Jarret Mueller assuredly would give back all of his individual accolades for another chance in the Class 5 postseason, but the final superlative of the senior guard’s career provides a landmark for Platte County’s program. He recently became the first Pirates player to earn a spot on the recently announced Missouri Basketball Coaches Association Class 5 All-State Team and the first to make the list since Freddie Manyawu was recognized in 2011 (Class 4).
Platte County senior guard Jarett Mueller takes a shot during the recent MO-KAN Classic all-star game between Missouri and Kansas at Shawnee Mission South High School in Overland Park, Kansas.
A two-year starter, Mueller led Platte County in scoring each of the past two seasons but upped his scoring production from 15.0 points per game as a junior to 18.0 as a senior. He also finished in the top five in the Kansas City metro area for Missouri in multiple categories, ranking fifth in points per game, third in free throw shooting percentage (81.8%) and first in 3-pointers made (78 — 12 more than second-place Myles Sutton of Raymore Peculiar).
Mueller totaled more than 900 points in his career, coming up just short of becoming the first member of Platte County’s 1,000-point club since Lorenzo Riley and Kirk Stegeman in 2004.
If not for a pair of games missed due to a initially worrisome shoulder separation suffered in a December nonconference win over Grain Valley, Mueller could have come closer to the 1,000-point mark. He returned to action after a lengthy holiday break and wore a bulky shoulder brace the remainder of the season, but Platte County never missed a beat and went 22-5 behind a record-setting senior class that also included Brody Fulk, Jace Trimble, Isaac Havemeier and Eli Nelson. The Pirates secured a second straight 20-win season and claimed a share of a second straight shared Suburban Conference Blue Division title at the close of the regular season and then earned a spot in the Class 5 District 8 championship game after a memorable comeback victory over Lincoln Prep in the semifinals.
In the final, Platte County fell behind early, lost junior all-conference forward Chandavian Bradley to an ankle injury in the first half and wound up with a completely unexpected 78-49 blowout loss to William Chrisman. The conference titles were the second and third for the Pirates since leaving the Midland Empire Conference in 2007, and Mueller moved up from second team all-conference to the first team and Blue Division player of the year. He also made the watch list for the DiRenna Award, given to the KC metro area’s top player, and recently played for Team Missouri in the annual MO-KAN Classic.
Most notably, Mueller wanted more for Platte County this season. The Pirates came up just short of a playoff berth for the second straight season after a loss to Kearney in the 2021 Class 5 District 16 title game before the state consolidated districts and made the path to the playoffs this season much more difficult with an eight-team bracket compared to five a year earlier.
Still, the only other back-to-back seasons with 20 wins in Platte County history came in 2003 and 2004, and the program’s five all-time playoff appearances include three as Platte City High School in a span from 1954 and 1960 plus 2004 and 2010. The Pirates won 42 games combined in the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
PLATTE COUNTY BASKETBALL POSTSEASON HONORS
Boys
ALL-SUBURBAN CONFERENCE BLUE DIVISION
First Team
Jarett Mueller, Sr.; Chandavian Bradley, Jr.
Honorable Mention
Jace Trimble, Sr.; Isaac Havemeier, Sr.; Brody Fulk, Sr.
Player of the Year — Jarett Mueller, Sr.
ALL-CLASS 5 DISTRICT 8
Jarett Mueller, Sr.; Chandavian Bradley, Jr.
MISSOURI BASKETBALL COACHES ASSOCIATION ALL-STATE
CLASS 5
Jarett Mueller, Sr.
GIRLS
ALL-SUBURBAN CONFERENCE BLUE DIVISION
Second Team
Joslyn Hupp, Jr.
Honorable Mention
Kiersten Robbins, Sr.; Amaira Peterson, Sr.
ALL-CLASS 5 DISTRICT 8
Joslyn Hupp, Jr.
