Hiawatha Valley League Preview
The Hiawatha Valley League is one of the top small-school conferences in the state and with a combination of terrific young talent, seasoned upperclassmen and elite coaching, it should once again be a very competitive league.
Last Year: The HVL saw two teams reach the state tournament as Goodhue got back to state and finished third a year after playing in the state title game and Lake City emerged as one of the surprise teams in the entire state before knocking out Caledonia on its way to the state tournament.
The top-shelf combo of Goodhue and Lake City combined with the excellent middle-class which featured a 'best in school history' Pine Island team, Rochester Lourdes and an sneaky-tough Zumbrota-Mazeppa squad meant there was quality basketball being played on practically a nightly basis all throughout southeast Minnesota.
The league might not be quite as strong this season as it loses some of its best players including Jacob McNamara (Goodhue), Broc Finstuen and Mark Mboya Kotieno (Pine Island), Mitch Marien (Lake City), Trace Tebay (Hayfield) and Brendan Knoll (Kasson-Mantorville).
Conference Commentary
State Contenders: Goodhue, Lake City
Lake City was supposed to be rebuilding a season ago after graduating a big senior class and returning just two players of significance (Marien and Marc Kjos). Instead the Tigers won 19 games in the regular season including the HVL conference title. They went on to take out St. Charles and Caledonia on their way to the state tournament, where they picked up a win over Jackson County Central.
The Tigers return four starters from that team including Conference POY candidate Marc Kjos (15 ppg) and super-sophomore Nathan Heise (12 ppg). Kjos is the engine, combining long-range shooting with a savvy floor game and physical defense. He'll play on the ball a lot more this season (as he did at a high level during the AAU season) and be tasked with orchestrating an offense with no shortage of capable scorers. Heise is a light's out shooter who showcased dynamic scoring skills during the summer on the AAU circuit and with Lake City. It wouldn't be surprising if he led team in scoring after averaging 11 points per game as a freshman. Zach Bremer fills the 'glue guy' role perfectly as he's an excellent defender, screen-setter, and complementary scorer. The guy to watch is sophomore forward Reid Gastner. Gastner averaged better than 10 points per game as a freshman and looks like a matchup nightmare especially for HVL foes.
All that talent plus an outstanding coach in Greg Berge adds up to a season in which Lake City should win 20-plus games and compete for a spot in the state tournament again. The Tigers might not be a favorite to return to state given Section 1AA is loaded (Caledonia looms among many others) but they'll be a top-10 team in any preseason ranking list that matters.
Goodhue's enjoyed consistent success for the better part of the last decade. The common denominator in the recent string of success is head coach Matt Halverson. Halverson was the Class A Coach of the Year a season ago and is undoubtedly one of the top coaches in the state regardless of class. His Goodhue teams never have high-octane talent, rather the Wildcats win with staunch defense and elite execution. The Wildcats lost a lot - namely Jacob McNamara and Ben Opsahl - from last year's club but sophomore wing Sam Opsahl looked like a season veteran as just a freshman and had a strong summer on the AAU circuit.
Goodhue gets the Wisconsin Badgers/San Antonio Spurs treatment here. The names might be a bit of a unknown but the Wildcats will end up winning 20-plus games and competing for a spot in the state tournament again.
In the Mix: Byron, Zumbrota-Mazeppa, Stewartville, Pine Island
Given their overall talent on paper, last season was a disappointing one for Byron. An 0-4 start to the year put the Bears behind the proverbial eight-ball and while they ultimately ended up where they probably would've ended up regardless, the season-long journey was a bit of a grind. Chemistry is a finicky thing and it oftentimes eluded the Bears a season ago. Who knows if that'll get squared away this time around but with Mike Coble, Bjorn Knutson and Kaden Koski back, the talent is certainly there on paper (again) to win a bunch of games. The Bears won't get as much relief moving down from Class AAA to AA as many would think given the strength and depth of Section 1AA. But again, this team has the talent to play with any team in the conference and section.
Stewartville didn't take as big a step forward as I thought they would last season but maybe I was off by a year. The Tigers return four starters including a point guard-center all-conference combo in Carter Groski and Sam Barnes. Groski averaged 14 points thanks to a combination of 3-point range and decent inside post moves. He's also one of the league's best interior defenders. Barnes is a three-year starter at point guard and averaged 10 points and five assists as a junior. The Tigers lost eight games by more than 10 points and another five by nine points.
Zumbrota-Mazeppa won the state title in wrestling a year ago (and will be favored to win it again this season) but all the athletes aren't just on the mats for the Cougars. Z-M went 16-7 last year (best since 2010-11) and nearly knocked off Lake City in the second round of sections. The Cougars lose big man Alex Guse but return a trio of starting perimeter players. Isaiah Nolte and Jacob Niebuhr averaged 12 and 11 points per game a year ago respectively. Both guys have the size and athleticism to get to the rim and knock down shots from deep. Robvon Jackson was an ace defender for Z-M a year ago and could be in line for an uptick in production.
Pine Island enjoyed the best season in school history on the back of Brock Finstuen (best player in school history) and German foreign exchange student Mark Mbjoya Kotieno. The Panthers won 23 games a season ago. That number will almost assuredly take a dip as Finstuen, Kotieno and Camden Heepke comprised arguably the best trio in the conference. But the cupboards aren't bare. Jacob Weber had a good sophomore season and looks the part of an all-conference caliber swingman. It wouldn't be surprising to see him double or even triple his scoring average in his junior year. Joe Bauer is another key returner. He's small (5-foot-6) but he sets the tone defensively from the point and has a fiery style on the offensive end.
Rebuilding: Rochester Lourdes, Hayfield, Cannon Falls, Kenyon-Wanamingo, Kasson-Mantorville, Triton
Rochester Lourdes, Hayfield and Kasson-Mantorville lost massive senior classes that included all-conference caliber talent. The Eagles will have to replace four starters including Dominic Sieve, Daniel Galkowski and Carter Greguson. K-M (Class AA Wrestling powerhouse) will have to replace Brendan Knoll and Riley Schwenke and Hayfield graduated 10 seniors including Trace TeBay.
Colin Meade was a rotation regular for the Eagles last year as a freshman and will be a player to watch this upcoming winter.
Cannon Falls lost a lot from a foundation that was already not all that solid. Ryan Dirckx is one of the top players in the conference and had his share of good moments over the summer on the AAU circuit. He'll be asked to do a lot to get to the Bombers to compete.
Triton was better than expected a season ago and returns Nick Roussopoulos, Brady Essig and Drew Kelly among others. But the Cobras lost 13 games by double-digits.
Kenyon-Wanamingo (another wrestling powerhouse) won just one game a year ago and lost it's best scorer in Gavin Roosen. Jack Beulke is back but there isn't a great deal of basketball talent in the pipeline at K-W.
Conference Predictions
- Lake City
- Goodhue
- Byron
- Zumbrota-Mazeppa
- Stewartville
- Pine Island
- Rochester Lourdes
- Triton
- Kasson-Mantorville
- Cannon Falls
- Hayfield
- Kenyon-Wanamingo
