Meet the Enquirer All-City boys' hoop team
Meet the 2014-15 Enquirer All-City Boys' Basketball Team. The annual All-City team is made up of players from the five city high schools and is voted on by the city basketball coaches and the Enquirer sports staff:
Jahmiel Wade
Battle Creek Central
Battle Creek Central continues to groom its team of the future with a standout sophomore point guard leading the way in Wade. Wade helped direct a young BCC team that went 12-9 on the season, winning 12 of its last 17 games on the year.
Wade led the team in assists with 70 on the season with 23 steals to go along with 4.6 points per game.
"He is a real good point guard that understood where his shots should come from. He did a good job of running the offense. A smart kid that really bought into what we wanted to do. As a sophomore he was able to run the team and that says a lot," BCC coach Greg Williams said.
Juan Warren
Battle Creek Central
Warren in another young player in the rebuilding Battle Creek Central program that is looking to bounce back from heavy graduation losses. The sophomore forward made big improvements throughout the season and became a key frontcourt player for the Bearcats, which went 12-9 on the season.
Warren finished with 8.4 points per game with 6.3 rebounds and led the team in blocks.
"We think he will continue to get better and he is still growing. He is an outstanding player and had a great season for us. Really has a knack for being able to score and he still has two years to play," Williams said.
Wendell White
Battle Creek Central
White had a breakout season as a junior for the Bearcats after waiting his turn behind a big group of seniors from the season before. White, a second-year varsity player, still was one of the few experienced players on a young BCC team and helped the Bearcats to a 12-9 season.
White was a key offensive threat for the Bearcats and earned all-league and all-state honorable mention honors, averaging 15.3 points per and 8.0 rebounds, while leading the team with 27 3-pointers and 30 steals.
"After playing behind some guys last year, we knew he would have to become a leader for us and have some success for us this year for the team to be successful. He stepped up to the plate and he is just an outstanding athlete," Williams said.
James Cadena
Harper Creek
Cadena was a three-year starter for Harper Creek and helped the program win three straight district titles for the only time in school history. The senior guard helped Harper Creek to a 21-3 record and a state ranking throughout the season.
Cadena averaged 15.1 points per game and 6.5 rebounds, playing the big guard spot, and dished out 2.7 assists. Cadena earned all-league honors and was an honorable mention selection on the All-State team.
"He was part of three district championships, a big part of this program. He loves the game and is very smooth at what he does. It almost looks effortless at time, but he plays hard night in and night out," Harper Creek coach Matt Bowling said.
TraVon Johnson
Harper Creek
Johnson was a scoring point guard that put constant pressure on opposing teams throughout a dominating career with the Beavers. Johnson was a key senior guard on a Harper Creek team that went 21-3 and won a district title and was in the top 10 in the state rankings throughout the season.
Johnson finished with 19.7 points per game with a team high 5.4 assists and 2.3 steals to go along with 5.0 rebounds a contest, earning all-league and all-state special mention honors.
"His all-around offensive game was pretty darn sound. His ability to get to the basket and shoot it were good. He made us go and he had the ability to take over games at times. Just an all-around great player," Bowling said.
Khylen Watkins
Harper Creek
Watkins was a leader on the court and off and was a key shooting threat for Harper Creek during his senior season. Watkins helped Harper Creek to a 21-3 season and a district title and state ranking in Class B.
Watkins averaged 17.5 points per game and 2.4 assists and earned all-league honors and was a Class B All-State honorable mention selection.
"Khylen was a great all-around offensive player, a good shooter and he could get to the basket also. But we also put him on the other team's best offensive player because of his good defense. He was one of the best leaders we've had in a long time," Bowling said.
Hunter Bost
Lakeview
Bost was a key senior leader on a very young Lakeview team that struggled through injuries and personnel issues much of the season. Bost became a go-to scoring threat for the Spartans and was also a key player on the boards and getting the break started with quality outlet passes.
Bost finished with 10.4 points per game and six rebounds a contest.
"His value to our team wasn't necessarily measured all the time by numbers, but he was the heart and soul of our team. As a senior, he provided great leadership and willed our team to be its best," Lakeview coach Steve Wichmann said.
Steffen Kinne
Pennfield
Kinne made big strides as a quality big man for Pennfield during his junior season as his ability to score in the paint became a key to the Panthers offense. Kinne helped Pennfield to a 10-11 season in the Panthers' first year in the Interstate 8 Conference.
Kinne finished with a team-high 11.7 points per game and 7.1 rebounds.
"I thought Steffen had a great year. He is a basketball player and plays year-round, puts a lot of time into it and you could tell by his improvement this year. Next year, I think he will continually get better," Pennfield coach Steve Grimes said.
Ryan Lowe
Pennfield
Pennfield centered its offensive and defensive schemes around 6-foot-10 Ryan Lowe and the Panthers big man came up big more times than not for his team. Lowe helped Pennfield to a 10-11 season and earned all-league honors.
Lowe finished his senior season with 10.7 points per game, 7.8 rebounds and 78 blocks, adding to the career school record total he already owned going into the season.
"We had one thing that no one else had, that was Ryan's size and we used it and at times he was a game-changer. His presence on defense for three years for us was huge. He is just a quality kid on and off the court," Grimes said.
Dreyson English
St. Philip
English had a big senior season as St. Philip looked to continue its winning ways despite heavy graduation losses from the year before. English helped a young Tiger team stay in the running for a league title until the final week and earn a 14-8 record.
With good outside shooting, English finished with 15 points per game, four rebounds and three assists a contest, earning all-league honors and all-state honorable mention honors.
"He was one of our go-to players when we needed the big shot. He gave us good team leadership and was always ready to help the young kids out. A big part of a senior group that was the glue to the team," St. Philip coach Dino English said.
Hunter Haley
St. Philip
A senior leader and do-everything point guard for St. Philip, Haley helped a young Tiger team stay among the leaders in the division throughout the season and achieve a 14-8 record on the season.
Haley led St. Philip in nearly every offensive category from his guard position with 16.2 points per game, 5.7 rebounds and 5.2 assists as he earned all-league and all-state honorable mention honors.
"Hunter was our spark plug. He really got the offense going for us. A good ball-handler, it was hard to press us because of him. He had a great senior year," English said.
Honorable Mention
Jack Thompson (Harper Creek), Brandon Hutson (Harper Creek), Demetrius Craig (BCC), Kevin Greenman (St. Philip), C.J. Foster (Lakeview), Brandun Rugg (Pennfield)