For the fourth year in a row, we’re unveiling the News-Leader’s Blue and Gold accolades to recognize the best players from the holiday classic.
Only one player from the 2023 tournament repeated as an all-tournament performer.
Note that we are combining both the Blue and Gold brackets into these teams while placing a heavy weight on what they did in the winners’ brackets. We also name MVPs from both brackets and the entire event’s breakout performer. All players were selected by News-Leader sports reporter Wyatt Wheeler.
Blue Division MVP: Adam McKnight, Nixa
Nixa had a different player lead it in scoring each night. It didn’t have one bonafide star fill up the stat sheet or be the one the Eagles needed to go to for their scoring down the stretch. The Eagles played beautiful team basketball en route to their second-straight Blue and Gold Tournament championship.
But we still had to choose one player to come out as the Blue Division’s most valuable player.
Freshman star Adam McKnight proved to be the Eagles’ most consistent player throughout the four-game stretch. He averaged nearly a double-double and showed Nixa that it has a star player in the making. He’s going to be a fantastic player, across three different sports, for years to come.
More:Nixa repeats as Blue and Gold champions with Blue Division victory over Republic
McKnight finished his week off by scoring 12 points in the championship game. He went for eight in a low-scoring semifinal win over Fair Grove and went for a team-high 17 points in the quarterfinals against Mountain Grove. In his first-ever Blue and Gold Tournament game, he scored nine.
“The thing about Adam is that he plays the same way in practice as he does in games and that’s 100% all the time,” Nixa head coach Brock Blansit said. “His motor runs full speed all the time and that’s what makes him special. Rebounding-wise, he’s averaging 10 or 11 a game and that’s something we struggled with last year and we’re doing a lot better at it this year.”
Gold Division MVP: Keion Epps, Central
Central has a handful of superstars who would be the best players on most teams across the area. It’s a loaded team full of players who can earn All-Ozark Conference and all-state recognition at the end of the season.
Epps, a junior, is the one who makes this team tick. He’s a relentless leader at both ends of the floor. He fills up the stat sheet and was the heart behind the Bulldogs’ tear through the Gold Division bracket.
Epps finished the championship run by scoring 24 points a 30-point championship win over Glendale. He scored 16 in the team’s semifinal win over Sparta, 15 in the quarterfinals against Ash Grove and 17 in the team’s opener against Skyline.
More:Central wins first Blue and Gold title in 40 years after Gold Division win over Glendale
“I didn’t want to come out here and lose,” Epps said. “We wanted to come out here and make history.”
If there were any questions about Epps’ placement among the best players in southwest Missouri heading into the tournament, he answered them. He’s right there near the top and Central is going to be a load for every team in the area for the remainder of the season.
2023 Blue and Gold Tournament Breakout Performer: Adam McKnight, Nixa
McKnight grabs the breakout performer here as well. He was the most consistent player on a championship team as a freshman. It’s hard to argue against that despite some great performances from other young players in the tournament.
More:News-Leader 2023 Blue and Gold All-Tournament Teams, MVPs, Breakout Performer
First Team All-Tournament
- Keion Epps, Central
- Adam McKnight, Nixa
- Bryce Walker, Central
- Brenley Hagewood, Republic
- Amare Witham, Glendale
Second Team All-Tournament
- Jacob Lafferty, Sparta (2022 Breakout Performer, First Team)
- Devin Sanford, Central
- Ta’Veaion Washington, Glendale
- Tyler Barnett, Fair Grove
- Keivon Flint, Nixa
Third Team All-Tournament
- Tyrique Brooks, Central
- Jayce Culver, Branson
- Devon Kemp, Nixa
- Aslan Ebisch, Republic
- Braxton Boyer, Willard
Breakout performers team
- Adam McKnight, Nixa
- Chase Branham, Logan-Rogersville
- Aslan Ebisch, Republic
- Amare Witham, Glendale
- Kylan Pickren, Ozark
Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist with the Springfield News-Leader. You can contact him at 417-371-6987, by email at wwheeler@news-leader.com or X at@WyattWheeler_NL. He’s also the host of the weekly “Wyatt’s World Podcast” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other podcasting platforms
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