Prep Hoops Summer Challenge: Iowa Preview
It’s the final weekend of the grassroots season, and for us at Prep Hoops Iowa, it culminates in Chicagoland, where several Iowa squads will show what they got while competing in a loaded field of Midwest squads. We’ll be keeping an especially close eye on all the squads from Hawkeye State, and below, we’ll take a look at who’s there and what players could a big weekend.
The Teams: Iowa Dynasty 17U, Team Iowa Red 17U, Iowa Dynasty 16U, Team Iowa White 16U, Iowa Dynasty 15U, Team Iowa Silver 15U
Players to Watch
Dante Eldridge, 5’9 PG (Iowa Dynasty 17U)
The highest ranked Iowa player at the event, Eldridge is a steady and heady lead guard with a knack for probing defenses and making plays for his teammates. Handles and passing are strengths for this Iowa City West guard, Iowa’s 36th-ranked 2019, but don’t sleep on his jumper; Eldridge made 51 3s at a 47 percent clip last winter.
Jake Beckmann, 5’10 PG (Team Iowa White 16U)
The future is bright at Cedar Rapids Xavier, and this rising junior point guard is a big reason for that. He’s been excellent in our last two viewings of him, once in the spring and again last weekend at the Hardwood Classic in Kansas. A slick and athletic lead guard, Beckmann mixes steady fundamentals with some flash. He’s fun to watch.
Andre Brandon, 6’5 SF (Iowa Dynasty 16U)
We’ve been hearing some really good things about this Iowa City Liberty rising junior and we’re eager to see him for the first time this summer. As a junior with the Lightning, he was great, averaging 14.3 points on 54 percent shooting, while also leading the team in blocks, steals and rebounds.
Ross Snitker, 5’10 G (Team Iowa Red 17U)
He led Cedar Rapids Washington in steals and assists last season as a junior, and was really good when we saw him at Kings of the Court in the spring. The catalyst fort his Team Iowa squad, they go as he goes.
Davis Wagner, 6’3 SF (Team Iowa White 16U)
The Cedar Rapids Xavier wing was sensational last weekend in Kansas, and he was a big reason why Team Iowa White advanced to the 16U Elite 8, farther than any other Iowa squad at the event. If Davis and his team play the same way this weekend, you can expect another deep run in bracket play.
Nick Hansel, 6’4 F (Team Iowa White 16U)
He first caught our eye over a year ago at the Future Stars Camp in Dubuque, since then, he’s always been good, every time we’ve seen him. Another Cedar Rapids Xavier product, Hansel will shoot the lights out and/or get it done in the paint. A true versatile threat, Hansel could be the best player on Team Iowa White any given game.
Ry Threlkeld-Wigand, 6’4 G/F (Iowa Dynsaty 17U)
A tall and rangy shooter type, Threlkeld-Wiegland is an Iowa City High product who can light it up in a hurry from deep. As a junior with the Little Hawks, he canned 46 3s at a 46 percent clip, making him one of the state’s most prolific returning 3-point shooters.
Bowen Gyrp, 5’11 G (Iowa Dynasty 15U)
He had a great freshman season with Iowa City Liberty last winter, going for 7.6 points per game and shooting 47 percent from deep with the Mustangs varsity. Now, he’s leading Iowa Dynasty 15U, and will have the weekend to prove that he’s of 2021’s best guards.