Iowa Top 250 Expo Preview: Top Bigs
Even with the Hawkeyes and Cyclones dueling on the gridiron, we at Prep Hoops Iowa have basketball on the mind. This weekend marks the unofficial start to the 2016/17 hoops season for us, and we’ll start the season with a…
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Continue ReadingEven with the Hawkeyes and Cyclones dueling on the gridiron, we at Prep Hoops Iowa have basketball on the mind. This weekend marks the unofficial start to the 2016/17 hoops season for us, and we’ll start the season with a bang in Ames.
With over 200 prospects — from frosh to seniors — at the All Iowa Attack Field House Saturday morning (2019/20) and evening (2016/17), we’ve taken the liberty to preview some of the top names to look out for.
2018 Luke Empen (Northeast Goose Lake)
This Iowa Barnstormer product got plenty of valuable experience this spring and summer while playing down low with one of the nation’s best 16U squads. He averaged 8.1 points and 7.2 rebounds last season for the the Rebels and his ‘Stormers coach KC Schmitt describes him as: “a dirty work kind of guy and he brings his lunch pail to work, so to speak.”
2018 Max Campbell (Cedar Rapids Washington)
This 6’6 power forward was impressive time and again this summer while playing with Team Iowa 16U. He is a fiery competitor in the paint and can step out and hit a 12-footer adeptly. Campbell is one reason why the Warriors may be a surprise team this season in 4A.
2018 Joseph Evans (Dowling)
Tons of potential is what best characterizes this 6-foot-8 Dowling post. He’s got super long arms and his wing-span must extend to near 7-feet. His skill-set is a work in progress, but with his existing size and athelticism he could be a kid who wrecks-shop at this event.
2018 Will Feller (Des Moines Lincoln)
Feller will be the guy for the Rails this winter. He’s a slightly undersized post at 6-foot-5, but makes up for that with deceiving strength and plus athleticism. He averaged 6.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and nearly a block per game last season as a sophomore.
2019 Caleb Grizzle (Ankeny Christian Academy)
He got some serious run last season as a freshman on a very good Ankeny Christian Academy squad, averaging 2.7 points on 60 percent shooting. He comes in with a stellar reputation as being one of 2019’s most solid bigs. We’ll be monitoring this 6’5 sophomore closely.
2019 Japannah Kellogg (Ames)
A 6-foot-5 power forward with plenty of room to grow, here’s what his All Iowa Attack coach had to say: “In all honestly he may have the most upside out of anyone in that group (Attack 15U Red) right now. He’s not the best player in that group right now, but his upside, and just how much he improved over the last seven or eight months is really, really unbelievable.”
2019 Agueck Deng (Valley)
If there’s anyone in this event that will dunk on somebody it’s Deng. He’s a long, athletic and tall post who we’ve seen posterize guys in person while playing with Kingdom Hoops Elite. He’ll have to wait his turn before he gets his chance to shine with the Tigers, but in the meantime we’ll continue to watch him in other basketball realms.