By Ken Hansard
The Wichita Northwest High Grizzlies boys’ basketball team finished fourth at last year’s KSHSAA 6A State Championships. And in the off-season, the rich got even richer when Emporia High’s River Peters transferred to Northwest after a highly successful stint in the Centennial League.
Peters averaged 19 points and five rebounds per game for the Spartans, was a First-Team All-Conference player as a junior. Peters has scored 60 points, a 20 point per game average, in his first three games for the blue and gold, which has helped the Grizzlies to jump out to a 3-0 start.
The transition to playing with a new team of players has gone just as smoothly, “I’m really enjoying playing with a new group of guys that I’ve gotten really close with. I’ve quickly become a leader on this team – someone who helps keep the team motivated. I try to do whatever the team needs.”
While playing AAU ball and completing off-season workouts, Peters worked hard to prepare for his first campaign in the City League, “I worked on creating my own shot and becoming an aggressive defender. I’d really like to earn first team all GWAL, but the bigger goal is for the team – to make the state tournament. Actually, our goal is to win the state tournament.”
While River knows that there are plenty of great teams on the schedule, he also believes that there is no challenge the Grizzlies can’t overcome, “This team can do it all when we play as a team. We are exactly where we want to be, and we are all striving to get better each game.”
Peters is an Honor Roll student who is carrying a 3.5 GPA this semester. After high school, he plans to continue playing basketball at the collegiate level. He would like to focus his studies on someday becoming an entrepreneur.
