The Teams Clarksville (9-12, 8-9): The Indians bring back 6-2 forward Ethan Schmidt (18.9), who led the team in scoring and rebounding last season, while shooting a remarkable 66.8% from the floor. He’s even capable of stretching out to the…
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Clarksville (9-12, 8-9): The Indians bring back 6-2 forward Ethan Schmidt (18.9), who led the team in scoring and rebounding last season, while shooting a remarkable 66.8% from the floor. He’s even capable of stretching out to the arc, where he knocked down nine of his 20 attempts, good for 45%. Deric Trees (4.7) figures to be the team’s lead ball handling option and perimeter scoring threat, while Corbin Engel (2.0) is the other returnee with experience. Schmidt is one of the most dominant players in the conference, and should win this group some games, but it’s tough to see them replicating their near .500 record in league play unless some shooting emerges.
Zach Huff
Don Bosco (16-7, 12-3): Only two starters return for the Dons, but they bring back a standout guard in Zach Huff (15.1, 57 3PM, 42.5 3P%), one of the best shooters in the state and a kid who looks primed to have an explosive scoring season as far-and-away the team’s top scoring threat. Huff isn’t just a scorer, however, as he also dished out 97 assists last season as the secondary ball handler alongside Jack Kelley. With the ball in his hands a ton this year, look for Huff to post some eye-popping numbers. Lewis Havel (4.7) is the other returning starter, while Kobe Allen (2.2) and Mason Denton (2.1) have some experience and return. This is going to be the Zach Huff show, and he’s going to be a nightly threat to go off for 30+ this winter.
Dunkerton (20-5, 16-1): The Raiders have been the dominant team in this division for the last few years. They handed Don Bosco three of their losses last year, but things should change this year, as they graduated four double figure scorers, and another key role player, who accounted for nearly 87% of the team’s scoring last year. Riley Tisue (2.8) and Kolby Rich (2.9) are the team’s leading returnees, with Brody Rygel (1.5), Jacob Brandt (1.4) and Jake Kennedy (0.9) the other key names to keep an eye on heading into the season. Dunkerton always seems to have a solid program, and that probably won’t change, but expect to see a significant drop from last year’s dynamic team.
Janesville (19-5, 15-3): The Wildcats have a lot of production to replace, as the top four scorers from last year’s team graduated, taking 79% of the scoring and 75% of the rebounding with them. Ben McGrath (3.8) is the leading returning scorer. He ranked second in the team with 19 made 3s last year, and will need to emerge as a go-to scoring threat. Joey Carlson (2.9) was efficient off the bench last year, shooting 54.5%, and Leo Dodd (1.2) and Tegan Meyer (1.1) saw some time. There is an awful lot of production to replace in Janesville, and they should fall down closer to the .500 mark in the league this year as a result.
Riceville (3-18, 2-11): Riceville won just three games last year, and two of those came against Waterloo Christian. The good news for the Wildcats is they should have lots of continuity with their top four scorers returning, led by Sullivan Fair (11.8). He’s the team’s primary scoring threat on the perimeter, while returnees Brody Koenigs (7.1), Charlie Ring (4.6) and Tanner Swenson (4.3) all do their damage from inside the arc. This group really struggled with turnovers last year, turning the ball over 461 times (against 125 assists). If they can protect the ball better, they should be able to put together a more efficient offense and scrape together a few more wins.
Tripoli (6-15, 5-9): The Panthers return six of the top eight scorers from last year’s team, so they should put together a few more wins this winter. Like Riceville, this group struggled turning the ball over (379 turnovers, 106 assists), but where they really struggled was shooting the ball from deep (41-217, 18.9%). Connor Piehl (11.1) is the leading returning scorer, while Lincoln Drewis (8.0), Dawson Bergmann (5.3), Seth Boeckmann (2.5), Ethan Steere (2.3) and Michael Davis (2.0) all saw plenty of time last year. If they can turn the ball over less often, and get that 3-point percentage up to even 25%, they should be much more competitive in the division.
Waterloo Christian (1-21, 0-18): The Regents were largely non-competitive last year, with just five of their 21 losses coming by single digits. But there is some reason for optimism and hope for improvement, as the top five scorers from last year’s group return, giving this team some continuity. John Zwack (20.7) is the league’s leading returning scorer, and if he can become more efficient (34.3% last year), he could emerge as one of the top scorers in the state. He’ll need his teammates to step up if he wants to become more efficient, to help take some of the pressure off of him. Dominick Jones (8.8) made 38 3s last year, and Carson Rowenhorst (5.2) and Elliott Flynn (5.1) are both coming off decent freshmen seasons. This team gave up 71.5 points a game last year, which ranked 144th (out of 147) in 1A. That number needs to improve drastically if they want to rack up a few more wins.
Projected Order of Finish
1. Don Bosco
2. Dunkerton
3. Clarksville
4. Janesville
5. Tripoli
6. Riceville
7. Waterloo Christian
Analysis: Zach Huff is far and away the most talented player in this division, and he should lead Don Bosco to the top. Look for the Dons to exact some revenge on Dunkerton for the trio of losses the Raiders handed them last season.
Preseason Player of the Year
2020 Zach Huff, Don Bosco: 15.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals, 57 3PM, 42.5 3P%
Far and away the most talented player in this division, Huff is a gifted scoring guard with the ability to get scorching hot and score at will from all three levels. He’s also a great passer who reads the floor well and understands when he needs to facilitate, and when he needs to take over a game and score. With Jack Kelley graduated, Huff will have the ball in his hands a ton, and should be a monster this year for the Dons. He should rank among the leading scorers in 1A this season.
Biggest Sleeper
2022 Kobe Allen, Don Bosco: A small but talented lead guard, Allen played well as a freshman off the bench last year for the Dons, averaging 2.2 points and dishing out 33 assists against 17 turnovers. He should thrive playing in the backcourt alongside Huff this year, using his quickness to break down the defense and cause issues on the defensive end of the floor.
Players to Watch
2020 Zach Huff, Don Bosco
2020 Lewis Havel, Don Bosco
2022 Kobe Allen, Don Bosco
2020 Mason Denton, Don Bosco
2020 John Zwack, Waterloo Christian
2021 Dominic Jones, Waterloo Christian
2022 Carson Rowenhorst, Waterloo Christian
2022 Elliott Flynn, Waterloo Christian
2020 Ethan Schmidt, Clarksville
2020 Deric Trees, Clarksville
2020 Sullivan Fair, Riceville
2020 Brody Koenigs, Riceville
2021 Charlie Ring, Riceville
2021 Conner Piehl, Tripoli
2020 Lincoln Drewis, Tripoli
2021 Dawson Bergmann, Tripoli
2020 Kolby Rich, Dunkerton
2020 Riley Tisue, Dunkerton
