Mid America Classic: The Post Players

Several notable post players participated the 24th annual Mid America Classic held at McPherson High School. Drawing class 4A-6A teams from the far west, northeast, north and south of Kansas, this was a great opportunity to watch some of the best in the state and look for the raw and developing.  After watching all four second round games here's my look at the post players. [caption id="attachment_26120" align="alignright" width="300"] Manhattan's Kia Wilson readies for a dribbling Dani Winslow, Olathe South, to cross half court.[/caption] <strong>Kia Wilson</strong>, Manhattan, 6'2", 2019 -- The University of Nebraska - Omaha is getting one of the best centers in the state. While she and her teammates endured an awful night in their semi-final game with Olathe South, as detailed in a previous <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2019/01/mid-america-classic-point-guards-and-play-makers/">article</a>, what stands out to me is she's one of the stoutest as well. Wilson is physical, long, shoots quickly, and has three-point range. <strong>Dani Winslow</strong>, Olathe South, 6'1", 2020 -- While the Missouri State University bound center is one of the best centers in the state as well, what stood out to me is her versatility, ability to handle the ball, speed, and her defense inside. While she doesn't have as powerful of a build as Manhattan's Kia Wilson, she has as complete of a game as you'll find. Everything combined makes her extremely difficult to match up with. [caption id="attachment_26121" align="alignleft" width="300"] McPherson's Maggie Leaf posts up against a Ulysses defender[/caption] <strong>Maggie Leaf</strong>, McPherson, 5'10", 2019 -- Leaf is a difficult match-up for most post players. Bigger posts usually do not have the quickness to guard her nor the speed to keep up in transition. That likely explains why she has so much success as an offensive rebounder. Leaf also has point guard type ball handling abilities and is a perimeter threat. Often the biggest Bullpup on the floor, she also usually draws the opponents' best centers and power forwards to defend. <strong>Gina DeFazio</strong>, Wichita Southeast, 6'0", 2019 -- DeFazio has the build, reach, and three point shooting ability to make her a difficult match up for opponents. She does a good job of taking up space in the lane, can block shots, and gets the ball in the air quickly from the perimeter. DeFazio is a Hesston College commit. [caption id="attachment_26122" align="alignright" width="300"] Wichita Southeast's Gina DeFazio clogs the lane for a Dodge City cutter[/caption] <strong>Zanaa Cordis</strong>, Manhattan, 6'3", 2020 -- Cordis is a backup center who sometimes shares the floor with Kia Wilson. Cordis' game is still developing and she has a tremendous amount of potential. Cordis is strong, can score inside, and is not a player opponents can expect to move easily because of her sheer size. Offensively she has the ability to put together two or three post moves to create a shot. Defensively, while solid, her lack of quickness makes it difficult to defend quicker posts who can score. The same lack of quickness makes her post moves, which are very good, take longer than they should to execute. [caption id="attachment_26123" align="alignleft" width="147"] Olathe South's Mandy Truitt challenges a shot by Zanaa Cordis, Manhattan.[/caption] <strong>Mandy Truitt</strong>, Olathe South, 6'0", 2020 -- A backup center, Truitt has the potential to develop into a solid, all-around player. She already has good speed and has some adeptness at blocking shots. Truitt needs accelerate both her inside and perimeter development as a scorer, and improve as a  physical force inside against other top bigs. [caption id="attachment_26124" align="alignright" width="276"] Valley Center's Kassie Kinniburgh works for an inside post up against a Wellington defender.[/caption] <strong>Kassie Kinniburgh</strong>, Valley Center, 5'11", 2020 -- One of the biggest detriments to Kinniburgh's inside game is her teammates difficulty in getting her the ball. Fortunately she has good hands and uses a power dribble to give herself an opportunity to score after the catch. She also shoots 80% from the line once she gets fouled. Kinniburgh does a very good job of clearing rebounds and has ball handling skills to help her guards against full court pressure. Improving her vertical, diversifying her offensive post game, and showing herself as a legitimate perimeter shooter are notable areas needing improvement. The biggest leak in her game, though, is her defensive rebounding. While Kinniburgh is a strong offensive rebounder, she struggles positionally to find a body to box out at times, especially on the weak side. &nbsp;