Mangas Earns AP All-State Honors
INDIANAPOLIS – Kyle Mangas added another honor to his already impressive list over the weekend.
The former WCHS star guard earned Third-Team All-State honors on the Associated Press boys basketball team for the 2016-17 season.
Mangas, who was the Ink Free News Player of the Year the past two seasons, led the Tigers to their second straight Class 4-A sectional title his senior season. Mangas, who will play at Indiana Wesleyan University, averaged 22 points-per-game and helped Warsaw go undefeated for the third straight year in the Northern Lakes Conference.
Romeo Langford, one of the nation’s top-rated recruits, led the AP First Team choices for the second straight year. The New Albany junior guard averaged 28.7 points and 8.9 rebounds per game.
Joining Langford on the first team were Kris Wilkes, a UCLA recruit from Indianapolis North Central, Jack Nunge of Castle, junior Robert Phinese of McCutcheon and Jaylen Butz of Fort Wayne North Side.
Sophomore Keion Brooks Jr. of Fort Wayne North Side and senior Malik Williams of Fort Wayne Snider were Second-Team selections.
Karissa McLaughlin of Class 4-A state champion Homestead earned the most votes in the AP All-State girls team. McLaughlin averaged 25.8 points and 5.6 assists per game and had 29 points and six assists in Homestead’s 61-54 win over Pike in the Class 4-A state title game.
McLaughlin, who is the frontrunner to claim Miss Basketball honors later this month, has local ties. Her father Bert was a standout player at Grace College from 1993-97 and also was on the JV boys basketball coaching staff at WCHS in 1997-98. Her mother Sheila (Whitaker) played basketball at WCHS.
McLaughlin announced earlier today that she will play at Purdue next season. She had originally committed to Florida, but reopened her recruiting when Amanda Butler was fired as the Florida coach last month.
Nicole Konieczny, who led South Bend St. Joseph to the Class 3-A state championship, also earned First-Team honors. Rounding out the First Team were Dana Evans of Gary West, Madison Wise of Greenfield-Central and Katlyn Gilbert of Heritage Christian.
Madisen Parker of Homestead was a third-team choice to the team.
The AP All-state teams were chosen by reporters and observers throughout the state.