STATE TOURNAMENT: 10 Who Impressed on Tuesday
2017 Ben Juhl, 6’1 G
The Des Moines Christian junior was passive in the first half but scored 23 second half points en route to a game high 26 points. Though his Lions were ousted in the opening round, Juhl has set the foundation for what could be an offer-filled spring and summer with Kingdom Hoops.
2016 Kyle Schepanski, 5’10 G
It was Schepanski who set the tone in Anamosa’s win over No. 3 seed Des Moines Christian. He was instrumental in the early 20-4 run by the Raiders, connecting on three first quarter 3s. He’s as fast as anyone else we’ve seen here with the ball in his hands, and is always in control. The complete guard poured in 18 points today in the Raiders win.
2017 Matt Dentlinger, 6’7 F
Dentlinger wrecked shop defensively against Western Christian, Hull, compiling six first half blocks, and ending the game with a tournament high seven. He’s a legit 6-foot-7 post, who can step out and hit the 3-ball. Though he made an early exit from the tournament, he’s in-line for a big spring and summer with Martin Brothers 17U.
2016 Cordell Pemsl, 6’8 PF
Many times we’ve seen the Iowa Hawkeye-commit play, but never have we seen him look so explosive. Three massive dunks — two of which were high-rising rim-rattlers — made it very evident that whatever questions there may have been about Pemsl’s knee, they should be pout to rest.
2016 Levi Jansen, 6’2 SG
Although it was a losing effort for Jansen and his Dutchmen, there was no question who the star of the game was. Wahlert had its fair share of star performances, but Jansen’s 43 point outburst was special, it’s a shame he will only get one game at state this week. But believe this, Division II power Augustana got themselves a steal with this gem of a sharpshooter.
2016 David Wedewer, 6′ PG
Each and every time we see the Dubuque,Wahlert point guard he gets better. He first started to bloom at last season’s state tournament, and followed that up with an impressive 17U offseason. He cashed that in for a full-ride scholarship to D2 Sioux Falls. And now he’s off to a blistering start at another state tournament — going for a team high 20 points in the Golden Eagles’ opening round win over MOC-Floyd Valley.
2016 Josh Van Lingen, 6’8 C
It was actually a fairly pedestrian game for the 6-foot-8 Western Christian center. But he still came away with a game-high 14 rebounds, and scored 12 points, adding four blocks for good measure. The Dordt commit had to leave the game briefly with an ankle issue, and came back shortly after to help seal the win for the Wolfpack.
2016 Mitchell Burger, 5’11 G
He didn’t start in Xavier’s first round win over Spirit Lake, but came in off the bench and was a ball of energy for the Saints. His defensive instincts are off the charts, that along with his quickness make for steals-galore. He’s as quick as they come, and routinely beats his man off the dribble where he cab then dribble-and-kick effectively. A very impressive night for the veteran senior.
2016 Will Warner, 6’3 G
The Pella guard is a supremely gifted athlete who stars on the pitch and gridiron as well as the hardwood. Simply put, he runs faster, jumps higher, and is stronger than most anyone he comes across — and has some good size to boot. He does everything well for the Dutch, especially facilitating, and has the makings of what could become a special tournament — maybe an early dark-horse for 3A Tourney MVP.
2016 Shammond Ivory, 6’2 G
He didn’t go out the way he wanted — Pella destroyed his Perry Bluejays. But he was still impressive at times, and provided some “oohs” and “ahhs” to a crowd that may not have been expecting it. We’ve written extensively about the senior guard over the past two years, and the fact remains that he’s an athletic marvel, with a nice-sized frame, that can get to the hoop at will. It looks like he’ll be a JuCo guy for a couple years — then maybe D1.