Posted: Tue, 23 Feb 2010 04:12 AM - 11,496 Readers

By: Danny Davis

A Central Texas team has never won a Class 5A or 4A state championship in boys basketball, but in the past decade, three smaller Centex schools have taken home UIL state titles. Thorndale was the top team in Class A, Division I in 2007 and 2008, and Academy won a 2A championship in 2002.

As the playoffs gear up this week, here are five players who could make names for themselves and their teams in the postseason.

• Kreece Cooper - Jarrell
  Cooper emerged as a forc e as the Cougars rolled to a 27-4 record and the District 25-2A championship. A 6-foot-3-inch sen ior , he leads Jarrell in points (20.2 per game), rebounds (5.0), assists (3.0) and steals (2.5).
  
  
• Collin Weyand - La Grange
  La Grange, which finished second in District 25-3A, will be looking to match the success of its football team, which reached the state semifinals despite finishing third in district play. Leading the way will be the 6-2 Weyand, the reigning district MVP who is averaging 21.3 points per game.
  
  
• Josh Ware - Thorndale
  An All-Central Texas defensive back who intercepted 10 passes in the fall, Ware has continued to be an offense's worst nightmare during basketball season. He has averaged a team-high 2.9 steals per game and also leads Thorndale in blocked shots.
  
  
• Taylor Eden - Fredericksburg
  This Battlin' Billie has averaged 4.9 assists per game and ranks second on the team is scoring at 9.7 points per game. He's also shooting 76.1 percent from the free-throw line and made 13 free throws in a victory over Bandera on Feb. 9.
  
  
• John Hirschhorn - Vandegrift
  The Vipers are 7-22 in their first varsity season, but they still managed to secure the first postseason berth i n school history. Hirschhorn has proved to be a solid threat, averaging 9.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game