Bee All-District watch list: Beyer’s Dancer is the people’s champ

Who do you think should be the All-District Boys Basketball Player of the Year?

— The Modesto Bee (@modbee) February 17, 2016 (Click here to vote, see results)

Even on crutches, Georgie Dancer dazzles a crowd.

The Beyer High School point guard was the runaway winner of last week’s All-District Boys Basketball Player of the Year Twitter poll, boxing out Modesto Christian’s Robinson Idehen and Christian Ellis.

Dancer received 65 percent of the 418 votes cast in the unofficial 24-hour poll. Idehen and Ellis were but mere specks in his rear-view mirror with 15 and 10 percent of the vote.

While the people have spoken, Dancer’s odds of winning the award grow longer by the game. Though he got off to an MVP start, averaging 20 points and eight rebounds through 20 games, he hasn’t played since suffering a season-ending knee injury Jan. 22.

The hard truth: It would be difficult to crown a Player of the Year who played three-quarters of the season, especially when the postseason is factored into the selection process.

Alas, Dancer remains on our short list of contenders because of his production, and ...

Well, he’s the people’s champion.

Here’s a look at the others, those still in action:

Robinson Idehen, Modesto Christian – The 6-foot-9 senior didn’t have to do much in last week’s victories over Downey and Beyer. Idehen had 14 points, two rebounds and two blocked shots in a 52-point assault of the Knights but saw his streak of consecutive games of double-digit scoring end at 11 against the Patriots. Through 26 games, Idehen, a first-team All-District pick last season, is averaging 16.3 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.8 blocks.

Christian Ellis, Modesto Christian – The Crusaders’ third-year point guard is revving up his game for the postseason. Ellis had a season-high 10 assists against Downey and closed the week by nearly posting a triple double at Beyer. He had 16 points, eight rebounds and eight assists to help Modesto Christian secure the Modesto Metro Conference title. Ellis is averaging 7.5 assists over his last four games with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 5-1 (30 assists, six turnovers).

Kenny Wooten Jr., Manteca – The Nevada-bound forward is one the Stanislaus District’s best defenders, a player capable of guarding the post and the perimeter at 6-9. Wooten leads the Buffaloes in rebounds (10.4) and blocked shots (4.0) and at 13.4 points per game ranks second on the team in scoring to 6-9 forward Anand Hundal (16.5). Wooten wasn’t asked to do too much in comfortable wins over Oakdale and East Union last week, but he’ll need to take a leading role against Central Catholic in their Valley Oak League finale Wednesday.

Jaelen Ragsdale, Weston Ranch – The Cougars’ top playmaker missed most of last week because of pneumonia. Not that it mattered. Weston Ranch continued its march toward an undefeated VOL title and the potential top seed in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III tournament with road wins at Lathrop and Sierra by a combined 49 points. The Cougars will complete their league schedule Wednesday at home against Kimball. Ragsdale is averaging 20.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists.

Others to watch – Hundal, Manteca (16.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.2 blocks); Peter Hamilton, Central Catholic (10.9 points, 8.8 rebounds); Fred Lavender, Weston Ranch (15.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists); Jared Rice, Central Catholic (16 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.7 steals).

This story was originally published February 16, 2016 at 5:56 PM with the headline "Bee All-District watch list: Beyer’s Dancer is the people’s champ."