Lapwai's Wynott wins vote for national boys hoops player honor
Dec. 25—Kase Wynott, who has not had a single game under 36 points scoring so far this season, was named the national boys basketball player of the week for the week of Dec. 12-18 by Prep Hoops, it was announced.
Wynott, a 6-foot-5 junior, earned a total of 2,342 votes in a nationwide poll conducted by the website, or 31.2% of the votes. His closest competitor was Aidan Wing of Bishop Miege High School in Roeland Park, Kansas.
He started his run Dec. 8 with a 41-point, 14-rebound effort in a 82-38 rout of Whitepine League Division I foe Prairie of Cottonwood on the road. Wynott then recorded his first triple-double Dec. 9, notching 36 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in a 105-32 pounding of league opponent Genesee on the road. Finishing the effort he was nominated for, he tallied 44 points as the visiting Wildcats bounced Clearwater Valley of Kooskia 105-34 in Whitepine League Division I action.
In Wynott's first game of the season Dec. 6, he compiled 40 points and 12 rebounds as Lapwai dusted Class 5A Post Falls 72-54 on the road.
In a game that didn't count toward his nomination, he got his own rebound and hit a putback to propel the Wildcats past Baker City (Ore.) 78-77 at the Treasure Valley High School Challenge on Thursday at John J. Easly Gymnasium on the campus of Treasure Valley Community College.
Wynott once again paced Lapwai with 38 points and 16 rebounds. In the Wildcats' five games this season, he's averaging 39.8 points.
"He's a leader and the boys really do trust him," Lapwai coach Zachary Eastman said of his effort against Baker. "You like to see veteran players take over games."
The Wildcats, who have won 41 consecutive games, next play at 3 p.m. Tuesday in the Avista Holiday Tournament against Moscow at the P1FCU Activity Center on the campus of Lewis-Clark State College.
Walden may be reached at (208) 848-2258, dwalden@lmtribune.com, or on Twitter at @waldo9939.
