Shawnee Mission Northwest High School alumni and students gathered to watch Keaton Wagler, a former SMNW basketball player, get drafted to the Los Angeles Clippers as the fifth pick in the NBA Draft.

Local Pride

Wagler’s selection was met with cheers and applause from the crowd, including his former teammates and coaches. Jett Smith, a current SMNW basketball player and former teammate of Wagler’s, expressed his pride and admiration for Wagler’s achievement.

Wagler’s journey to the NBA Draft was not without its challenges. Despite his impressive high school career, including back-to-back state titles and Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year honors, he felt overlooked by college scouts. However, he persevered and went on to have a successful college career at the University of Illinois, earning Big Ten Freshman of the Year and First-Team All-Big Ten honors.

Community Support

Wagler’s friends, teammates, and fellow Shawnee residents showed their support for him throughout the draft process. His family, including his father, Logan Wagler, expressed their pride and gratitude for the community’s support.

Wagler’s story serves as an inspiration to young athletes in the Shawnee Mission Northwest community, demonstrating that with hard work and determination, anything is possible. As Amy Niemann, president of the SMNW Boys Basketball Booster Club, said, ‘It shows a lot of kids that things like this can happen to them, that they have the ability — with hard work and with grit and with determination and a little bit of luck, you can be the next Keaton Wagler.’

Original reporting: Johnson County Post (Overland Park) — read the source article.