KSHSAA State tournament rising stars!

The star-studded rising stars list goes deep! Here are 5 that still have unfinished business taking their game to the next level. [caption id="attachment_192775" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-192775" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/08/Jayden-Wooten-cropped-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Photo: Prep Girls Hoops Prep Girls Hoop[/caption] [player_tooltip player_id="198386" first="Jadyn" last="Wooten"]- Wooten absolutely stole the show during the state tournament at Koch Arena. From showing off her handles or scoring as many points for her team as she possibly could, she was a fan favorite and showed why she is one of the top players in the state. From getting all the way to the rim, finishing a floater, pull-up jumpers, deep 3s, there wasn’t much anyone could do but double team Jadyn all tournament. At one point in time in the game, against Derby Jadyn had all but 2 points for her team and nearly outscored the panthers alone. With her being so young, it will be exciting to see what she does in the years to come. [player_tooltip player_id="198606" first="Destiny" last="Smith"]- The panther future is in good hands with Destiny at the front of it all. Destiny loves to score the ball and isn’t afraid of the big moments. From knocking down the 3 balls, shifting her opponents one way while she goes the other way, and finishing with the best of them at the rim, you’ll get your money worth when watching her play. Smith has a high IQ on both sides of the basketball which makes a lethal weapon no matter who she plays! Her aggressiveness and feisty style of play cause chaos for the opposing team. She is one of those players you love to play with and hate to play against. Addy Brown- There is no secret that Addy is the talk of the town as one of the best players out there. What stands out to us as to why? Her ability to play without fouling is a huge upside! A dream come true for most coaches to have a rim protector in the game for the majority of the game. She doesn’t just rebound and block shots, but if you give her the ball on the block you can almost count the bucket as a sure thing. She causes a lot of mismatches with her ability to be so versatile on the court, which is the reason she is a rising star. [player_tooltip player_id="94960" first="Ava" last="Jones"]- Averaging 21 points and 16 rebounds for Nickerson this season, [caption id="attachment_192553" align="alignright" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-192553 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/07/Ava-Jones-Nickerson-PF-2023-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Nickerson and Wheat State Elite Paul PF 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="94960" first="Ava" last="Jones"]. Photo by Robert kelly[/caption]this isn’t half of what she can do. She has a knack for the ball which separates her on the glass when rebounding, to go along with that she is physical which causes problems for everyone pursuing the ball. From scoring dump-off layups, post moves, scoring off the bounce, it’s easy to see why so many Division 1 schools are after her when she opened up her recruitment. With her size and frame, how coachable she is, the ceiling is very high for what is to come for Jones. [player_tooltip player_id="23467" first="Aubrie" last="Kierscht"]- Averaging 20 points per game and leading her team to an undefeated regular season, Aubrie was a scoring sensation all year long! Kierscht didn’t stop at the regular season, she continued the tear in playoffs leading her team to the state championship. What makes her so consistent? The amount of moves she has in her arsenal keeps the defense on their toes. She loves to get out on a fastbreak and score in a variety of different ways which separates her.