The 2017 DiRenna Award finalists will be recognized and the winners announced as part of the GKCBCA All-Star Awards Show that will be held on Thursday, April 6th at the Ritz Charles in Overland Park, KS, (www.ritzcharleskc.com). The event will begin at 7:00pm.

In addition to the DiRenna Award, the All-Star teams will be recognized along with several coaching awards including the Eddie Ryan Coach of the Year The DiRenna Award, which is celebrating its sixty-third (63rd) anniversary, is given to the most outstanding male and female high school basketball player in the greater Kansas City metropolitan area.

The 2017 finalists are (in alphabetical order):
Male

Mitchell Ballock, Senior, Eudora
Elijah Childs, Senior, Lee’s Summit West
Tyler Geiman, Senior, Blue Valley
Jacob Gilyard, Senior, Barstow
Darien Jackson, Senior, Blue Valley Northwest

Female
Hunter Bentley, Senior, Bishop Miege
Abby Hipp, Senior, St. Pius X
Courtnie Lewis, Senior, Belton
Terrion Moore, Senior, Leavenworth
Sydney Wilson, Junior, Olathe East

Mitchell Ballock, Eudora, averaged 25 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists this season while leading his team to a 19-3 record and a KS Class 4A Division I sub-state championship. His postseason recognitions include being named 1st Team All-State twice and was recently selected as the 2017 KS Gatorade Player of Year. He will play at Creighton University next season.

Elijah Childs, Lee’s Summit West, led his team to a 26-3 record and a runner-up finish at the MO Class 5 State Championship. He averaged 15 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 assists per game. Over his career he set the school record for blocks and scored over 1,000 point. He was named the Sub Gold Player of the Year the past two seasons. He will play at Bradley University next season.

Tyler Geiman, Blue Valley, averaged 22 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists this season. He scored over 1,000 points in his career and set the all-time school record for assists. He twice was named the EKL Player of the Year and 1st Team All-Class in KS 6A. He is still undecided where he will play next season.

Jacob Gilyard, Barstow, was part of a senior class that set the school record for most wins, with an overall record of 103-15. He is the all-time leader in school history in both steals and assists. He also owns the school record for most points scored in a single season (including 50 points in one game and twice scored 48 and 46 points). Overall, he scored over 2,000 points in his career. He will play at Richmond University next season.

Darien Jackson, Blue Valley Northwest, led his team to a 22-3 record and the KS Class 6 State Championship, their second straight Final Four appearance. He averaged over 17 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals per game. He has received numerous postseason honors and will play at the University of Tulsa next season.

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Hunter Bentley, Bishop Miege, led her team to a 22-3 record and the KS Class 4-1A State Championship (their fourth consecutive state championship). She averaged over 19 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals per game. She was named the MVP of the EKL and top 5 All-State. She scored over 1,000 career points and her teams won 94 games. She is undecided where she will play next season.

Abby Hipp, St. Pius X, led her team to a runner-up finish in the MO Class 4 State Championship, their second straight appearance in the Final Four. She amassed over 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in her career and is the all-time school leader in rebounds, assists, and field goals. She is a two-time conference Player of the Year and three-time member of the All-State team. She will play at Missouri State University next season.

Courtnie Lewis, Belton, is a two-time DiRenna Finalist. She averaged over 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists per game while leading her team to a conference championship. She is a two-time Suburban Blue Conference Player of the Year and 2-time member of the All-State team. She scored 1,960 points in her career. She will play at Eastern Michigan University next season.

Terrion Moore, Leavenworth, was part of a class that won 88 games (the most in school history) and had four Final Four appearances including two championships and a 21-4 record and 3rd place finish in Kansas Class 5A this season. She averaged over 10 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals this season. She was a member of the All-Conference 1st Team for three years. She will play at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock next season.

Sydney Wilson, Olathe East, averaged 14 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals this season while leading her team to a 18-5 record and an appearance at the KS Class 6A state tournament. She was the Co-Sunflower MVP and has received 1st Team All-State recognition. Just a Junior, she will return to play for the Lady Hawks next season.

In 1954, Dr. James A. DiRenna established the DiRenna Award to annually honor the top male basketball player in the greater Kansas City area. In 1997, the award also began recognizing the top female player. Dr. DiRenna, who passed away in 1996, was a well-known surgeon, teacher and hospital developer. His son, Dr. James A. DiRenna, Jr., has continued the tradition of this award with the assistance of the Greater Kansas City Basketball Coaches Association (GKCBCA). This award is presented annually at the GKCBA All-Star Awards Show, which is part of the GKCBCA All-Star Challenge.