot of those teams around the state. He did play on some summer teams though. He was only at East for two years, then he went to a military prep on the east coast, to get ready for the NBA, he was never going to college. I'm sure once he went out east he played traditional AAU ball.

Young played AAU on the 76ers with the Rush bros, Corey Magette, etc

Do you happen to remember what year he started playing with them? They were based on the Missouri side, right? One of my high school teammates played AAU in Oklahoma but even then, he didn't get to play with them very much. I can't remember a single Kansas based AAU basketball program back then.

[Gooch]

Best player I ever saw in person in high school was probably Craig Duerksen from Hillsboro that went to Seaton Hall or Jacy Holloway from Moundridge. Duerksen threw down a 360 dunk on a breakaway against Andover in our Adolph Rupp tournament.