Blue and Gold Power Five

With the dust settled following the 2022 Greenwood Blue and Gold Tournament, Rob Yanders selects his standout players.

The Blue and Gold tournament is an excellent holiday tradition for schools of all sizes around the Ozarks. It can kick-start big runs going into the new year, allow for a great experience for young or short-handed teams,  and entertain fans of local high school hoops such as ourselves!

While The Basketball Movement monitors team success as much as the next group of fans, our Exclusive area focuses on players first.

Rob Yanders is a well-known developer of talent and an excellent scout in his own right. He selected a “Power Five” group from the tournament’s action that he believes were the biggest difference makers on the floor.

Here is Rob Yanders’ Blue and Gold Power Five from 2022 in no particular order:

Ahlante Askew

It’s hard to argue with results. Republic High’s senior point guard Ahlante Askew was the best player for Blue Division’s best team. Clutch free throws, playmaking, and a clear desire to bring home some hardware made Askew one of the tourney’s best players from the start - especially in the championship when it mattered most.

Kyle Pock

Big games are another day at the office for big Kyle Pock. Bolivar’s star has been one of the most feared players in this tournament for a while, and he did not disappoint this year with stellar scoring and hustle. His team fell short, but Pock commanded attention and was a force per usual.

Kael Combs

Nixa championed the Gold Division, their lone first-place finish in this tournament since 2014. Combs was quieter than usual in the final game, but his scoring was not needed, with his team’s barrage of threes keeping Rogersville at arm's length throughout. He had 26 against a scrappy Fair Grove squad and remains one of the area's athletes to watch.

Jacob Lafferty

A junior from Sparta, Jacob Lafferty managed to outduel Kyle Pock in overtime and lead his squad to within a few possessions of the eventual champion Republic Tigers. Smaller schools typically struggle with size, but Lafferty brings quite the presence for his team, putting himself on the radar as one of the area’s better big men.

Josh Peters

Nixa junior Josh Peters is now on the map as one of the best sharpshooters in the Ozarks. Hitting five threes against Marshfield in the quarterfinals and seven in the Gold Division championship game, Peters was a difference-maker when the Eagles needed it most. Nixa is not shy about shooting triples, and their confidence in Josh Peters is a big reason why.

Check out more highlights on our Instagram and keep it locked right here as The Basketball Movement Exclusive ramps up to bring you all the best local high school hoops coverage!

Zach Howell - UW-Milwaukee

Rob Yanders’ top high school player in Southwest Missouri last season, Zach Howell, is headed to UW-Milwaukee to continue his hoops career.

Springfield Catholic and Yanders Law alumni Zach Howell made his mark in Southwest Missouri and is ready for his next chapter. When asked if he was apprehensive about moving away to attend the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he simply said: “Honestly, not really.”

“I have been wanting to start this new chapter for a while,” Howell says. “Of course, I have a bunch of relationships back home, but I am ready for something new.”

Howell has already been in Wisconsin for about a week and is enjoying the fruits of his lengthy recruitment process.

“(My recruitment) started with SIUe the summer after my sophomore year,” Howell recalls. I didn’t have much else going even through my junior season, but I just stayed focused and worked hard. I had a visit to Texas Tech but still not a lot going on. My senior season was tough. With the weird COVID year and then also the portal… there are only like 3,000 D1 spots, but I stayed patient, kept my head down, and kept working.”

Howell then visited the campus at UW Milwaukee and was offered to play D1 hoops. He knew “right away” that is where he wanted to be.

“I had a visit with Northwest Missouri State the day before,” Howell recalls. “Then I visited (UW-Milwaukee’s) campus with Rob (Yanders), played with the guys a bit, and talked with Coach (Bart) Lundy afterward. I could tell he was a good coach but also a good person. After that talk, I went back with Rob, Sly (Yanders), and my Mom, discussed everything, and we found that there was no wavering in my decision. So, I made up my mind right there.”

This summer, Zach has his game to the grindstone as always. We at The Basketball Movement know that he is a complete gym rat.

“Defense is the thing I most want to get better at, mostly on-ball,” Howell says. “Also ball-handling, shooting, finishing… I’m trying to work on all facets.”

Asked about the takeaways from high school and AAU he will use the most, Howell delivered an answer we would expect out of one of our most frequent visitors.

“What I have relied on is hard work,” Howell says. “You cannot cheat getting better. I keep my head down and stay in the gym. High school and AAU are very different. The next level is really a combo of both. There is a higher level of competition in AAU but more organization in high school. College is both but elevated.”

If any player is ready for elevated play, it is Zach Howell. He does not take his time on the hardwood for granted, has worked for what he has, and will relentlessly work to keep improving.

Off the court, he will spend his first year or so taking gen-ed courses and getting a feel for the direction his education will head. Zach is a winner, and we have no doubt he will succeed in all areas of his exciting new journey!

Fab Five Freshmen

Rob Yanders announces his list for the Fab Five Freshmen for boys basketball in our area.

Much like our list of the Top Players in Southwest Missouri, Rob Yanders has put together a group of young men that have caught his eye this season.

Freshmen play various roles depending on school size but also based on their potential to be impact players now or in the future. Yanders is a proven talent evaluator and selected his picks based on not only current impact but potential to grow into headline names for their respective schools down the line.

These top five freshmen have been selected for their talent and potential and will be big pieces in the future of the Southwest Missouri hoop landscape:

Collin Clark - Greenwood

Brenley Hagewood - Republic

Tegan Curley - Marshfield

Peyton McDaris - Norwood

Dehrio McCaskill - Central

Getting recognized is nice, but the grind does not stop. We hope being selected means that these guys push to not only outdo each other but to become the next best player in our neck of the basketball world.

Those players NOT selected are encouraged to use this as a chip on their shoulder. Make us, and everyone else, know your name. It is up to you to put in the work required to impact varsity hoops and become a standout.

We look forward to the competition!

Keep it locked to The Basketball Movement Exclusive as teams make their state pushes, and Yanders concludes his list of the top girl players in SW MO.

Welcome to The Basketball Movement Exclusive

On behalf of Robert Yanders, his staff, and The Basketball Movement, we welcome you to The Basketball Movement Exclusive!

The Basketball Movement Exclusive is your portal to the very best content Southwest Missouri has to offer in prep hoops. Boys and girls basketball is flourishing at the high school level in this area. The Basketball Movement is narrowing its scope and making sure you local hoop-heads do not miss a thing.

As a member of The Basketball Movement Exclusive, you are granted access to articles, photos, and videos that highlight the very best area high school hoops have to offer.

Articles will feature area tournaments, standout players, notable performances, and more. All articles will be written by Wil Harrington, who has masterminded The Basketball Movement blog and social sites for the past four years. Player ranking specifics, who gets highlighted, and more insight will be overseen by Rob Yanders and his experienced crew.

Photos and videos will be flooding these pages as well. For previews, check out all the latest highlights on The Basketball Movement’s Instagram. If you like what you see there - buckle up. All content on our social media is just a teaser for what is coming on The Basketball Movement Exclusive.

Big school, small school… it does not matter to us as The Basketball Movement focuses on players first. Stay tuned as we highlight the best of the Midwest. If you or your athlete wish to get more involved with The Basketball Movement, you can contact us anytime here. Welcome again, and enjoy the ride!