After a flip of the coin, Bishop Miege point guard Trevor Releford edged out Wichita Heights sophomore Perry Ellis for Kansas' Most Valuable Player honors following the 2009-10 boys basketball season.
Trevor Releford, Bishop Miege
File photo by Dean Backes
While averaging 18.2 points, 6.2 assists and 2.4 steals per game, Releford helped the Stags add the Class 5A state basketball title to the Class 4A state football championship won by the Stags last fall.
The 6-foot senior led Bishop Miege (25-0) to a second straight appearance in the Class 5A title game by throwing in 58 points in three state basketball tournament games, including 24 points in the 71-47 championship win over Topeka West.
Releford and the Stags lost 54-52 to Topeka Highland Park in the 2009 Class 5A state championship contest.
“The kid plays at such a high level,” Bishop Miege coach Rick Zych said of Releford in a previous story posted on MaxPreps.com. “My job is pretty simple, really. I have to make sure he practices hard every day. If you don’t work hard in practice it doesn’t carry over to the next game. My job is to push him in practice and to push him in games.”
Ellis, last season’s MVP, led Wichita Heights to its second straight Class 6A title with a 56-40 triumph over Blue Valley Northwest earlier this month. The 6-8 sophomore, who has already scored more than 1,000 points in his high school career, averaged 22.2 points and 10.5 rebounds during his sophomore season.
The Falcon center scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as Heights pulled away from Blue Valley Northwest in the Class 6A state championship game. Ellis is just as dangerous handling the ball and putting up 3s as he is banging inside, often bringing the ball up court against pressure. The two-time all-stater also shot 35-percent from 3-point range during Height’s 23-2 campaign.
Joining Releford and Ellis on the Kansas Super-Six basketball team are Shawnee Mission South’s Will Spradling, Leavenworth’s Nino Williams, Kansas City-Sumner Academy’s Reese Holliday and McPherson’s Christian Ulsaker.
Holliday, the second-leading scorer of the Super Six, led the Sabres to the Class 4A state championship by ripping the cords for 23.8 points an outing during the 22-4 campaign. The 6-3 senior also pulled down 11.4 rebounds and dished out 4.5 assists a game.
Spradling led Shawnee Mission South to the Class 6A quarterfinals by scoring 20.1 points a game. He also averaged 5.7 assists and 6.1 rebounds during his senior season. The 6-2 guard poured in 34 points during the Raiders’ 62-59 overtime loss to Blue Valley North in the Class 6A quarterfinals.
Williams’ 24 point scoring average is tops among the state’s boys Super Six. The 6-5 senior led the Pioneers to a fourth-place finish in the Class 6A state basketball tournament in Emporia earlier this month. Ulsaker spearheaded the Bullpups to a fourth place finish in the Class 5A state basketball tournament in Topeka by scoring nearly 20 points a contest.
Below is a look at the Kansas boys Super Six and Class All-State basketball teams.
Kansas Boys Super Six
Perry Ellis, Wichita Heights 6-8 So. 22.2
Trevor Releford, Bishop Miege 6-0 Sr. 18.2
Will Spradling, Shawnee Mission South 6-2 Sr. 20.1
Nino Williams, Leavenworth 6-5 Sr. 24.0
Reese Holliday, Kansas City-Sumner Academy 6-3 Sr. 23.8
Christian Ulsaker, McPherson 6-5 Jr. 19.8
Second Team
Alex Santiago, Burrton 6-0 Sr. 29.0
Alex North, Topeka West 6-6 Sr. 17.5
Bubba Starling, Gardner-Edgerton 6-5 Jr. 18.5
Blake Jablonski, Wichita Collegiate 6-2 Sr. 15.3
Marshall Miller, Andover Central 6-5 Sr. 16.3
Trey Unrau, Moundridge 5-11 So. 26.5
Class 6A
Weston Ehlers, Blue Valley North 6-1 Sr. 16.9
Perry Ellis, Wichita Heights 6-8 So. 22.2
Will Spradling, Shawnee Mission South 6-2 Sr. 20.1
Nino Williams, Leavenworth 6-5 Sr. 24.0
Tyler Kalinoski, Olathe East 6-3 Jr. 15.5
Evan Wessel, Wichita Heights 6-5 Jr. 12.4
Second Team
Tyler Brashears, Blue Valley Northwest 6-2 Sr. 13.0
Onzay Branch, Topeka High 6-5 Sr. 15.9
Rico Hogan, Dodge City 5-10 So.12.9
Dreamius Smith, Wichita Heights 6-0 Jr. 9.2
Marquis Addison, Olathe South 6-4 Sr. 11.0
Ryan Schultz, Maize 6-4 Sr. 13.5
Class 5A
Trevor Releford, Bishop Miege 6-0 Sr. 18.2
Christian Ulsaker, McPherson 6-5 Jr. 19.8
Alex North, Topeka West 6-6 Sr. 17.5
Bubba Starling, Gardner-Edgerton 6-5 Jr. 18.5
Marshall Miller, Andover Central 6-5 Sr. 16.3
Tra’vaughn White, Kansas City-Washington 5-10 Jr. 24.9
Second Team
Blake Bell, Wichita Bishop Carroll 6-6 Sr. 16.4
Rodney Givens, Bishop Miege 6-1 Sr. 15.0
Conner Langrehr, Gardner-Edgerton 6-4 Sr. 19.2
Justin McCay, Bishop Miege 6-4 Sr. 9.0
De’ontae Hooks, Kansas City-Harmon 6-4 Sr. 21.4
Davonte Grant, Topeka Highland Park 5-10 Sr. 13.0
Class 4A
Reese Holliday, Kansas City-Sumner Academy 6-4 Sr. 23.8
Colin Murphy, Basehor-Linwood 6-5 So. 16.0
Sean Osler, Cheney 6-5 Jr. 19.0
Micah Swank, Pratt 6-0 So. 15.1
Adam Hasty, Ottawa 5-11 Jr. 12.0
Clint McCullough, St. James Academy 6-6 So. 23.0
Second Team
Matt Swank, Pratt 6-3 Jr. 15.8
Tyler Shirley, Rose Hill 6-3 Sr. 16.0
Ron Baker, Scott City 6-1 Jr. 19.6
Evan Allen, Maize South 6-3 Jr. 17.0
Kurt Walker, Topeka Hayden 6-0 Jr. 13.0
Braden Thompson, Nickerson 6-4 Sr. 15.95
Class 3A
Matt Buhler, Rossville 6-4 Sr. 19.0
Grayson George, Minneapolis 6-1 Jr. 15.3
Blake Jablonski, Wichita Collegiate 6-2 Sr. 15.3
Chris Santoya, Halstead 5-10 Sr. 16.1
Bryce Douvier, Sedgwick 6-6 Sr. 21.5
Luke Olsen, St. Marys 6-1 Sr. 15.8
Second Team
Bryce Cornejo, Wichita Collegiate 6-3 Sr. 10.0
Mitch Buhler, Rossville 6-2 Jr. 16.0
MacKenzie Redding, Burlington 6-4 Sr. 16.2
Blake Nachbor, Douglass 6-4 Sr. 14.7
Dillon Corbett, Smith Center 6-3 Sr. 19.6
Dylan Shalberg, Lakin 6-3 Sr. 16.0
Class 2A
Bradley Argabright, Olpe 6-0 Sr. 16.0
Carson Konrade, Spearville 6-3 Sr. 21.9
Trey Unrau, Moundridge 5-11 So. 26.5
Lonnie Penner, Berean Academy 6-0 Sr. 11.0
Dane Brinker, Seneca-Nemaha Valley 6-2 Sr. 15.1
Derek Banzhaf, Lyndon 6-1 Sr. 18.0
Second Team
Jesse Watt, Pittsburg-Colgan 6-4 Sr. 12.4
Willie Cauley, Spearville 6-10 So. 14.4
Jacob Simmonds, Peabody-Burns 6-3 Sr. 19.0
Damon Trotnic, Oswego 5-11 Sr. 20.0
Tevin Strack, Humboldt 6-1 Sr. 18.7
Mark Riordan, Salina-Sacred Heart 6-2 Sr. 11.4
Class 1A
Chase Clancy, South Gray 6-1 Sr. 25.0
Jerod Diederich, Hanover 6-3 Sr. 15.7
Kyle Haverkamp, Baileyville B&B 6-5 Sr. 18.0
Alex Santiago, Burrton 6-0 Sr. 29.0
Kevin Wissman, Otis-Bison 6-1 Sr. 22.5
Matt Bird, Quinter 6-2 Sr. 18.6
Second Team
Clay Jarnagin, Coldwater-South Central 5-10 So. 24.6
Tate Andrews, Sharon Springs-Wallace County 6-4 Sr. 21.9
Skylor Kistler, Udall 6-2 Sr. 17.4
Alex Potuzak, Clifton-Clyde 6-9 Sr. 18.3
Kyle Bunker, Macksville 6-5 Jr. 13.2
Wade Ahlvers, Frankfort 6-1 Sr. 15.4
