One month after winning a historic state championship, Central York boys basketball is well represented on the PIAA Class 6A all-state teams.
Head coach Jeff Hoke was named 6A Coach of the Year and the Panthers’ three biggest stars earned all-state honors. Senior Greg Guidinger was selected to the first team, while juniors Ben Rill and Ben Natal made the second and third teams, respectively. The trio led a group of six York-Adams League stars on the boys’ all-state teams.
Central York became the first-ever York County public school to win a state basketball title when it held off Parkland for a 53-51 triumph at Hershey’s Giant Center on March 23. The Panthers went 29-3 overall, losing twice in December and suffering a setback in the District 3 quarterfinals before rallying to win it all.
The selections were made by a statewide media panel and officially released shortly after midnight Wednesday.
“It’s a reflection of the kids,” Hoke said of the recognition. “I’m honored, it’s wonderful and it’s because the kids are really great kids and work so hard. And I have a great staff and administration. I really have support from top to bottom. It’s really, really cool.
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For Hoke, always eager to deflect praise toward his players, the honor had extra meaning. He dedicated the award to his father, Don Hoke, who was his first basketball coach when he was 3 years old and who continued to watch every Central York game last season despite being unable to attend games in person due to illness.
“It means a lot to me because of him,” Hoke said. “I’m 54 years old and I still want to make my father proud.”
Guidinger is now a two-time all-state selection after making the 6A second team in 2022-23. The 6-foot-7 forward averaged 18.5 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists, according to all-state polling. He became Central York’s all-time leading scorer in December and finished his career with 1,621 points.
After attracting NCAA Division I interest since his sophomore season, Guidinger finally found his college basketball destination last week, committing to Loyola Maryland on Friday. New Greyhounds coach Josh Loeffler, who previously led the Johns Hopkins program, has been friends with Hoke for 15 years, and one of Loyola’s new assistants had recruited Guidinger from a previous position. When Loeffler asked Hoke about his star player, Hoke called Guidinger a “perfect fit.”
“I went to visit Greg and his dad (former NBA player Jay Guidinger) for a day and it was a no-brainer the next day when they proposed to him,” Hoke said. “I’m so proud of Greg…he deserved it all.”
Guidinger was joined on the Class 6A first team by Jalil Bethea of Archbishop Wood, Nick Coval of Parkland, Shareef Jackson of Roman Catholic, Yadiel Cruz of Reading and Jaron McKie of St. Joseph’s Prep. Central York defeated the Cruz Red Knights and Coval Trojans in the state semifinals and title game. Bethea was named Player of the Year.
Rill, a 6-foot-8 forward, averaged 14.8 points and nine rebounds during the season, but had some of his biggest games in the state playoffs. The junior left-hander scored 28 points in the Panthers’ PIAA semifinal win over Reading and averaged 17.4 points in Central’s final seven games while playing exemplary defense in the post.
The 6-foot-2 Natal recorded 15.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and four assists per game and spearheaded a Panthers backcourt brimming with depth. He scored his 1,000th career point on February 8 against Red Lion and closed that game with a buzzer-beater. Natal added 15 points in the state final. With a healthy senior season, he could easily regain Guidinger’s scoring record in 2024-25.
When the York-Adams League All-Stars were released in late February, the Red Lion’s Steve Schmehl and Dallastown’s Mike Grassel shared Division I coach of the year honors at Hoke’s expense. Rill was a second-team all-star at DI who eventually made his way to second-team all-state.
Statewide Superstars: Three other notable local boys earned all-state honors. Littlestown senior Christopher Meakin was a Class 4A first-team selection and East York junior Carter Wamsley made the 4A third team. York Catholic junior Jake Dallas, meanwhile, was honored on the Class 3A second team.
The league’s total of six all-state selections far exceeds last year’s total, when only Guidinger (6A second team) and Eastern York’s Austin Bausman (4A third team) were recognized.
Meakin, a 6-8 center, averaged 22.1 points and 10 rebounds for the Thunderbolts, who went undefeated in YA Division III and finished 19-9 overall. He became the program’s all-time leading scorer in the district playoffs, surpassing Logan Collins’ record, and finished his stellar career with 1,666 points, the second-highest ever by a County boys player. Adams (Fairfield’s Andy Winebrenner scored 1,929 points before graduating). in 2002). Meakin, also a star soccer goalie, will play basketball at Division II Frostburg State, the alma mater of Littlestown head coach John Forster.
Wamsley helped Eastern York win the District 3 Class 4A title, scoring 20 points in the second half and grabbing 11 rebounds in the Golden Knights’ 55-50 win over Big Spring on March 1 in Hershey. The 6-foot-6 junior averaged 15.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game overall for Eastern, which also reached the state quarterfinals in its first season under the under decorated coach Troy Sowers. Wamsley has shared the frontcourt with his cousin, Justin Strausbaugh, this season, but will be the undisputed centerpiece in 2024-25. He received several DI college offers.
Dallas led the league in scoring with 23 points per game and guided a young York Catholic team to a 12-13 record. He made 51 triples and converted 80.5% of his free throws. Dallas, who burst onto the scene as a sophomore, surpassed 1,000 career points by scoring a career-high 36 at York Tech on February 2. The Fighting Irish are expected to bring back the majority of their roster next winter.
Perhaps the most decorated York-Adams League players not to make an all-state team this spring were Class 5A York Suburban freshman Nasir Barnes and Red senior Joe Sedora Lion, in 6A. Barnes, the D-II player of the year, averaged 18.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.8 assists for a Trojans team that improved from 7-15 to 23-8. Sedora missed the first nine games with a broken ankle, but returned to play in 21 games and averaged 19.7 points, 9.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists as the Lions struggled through their postseason most successful playoffs in two decades, reaching the District 3-6A semifinals and the PIAA second round. .
The all-state girls basketball teams will be announced Friday afternoon.
