Central York stars headline York-Adams League boys' basketball all-state selections

A month after capturing 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 the 6A Coach of the Year, and all three of the Panthers’ 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 team, respectively. The trio headlined a group of six York-Adams League stars on all-state boys’ squads.

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.

Selections were made by a statewide media panel and officially released just after midnight on 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 really are great kids and work so hard. And I have such a great staff and administration. I really have the support top to bottom. It’s really, really cool.”

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For Hoke, always eager to deflect praise toward his players, this honor carried a little 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 still watched every Central York game this past 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 and I still want my dad to be 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, per the all-state ballot. He became Central York’s all-time leading scorer in December and finished his career with 1,621 points. 

After receiving 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 Johns Hopkins’ program, has been friends with Hoke for 15 years, and one of Loyola’s new assistants had recruited Guidinger while at a previous spot. When Loeffler asked Hoke about his star player, Hoke called Guidinger a “perfect fit.”

“I went to go visit with Greg and his dad (former NBA player Jay Guidinger) for a day and it was a no-brainer the next day when they offered him,” Hoke said. “I’m so proud of Greg … he’s earned every bit of it.”

Guidinger was joined on the Class 6A first team by Archbishop Wood’s Jalil Bethea, Parkland’s Nick Coval, Roman Catholic’s Shareef Jackson, Reading’s Yadiel Cruz and St. Joseph’s Prep’s Jaron McKie. Central York took down Cruz’s Red Knights and Coval’s 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 over the course of the season but had some of his biggest games in the state playoffs. The junior left-hander notched 28 points in the Panthers’ PIAA semifinal win against 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 contest and spearheaded a Panther backcourt overflowing with depth. He scored his 1,000th career point on Feb. 8 against Red Lion and closed that game with a buzzer-beater. Natal added a clutch 15 points in the state final. With a healthy senior season, he could easily track down Guidinger’s scoring record in 2024-25.

When the York-Adams League all-stars were released in late February, 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 D-I second team all-star who eventually played his way onto the all-state second team.

Statewide superstars: Three other local boys’ standouts earned all-state honors. Littlestown senior Christopher Meakin was a Class 4A first-team selection and Eastern York junior Carter Wamsley made the 4A third team. York Catholic junior Jake Dallas, meanwhile, was a second-team honoree in Class 3A.

The league’s total of six all-state selections far exceeds the tally from last year, 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 unbeaten in Y-A Division III and finished 19-9 overall. He became the program’s all-time leading scorer during the district playoffs, surpassing Logan Collins’ record, and finished his stellar career with 1,666 points, the second-most ever by an Adams County boys’ player (Fairfield’s Andy Winebrenner scored 1,929 points before graduating in 2002). Meakin, also a star goalie in soccer, will play basketball at Division II Frostburg State, the alma mater of Littlestown head coach John Forster.

Wamsley helped lead Eastern York to the District 3 Class 4A title, scoring 20 second-half points and grabbing 11 rebounds in the Golden Knights’ 55-50 win over Big Spring on March 1 in Hershey. The 6-foot-6 junior tallied 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 decorated coach Troy Sowers. Wamsley shared the frontcourt with his cousin, Justin Strausbaugh, this season but will be the unquestioned centerpiece in 2024-25. He has received multiple D-I college offers.

Dallas led the league 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-throw attempts. Dallas, who broke onto the scene as a sophomore, surpassed 1,000 career points by scoring a career-high 36 at York Tech on Feb. 2. The Fighting Irish are slated to bring back the majority of their roster next winter.

Perhaps the most decorated York-Adams League players to not make an all-state team this spring were York Suburban freshman Nasir Barnes in Class 5A and Red Lion senior Joe Sedora in 6A. Barnes, the D-II Player of the Year, averaged 18.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.8 assist 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 contests and averaged 19.7 points, 9.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists as the Lions enjoyed their most successful postseason in two decades, reaching the District 3-6A semifinals and PIAA second round.

The all-state girls’ basketball teams will be revealed Friday afternoon.