Best high school players honored on 2024 Wichita Eagle boys basketball All-Metro team

The Wichita Eagle announced its 20th annual All-Metro boys basketball team on Monday, honoring some of the best high school players in the state of Kansas from the 2023-24 season.

The All-Metro team features the top players and the top coach from Sedgwick, Butler and Harvey counties based on statistics, team success, postseason recognition and area coaches’ feedback. Heights senior TJ Williams was named the Player of the Year after leading the Falcons to their third straight appearance in the Class 6A state championship game.

Here is the full look at the 2024 Wichita Eagle All-Metro boys basketball team. The girls team can also be found on Varsity Kansas.

Andrell Burton Jr., Campus senior

One of the most dominant forces in Kansas this season, Burton averaged 24.0 points, 10.4 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.4 blocks and helped lead Campus back to the Class 6A state tournament. And the 6-foot-6 wing, a three-star prospect uncommitted in the class of 2024, managed to do it while being double-teamed the majority of time. He broke the single-game scoring record with 45 points against Newton and ended his career No. 2 all-time at Campus in scoring and rebounding. Burton was named a top-5 overall player in Kansas this season, a first team all-state pick in 6A and a first team all-league pick in AV-CTL Division I.

Campus coach Zac Kliewer on Burton: “The stats that he was able to put up just show how good he was this season, which are even more impressive when you consider he was getting double-teamed for most of the season. He’s just an extremely gifted player and a great leader on and off the court for us. He’s definitely going down as one of the best Campus Colts of all time and that’s just a really cool thing.”

Tory Homan, Maize South senior

The big man in the middle who helped power Maize South to an undefeated record entering the Class 5A state tournament before suffering a season-ending knee injury. The 6-foot-7 senior averaged 12.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.8 blocks while playing for a balanced team and a loaded senior class. Homan, a Fort Hays State signee, was named a second team all-state player in 5A and a first team all-league pick in AV-CTL Division I.

Maize South coach Joe Jackson on Homan: “Tory was our Most Improved Player from his freshmen to sophomore year and then again from his sophomore to his junior year. He really grew into an impact player for us and worked on his body to get bigger and stronger and more physical. His athleticism his senior year was just off the charts. He was a shot-changer in the middle on defense. Anytime you’ve got an athletic, 6-foot-7 kid who plays above the rim, that’s going to stand out. We’re going to really miss his presence a lot next year.”

Michael Kates, Maize South senior

A leader in a deep senior class that guided Maize South to a 23-2 record and a semifinal appearance in the Class 5A state tournament. The 5-foot-11 point guard, who is uncommitted, averaged 13.8 points and 4.5 assists, while knocking down 42% of his 3-pointers and a school-record 77 makes beyond the arc this season. He also led the team in steals and charges taken. Kates was named a top-15 overall player in Kansas this season, a first team all-state pick in Class 5A and the MVP of the AV-CTL Division I.

Maize South coach Joe Jackson on Kates: “I’ve known Michael since he was in the third grade and I’ve seen the work he has put in and it’s truly second to none. He was such a leader on the court for us this season and he made a seamless transition moving from shooting guard to point guard this year. He can just flat out shoot the ball. He’s the best shooter I’ve ever coached. Michael has been an absolute joy to coach and he makes his teammates better.”

Will Thengvall, Kapaun Mt. Carmel senior

The emotional leader and leading scorer of a Kapaun team that won the Class 5A state championship. The 6-foot-4 guard, who is uncommitted, scored a combined 60 points in the semifinals and finals to will the Crusaders to the title, as he finished his senior year with averages of 17.6 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists while also knocking down 42% of his 3-pointers. Thengvall was named a top-5 overall player in Kansas this season, the Player of the Year in Class 5A and a first team all-league pick in the City League.

Kapaun Mt. Carmel coach Steve Eck on Thengvall: “His leadership really came out during the state tournament. I’d call a timeout and I barely got the chance to say anything because Will was talking to everybody. He’s a real strong kid and he was a all-state player in football, too. He was a good shooter for us and everybody just liked him. He got along real well with everybody and was just a likable person and our kids followed him and the other two seniors.”

Amalachi Wilkins, Heights junior

Few players in Kansas this season could match Wilkins’ combination of height and athleticism spearheading the back line of Heights’ defense. The rangy 6-foot-8 forward averaged 9.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.1 steals and 2.4 blocks this season, helping the Falcons reach their third straight Class 6A state championship and also winning the outright City League title. He’s one of the most enticing Kansas prospects in the class of 2025. Wilkins was named second team all-state in Class 6A and also earned first team honors in the City League.

Heights coach Joe Auer on Wilkins: “He was just a defensive beast for us and he was the fastest guy on our team, so that really put a lot of pressure on our opponents to play transition defense because he could really run. You saw that in the state tournament. He put on a show. He’s not your typical 6-foot-8 athlete. He runs like a deer and his best basketball is definitely ahead of him.”

TJ Williams, Heights senior

The Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year adds another Player of the Year achievement to his impressive resume. The 6-foot-5 senior point guard, signed to Wichita State, did a little bit of everything for Heights this season, averaging 14.0 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks while leading the Falcons back to the Class 6A state final for the third straight year. He was a two-way force all four years for Heights, as he was named an overall top-5 player in Kansas this season on top of first team all-state honors in Class 6A.

Heights coach Joe Auer on Williams: “What really stands out about TJ is his leadership. He’s obviously a very skilled kid who as a point guard we asked to contribute in a wide variety of ways. Statistically, he filled up the stat sheet every single night. But if you ask his teammates or me, the No. 1 thing with him is his leadership at practice and during games. He took ownership of every single aspect of our team success and our team pursuit of winning. He’s probably the best leader I’ve ever coached in my life. He was very concerned about everybody, how everybody was doing. He knew everybody’s story and their journey and he knew our success was deeply connected to his ability to motivated others to play at their best.”

Steve Eck, Kapaun Mt. Carmel coach

In his third year back on the high school sidelines, Eck triumphed once again to lead the Crusaders to a 22-win season and the Class 5A state championship. It was his seventh overall high school state championship, tied for third-most by a coach in Kansas history, and the first since his run of six Class 6A titles at Wichita South from 1988-96. Kapaun was led this season by All-Metro pick Will Thengvall and junior scoring dynamo Corbin Johnson, as well as Teagan Charles and Brooks Powers, among others.

Kapaun coach Steve Eck on team: “I was really happy for our guys. It was a real nice accomplishment for Kapaun and the I’m grateful to the administration who allowed me to come coach here. I’m really happy for the players and not just my starters, all the way down the bench to the freshmen who practiced with us and made everybody better. This was a total team effort.”

All-Metro boys basketball second team

Eli Benning, Northwest junior

DJ Brown, Southeast junior

Conner Chadwell, Circle senior

Reed Friesen, Hesston junior

Logan Garner, El Dorado senior

Sebastian Hines-Turner, Collegiate sophomore

Jake Jasnoski, Goddard senior

Corbin Johnson, Kapaun Mt. Carmel junior

Josh Kim, Andover junior

Chase Robinson, Heights junior

Blake Rucker, Andover senior

Kaason Thomas, Campus senior

Jackson Voth, Cheney senior

Joe Jackson, Maize South coach

All-Metro boys basketball third team

Kaiden Abasolo, Mulvane senior

Jeron Askren, Maize South senior

Austin Baalmann, Andale junior

Pierce Blue, Eisenhower junior

Mikey Brand, Bishop Carroll senior

Jayden Brown, Andover Central junior

Josh Burdick, Cheney junior

Teagan Charles, Kapaun Mt. Carmel senior

Braxton Creed, Halstead junior

Jace Evans, Rose Hill senior

Kaden Franklin, Derby senior

Jonovan Howard, South senior

Kaeden Kasselman, Garden Plain junior

Manuel Martinez, East senior

Brayden Myovela, Maize sophomore

Cooper Nace, Rose Hill senior

Tasean Williams, Northwest senior

Joe Auer, Heights coach