1A Division I All-Idaho boys basketball team
BOYS FIRST TEAM
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: EMMIT TAYLOR III, LAPWAI
Why he is player of the year: The 6-foot-4 senior wing poured in 24.4 points per game and led the Wildcats with 7.4 rebounds. Opposing coaches started and ended their game plan with slowing Taylor, but his smooth shot allowed him to shoot 49 percent from the floor and 41 percent behind the arc.
Coach’s comment: “He is definitely one of the best shooters and scorers in the state at any level,” Lapwai coach Bob Sobotta Jr. said.
What others are saying: “He can shoot, dribble drive, rebound, pass, etc. You literally have to guard him all over the floor, which opens up so many other possibilities for his teammates,” Kamiah coach Aaron Skinner said.
What’s next: He is weighing interest from community college and NAIA programs.
ETHAN CHRISTIANSON, AMBROSE
A scoring machine, the 6-2 senior guard averaged 26.4 points per game. Idaho’s reigning Gatorade baseball player of the year set an all-classification record by averaging 40.0 points at state, and he dropped 56 points on Oregon’s Baker High.
ZANE MUSSMANN, VALLEY
An automatic double-double, the 6-5 junior forward controlled the paint on both ends of the court, racking up 13.5 points and 11.8 rebounds per game. He also erased any weak shots near the rim, blocking 2.1 shots a night for the state runner-up.
PAYCEN JENSEN, GRACE
The 6-1 senior point guard was the emotional leader on and off the court for the Grizzlies, who finished third at state. He poured in 17.3 points per game but had his hands in everything, adding 6.2 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.1 steals.
KENDALL LEIGHTON, LAPWAI
The state champs turned to their 6-3 junior guard on both ends of the floor. While locking down the opponent’s top option on the wing, Leighton averaged 11.6 points and 4.2 assists while shooting 46 percent from the floor and 40 percent from 3.
COACH OF THE YEAR: BOB SOBOTTA JR., LAPWAI
He led Lapwai to back-to-back titles, beating opponents by 20.8 points per game.
SECOND TEAM
Player | School | Height | Year | Position | Stats |
Daxx Jorgensen | Grace | 6-1 | Senior | Forward | 13.1 ppg, 8.1 reb, 3.0 ast |
Hunter Chaffee | Prairie | 6-2 | Senior | Guard | 15.6 ppg, 5.3 reb, 3.2 ast |
Payton Sobotta | Lapwai | 6-1 | Junior | Point guard | 11.4 ppg, 6.5 reb, 3.5 ast |
Gavin Miller | Horseshoe Bend | 5-9 | Senior | Point guard | 17.8 ppg, 10.6 ast, 7.2 stl |
Spencer Schumacher | Prairie | 6-4 | Junior | Forward | 13.1 ppg, 9.1 reb, 1.2 blk |
HOW ARE THE TEAMS SELECTED?
The All-Idaho teams are selected by a statewide coaches’ vote. Coaches are asked to nominate their own players for their classification’s All-Idaho teams. They then vote on a ballot built from those nominations. The Idaho Statesman tabulates the votes and publishes the results.
This story was originally published March 22, 2018 at 5:56 PM with the headline "1A Division I All-Idaho boys basketball team."