Grayson Shellhammer, Ephrata High School, senior guard
How did a basketball first get in your hands and what has your journey been like since then?
Shellhammer: “My dad and his brothers played basketball. And my two older brothers played basketball. So they were always pressuring me. At first I would say, ‘No. I don’t want to play basketball. I’ll stick with soccer.’ Then I tried it in third grade. Loved it. Here I am today.”
Sawyer Esbenshade, Conestoga Valley High School, senior
How did you first get a basketball in your hand and what has been your journey since then?
Esbenshade: “Probably my dad put a ball in my hands when I was three years old. Starting playing upward.”
How many siblings do you have and how has that impacted you as a player?
Ya’Majesty Washington, Warwick High School, senior guard
When did you first get a basketball in your hands, and what has the journey been like since then?
Washington: “When I was 7. Ever since then I just fell in love with it. Then eighth grade I had a really good year. Coach saw it and when I was a freshman he moved me up to varsity.”
What player do you look up to?
Nolan Wagner, Solanco High School, senior
Tell me about your basketball journey?
Wagner: “Growing up my older brother he played so I always watched him. I always enjoyed watching him. That’s how I got started.”
Is there a favorite player who you’ve modeled your game after?
Wagner: “J.J. Redick.”
If you could, what advice would you give to yourself as a freshman?
Jack Kenneff, a 6-2 senior just completed a successful season as the quarterback for the Blue Streaks football machine and will transition into a role of being a “glue” guy for the Manheim Township basketball team.
And no matter the sport, Kenneff, whose season-high in points last year was 11 in a loss to Lebanon, said the goal is the same.
“Always winning a championship,” he said. “I am looking to be a leader and bring everyone together.”
Hayden Martin competes as a senior shooting guard for Lampeter Strasburg’s basketball team. He averages 20 points per game.
Hayden and another returning senior will lead LS’s younger team this year. They plan to improve their team’s successes from last year by going beyond the first round of the state tournament.
A longtime traditional contender in Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 1, the Hempfield Black Knights are looking to bounce back from last season’s unfamiliar record (3-19 overall, 1-9 Section 1).
Spencer Troyer, a 6-4 senior, has averaged 10.2 points per game for his career and he says the Knights are coming into this year ready to compete.
“We have a new mindset,” Troyer explained. “We don’t like the look of last year. We intend to change the script.”
Colton Hegener competes as a point guard on Lancaster Catholic’s boys basketball team. He has earned 3 varsity letters going into his senior year.
His goal this year is to lead the Crusaders to improving their record from last year and to make the playoffs. He says he specifically can make the team better if he can increase his assists to “Get the Win!”
Kyle Brown, McCaskey Junior and small forward, eagerly is looking forward to McCaskey’s first game versus Penn Wood. He says his team has been working hard in the off-season and plans to get to the playoffs.
McCaskey’s faces some key games — especially Reading, a physically tough team; Cedar Crest, loaded with height; and rival Manheim Township, with good shooters.
Kyle Knutsen, a 5-foot-10 senior guard, is optimistic about this season for the Comets. Coming off a 6-4 Section One record, 13-11 overall, Penn Manor returns a veteran core with some youngsters coming up.
“We want to win the Section, win the league and win at least one game in districts and get to states,” said Knutsen, who averaged 5.2 points per game last season with a game-high of 14 points in a win over Lebanon.