STORY OF THE YEAR: Lapwai's Wynott wins one last award for 2024

It was not long into 2024 that the Tribune first reported on what would ultimately be named its sports story of the year.

An article titled, “Lapwai’s Kase Wynott leads the nation in scoring, nears state career scoring record” ran on Jan. 7. Wynott officially became Idaho’s all-time high school basketball career scoring leader less than three weeks later. The 6-foot-6 guard/forward went on to lead the Wildcats to their third state title from his four years on the team and graduate in a shower of accolades and awards.

Having initially committed to play college hoops for Utah State, Wynott further pleased local fans by changing course in favor of Washington State, and is now midway through his freshman season with the Cougars.

Going out in a blaze of glory

“We were all lucky to witness Kase’s historic career,” Lapwai coach Zachary Eastman said. “He represented Lapwai with pride, and his name is going to be in the history books for a long time.”

The Wildcats were in the opening quarter of an eventual 99-47 victory over Whitepine League opponent Clearwater Valley of Kooskia on Jan. 25 when Wynott reached a state-record 2,590 career points, sinking a layup off an assist from Christopher Bohnee to seal the deal.

He had just broken the state’s single-game record with 68 points in a 105-43 win against Genesee on Jan. 19 to put himself on the brink of the adding the career mark to his collection. The latter had been held for 31 years by Jared Mercer of Kamiah, who graduated in 1993 with 2,589 points on his ledger.

Wynott would put substantially more distance between his total and Mercer’s, ending up with 2,962 total points after scoring 46 in the Wildcats’ 67-54 victory in the Idaho Class 1A Division I state championship over Lakeside of Plummer on March 2.

Wynott scored at a rate of 36 points per game his senior season with Lapwai — the fifth-highest in the country, according to statistics compiled by MaxPreps.com. With an additional 13.9 rebounds and 9.1 assists per outing to his credit, he averaged a double-double, and almost a triple-double.

“I always knew he could score the basketball since a young age,” Eastman said. “The best part was to see his development with other parts of his game and his basketball IQ. Also, his dedication to the weight room and early morning 6 a.m. workout routine all paid off.”

For his efforts, Wynott was recognized as Idaho’s Gatorade Player of the Year for 2024, and also named 2023-24 player of the year by MaxPreps.

Powerhouse pedigree

Not only does Wynott hail from a famous hoops community in Lapwai, but he boasts one of the strongest pedigrees among that town’s collection of distinguished basketball families. His father Jeremiah Wynott played for the Wildcats, then went on to earn NAIA All-American honors with the Lewis-Clark State Warriors in the ‘90s — coincidentally playing alongside Mercer at one point — and go professional for a time in Australia. The elder Wynott, who raised his son in the game from an early age, was present serving as an assistant coach for Lapwai when Kase broke the career scoring record.

“My dad is 100% the reason I am who I am today, and I’ll stand on that,” said Kase Wynott, who has now followed in his father’s footsteps in another respect by playing for a local college. “He’s a big part of everything, and I’m super-thankful for him.”

New horizons

Wynott had signed a letter of intent in late 2023 to play for Utah State, but reconsidered that decision this past spring after Aggies headman Danny Sprinkle moved on to coach for UW. With Wynott’s future in flux, then-incoming WSU coach David Riley was able to persuade the Wildcat star to become his first high school recruit.

Since joining the Cougs, Wynott has taken the floor in nine games, averaging 14 minutes of playing time and 1.6 points. He most recently scored three points and dished out two assists in helping WSU log an 89-73 win over Portland in its West Coast Conference opener on Saturday.

“He’s just a high character,” Riley said of Wynott after the game. “Great basketball player. He loves hoops. He’s a gym rat. ... He’s always trying to watch extra film. He’s exactly what we need.”

With one last game left to be added to the books on his historic 2024 as the Cougars face Loyola Marymount at Spokane Arena on Monday at 6:30 p.m., Wynott hopes to “end the year on a high note.” In the grander scheme of his career, he aspires to “play basketball at the highest level I can, and then become a coach.”

“That’s long-term for me,” he said.

Wendt may be contacted at (208) 848-2268, or cwendt@lmtribune.com.