Grand View Team Camp: Team Capsules
Albia The first game we saw last Saturday was Albia, and they started the day off with a bang. The Blue Demons, led by terrific rising juniors Blake Chance and Brayden Messamaker dismantled West Hankcock to the tune of 79-35.…
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The first game we saw last Saturday was Albia, and they started the day off with a bang. The Blue Demons, led by terrific rising juniors Blake Chance and Brayden Messamaker dismantled West Hankcock to the tune of 79-35. Chance, a 6’4 do-it-all wing, has already proven he can carry a team, he averaged 21 points and led the team in assists, steals and rebounds last season. We expect him to be even better this year, add in the improvement of backcourt sniper Messakamer, who canned five 3s against West Hancock, and you got a dynamic duo there in southern Iowa for years to come.
Pleasant Valley
A star will almost certainly be born next season for Pleasant Valley, and that’s 6-foot-3 rising junior Jacob Townsend. We caught a glimpse of Townsend at our Top 250 Camp last fall, he was was certainly one of the standout 2021 prospects there. He followed that up with a fine sophomore season at Pleasant Valley as a role player. This season, that role will expand dramatically and we expect the big, strong guard might post some big numbers for PV. Down low, there’s another rising junior that will make a major impact, CJ Ragins. He’s an undersized post, but an ultra athletic one, and his ability to grab o-boards and play above the rim will be critical for the Spartans. Ryan Dolphin is another rising junior that will be a terrific shot-maker and game-manager for Pleasant Valley.
Winterset
The Huskies were playing last weekend without star guard Easton Darling, but still managed to put together some winning performances. They beat Carlisle by 20 during our viewing of them, and it was a pair of underclassmen that stepped up and filled the Darling void. Hunter Farr, a rising junior, was effective on both sides of the ball and led the team in scoring with 13 points, expect him to have a much-increased role this season. Dawson Forgy, a rising sophomore guard, could be the natural choice to help fill a void left by 2019 graduate Casey Kleemeier, a guy who could score in bunches and in a multitude of ways…Forgy can do that, too. After advancing to the state semifinals last season, the Huskies only graduated one guy. Expect them to be among the state’s best 3A squads this season.
Ankeny
The Hawks relied heavily on quickness and guard play last season, and although this year won’t be too much different, there’s a couple guys that could be major factors in how the season plays out on Ankeny’s southside. Nolan Otten, a bruising 6-foot-3 center who also plays with finesse and craftiness, is a guy that could do a lot of damage in the paint if he’s able to stay healthy. Rising junior Brecken Manus is a bulldog of a player, who has strength and length and can play and defend multiple positions. He could be a grit guy for this team and add some flexibility on both sides of the ball. At the guard spot, the Hawks certainly aren’t lacking, rising seniors Braxton Bayless, Jaxon Smith, Jordan Kumm will all be top guards in the CIML.
Southeast Polk
The Rams are an up and coming program and that shows with not only the guys they have existing in the program, but the guys they have coming up this season. The Rams’ sophomore team finished 17-4 last season, and that was without its three best players, James Glenn, Dom Caggiano and Malichai Williams who were all playing up with the varsity. The Glenn, Caggiano and Williams trio will make up one of the finer in the CIML two years from now, and possibly this next season. Glenn is a skilled and crafty sharpshooting point guard, Caggiano is a big and strong versatile wing, Williams is a raw big with huge upside. The three of them will make the Rams an exciting brand of basketball the next two seasons.