UPDATED 2019 Rankings: Highest Debuts
44th Carter Duwa, 6′ PG (Pleasant Valley)
This Quad City Elite product was one of the most productive players on an 11-win Pleasant Valley team last season as a sophomore. He averaged 9.1 points per game and led the team is assists — not bad for an underclassmen on a 4A squad.
46th Conner Groves, 5’11 SG (Sergeant Bluff-Luton)
A sharpshooter first and foremost, Groves was a starting guard among a stable of seniors with Sergeant Bluff-Luton’s state-qualifying squad. He knocked down 70 triples last season at a 40 percent clip, and will be the main man the next two seasons for the Warriors.
48th Josh Simmons, 6′ PG (Lewis Central)
On the western side of the state, this floor general led his team — one of 4A’s best — in assists and steals as a sophomore, and did so while notching a formidable 10.5 points per game. With 2017 standouts Kyle Arrington and Chad Moran moving on, it will be Simmons’ team to lead next season.
52nd Hunter Snyder, 6’2 G (Pleasant Valley)
Another Pleasant Valley guard which was overlooked until now, Snyder was almost equal to his 2019 backcourt partner, Carter Duwa (No. 44), in terms of sophomore season stats. The two of them could lead Pleasant Valley back to the top of the 4A ranks before too long.
54th Peter Ngo, 6’3 SF (Roosevelt)
After transferring into Roosevelt from Des Moines North, Ngo had to sit out the first half of last season. He played sparingly towards the end of the season, but has really gotten to display himself this summer in team camps. He’s long, bouncy and has a nose for the rim.
60th Jack Peterson, 6′ G (Sioux City East)
We popped in to a Sioux City Bombers game while in Council Bluffs at Midwest Live! in April, and got the chance to see this savvy and skilled combo guard play. We’re glad we did; Peterson passes it well and has a high basketball IQ. He could make a major impact next season with the Black Raiders.
61st Hayden Passmore, 6’4 F (Linn-Mar)
This versatile and athletic stretch-four has a very high ceiling, and if he continues to develop his versatility as a wing, could see himself make a Japannah Kellogg-type rise over the next year-and-half. He certainly has the tools to make that happen.
74th Dylan Peeters, 6’7 F (Assumption)
He’s big and long (reportedly 7-foot-wing-span), and posted some decent numbers last season as a sophomore with the Knights. This guy thinks he’s a Division I prospect; time will tell, but all of this certainly warrants a spot in the top-75.