Conference Preview: CIML Metro
The Teams Des Moines East (1-20, 1-20): New Scarlets head coach Trent Smith has his work cut out for him, as East is one of the toughest jobs in Class 4A. They’ve gone just 12-98 in the last five years,…
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Continue ReadingThe Teams
Des Moines East (1-20, 1-20): New Scarlets head coach Trent Smith has his work cut out for him, as East is one of the toughest jobs in Class 4A. They’ve gone just 12-98 in the last five years, and have a lot of roster turnover again this year, with a lot of the players who should’ve been top returnees transferring to other schools in the city. They’ll need to start with improvement on the defensive end after giving up 77.1 points a game last year, which ranked last in 4A.
Des Moines Hoover (14-10, 14-9): Coach Courtney Henderson always has the Huskies competitive and strong on the defensive end, and that should be the case again this year. They were dealt a blow by the transfer of Manny Austin to North. Austin was the team’s leading returning scorer, averaging 14.6 points a game last season, and his departure means that the top three scorers from last year are gone, and they take 66.6% of the team’s scoring with them. The good news is that they bring back a quartet of talented sophomores, three of whom saw time last year as freshmen in Jonathan Beverly (5.5), Kir Diew (2.2) and Chevelle Ruchti (0.7) (the other sophomore returnee who was on the varsity roster is Ian Hawks). They give Hoover more size than the Huskies generally have, and that could help keep this group strong on the defensive end while they find a new go-to scorer. That scorer could be Beverly, or it could be junior guard Jaden Loveless (3.7), an efficient 6-2 guard who shot 54.1% from the floor last year as a role player. This group is going to miss Kenny Quinn, who wasn’t a big-time scorer, but was an excellent decision maker and defender, and they’ll need to find a competent ball handler to get this offense going. But we know that Henderson is always going to have his teams playing disciplined and defensive-minded, and they should win plenty of games again this year, battling it out with North for the division crown.
Des Moines Lincoln (11-12, 10-12): The Railsplitters largely did what was expected of them last year, generally beating the teams they were supposed to beat, and losing to the teams that were better than them. They bring back two solid players with lots of experience in Ben Badger (9.7) and Nate Feller (8.5), who should combine to give Lincoln one of the better backcourts in the division. The unfortunate news is that only 75 points return outside of Badger and Feller, so they’ll need to find a lot of players to plug into holes. Badger and Feller should win this group some games, but they should probably finish with another year close to .500.
Manny Austin
Des Moines North (18-5, 16-4): New coach Taylor Phipps has the difficult job of replacing one of the most productive 4A players in state history, Tyreke Locure, who is now playing college ball at South Alabama. The good news for him and the Polar Bears is that a double-figure scorer returns in Malik Allen (12.1), and they bring in Hoover transfer Manny Austin, who averaged over 14 points a game at Hoover, who plays at one of the most deliberate paces in the state. He should thrive in what should continue to be an up-tempo system under Phipps, who has previously coached at Creston. Look for a big senior year from 6-5 wing Gore Puot (4.1), who was a solid role player last year alongside Locure, Gatdoar Bijiek, Lino Malual and Allen, and he led the team with 37 blocks. Capable of stepping out and knocking down some 3s (14-38, 36.8% last year), his ability to shoot it and protect the rim make him a very valuable player. Diondre Taylor (2.5) is a quick guard who can score it a bit and defend, and Jack McClothlen (2.8) is another solid returnee who saw significant time last year. The Polar Bears were one of the most entertaining teams in the state under former coach Chad Ryan, and they should continue to play an up-tempo style that produces lots of points and highlights. The question will continue to be whether or not they can win in the postseason, when the games generally slow down and become more of a half-court, defensive oriented affair. But this group is still loaded with plenty of talent and should be considered the team to beat in the division.
Romanique Hellems
Des Moines Roosevelt (7-15, 7-15): The Roughriders lose four double figure scorers from last year’s group – three to graduation (Peter Ngo, Marcus Edwards, Iziah Paulsen), and one on a transfer to West Des Moines Valley (Ty Walker). That’s the bad news. The good news is that they still bring back some firepower in the form of Romanique Hellems (10.8), a long, athletic wing who also led the team in rebounding last season. This is a team that could’ve been pretty good had Walker not transferred, as he was the team’s top returning ball handler and shooter. They’ll need guys like Truman Morse (4.9), Zerrick Gurley (2.9) and Clarence Williams (2.5) to step into bigger roles this year. Hellems is one of the better players in the division, and he should lead them to some wins this year, but with so many inexperienced players needing to step into major roles this season it’s hard to see Roosevelt finishing above .500.
Ottumwa (6-15, 4-10): The Bulldogs were largely uncompetitive last season, posting a -182 point differential in 14 conference games, and two of their four league wins came against East. Still, there is some hope for improvement this year, as leading scorer Trae Swartz (14.9) returns. He’s one of the better scoring threats in the CIML, and he should have a big junior year for Ottumwa. The key for the ‘Dogs will be getting increased production out of guys like Joe Hammer (4.5), Drake Handling (3.0), Kie Glosser (2.9) and Taylor Young (1.2), as they’ll need to be threats to take some of the pressure off of Swartz. Expect to see Handling and Glosser handle the ball quite a bit, but this is a team that needs to improve their ball handling and decision making after dishing 260 assists against 326 turnovers last year. Clean up the turnovers, and they should be a bit more competitive.
Projected Order of Finish
1. North
2. Hoover
3. Roosevelt
4. Lincoln
5. Ottumwa
6. East
Analysis: This is by far the division with the most roster turnover in the CIML, and they may get beat up on by the other divisions as a result. The Polar Bears have the most talent, and should be considered the team to beat.
Preseason Player of the Year
2021 Manny Austin, North: 14.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 2.0 steals
After putting up big numbers for a Hoover team that generally plays at one of the slower paces in 4A, Austin, a high-scoring guard should thrive in an up-tempo North system following his transfer.
Biggest Sleeper
2022 Kir Diew, Hoover: The 6-5 sophomore forward should be asked to step into a much bigger role this year for the Huskies. With his size and athleticism, he’ll provide some defensive versatility to Coach Courtney Henderson, and he showed that he can be a force on the glass in his limited minutes last year, as 60% of his total rebounds last year came on the offensive end.
Players to Watch
2021 Manny Austin, North
2021 Malik Allen, North
2020 Gore Puot, North
2020 Jack McGlothlen, North
2021 Diondre Taylor, North
2021 Trae Swartz, Ottumwa
2021 Joe Hammer, Ottumwa
2020 Nate Feller, Lincoln
2020 Ben Badger, Lincoln
2020 Romanique Hellems, Roosevelt
2022 Jonathan Beverly, Hoover
2021 Jaden Loveless, Hoover
2022 Kir Diew, Hoover