Way Too Early Top 10: Class 2A

1.) Boyden-Hull (State champions, 24-3 last year, 53.1% of scoring returning)

Defending state champions lose a lot, but bring back two major pieces in Tanner Te Slaa Tanner Te Slaa 6'5" | SF Boyden-Hull | 2022 State IA and Marcus Kelderman Marcus Kelderman 6'1" | SG Boyden-Hull | 2021 State IA ...Te Slaa, a long, skilled junior wing is the leader of this group; averaged 17.2 points last year and can score from anywhere...Kelderman is a slick, lefty guard who gets to the bucket with ease and can put up some huge scoring games, as he did at State...Dayton Brunsting and Kody Noble will be asked to step into much larger roles this year, as four of the top six scorers are gone...Comets have a lot of questions coming into the year, but also have two of the best players in 2A...Perennially strong program should find new pieces to fit in.

2.) Western Christian (16-6 last year, 58.4% of scoring returning)

Last year was a down year for the Wolfpack, and they still won 16 games...Bring back three of their top four scorers, led by junior wing Ty Van Essen Ty Van Essen 6'4" | PF Western Christian | 2022 State IA , who led the team in rebounding last year and averaged 14 points a game...Wyatt Gulker and Tyson Boer provide more scoring punch, while Eli Van Essen and Dalton Westra give them plenty of returning experience...Look for Eli Van Essen to emerge as the team’s go-to ball-handler, an area they had some issues with last year...Western will always play the game the right way, making the extra pass, boxing out hard, solid on defense; well-coached group with a group of kids who grow up playing the game...Expect to see the Wolfpack back among the elite in 2A this year.

3.) Rock Valley (15-8 last year, 73.6% of scoring returning)

Rockets peaked after the holiday break last year, going 12-5 down the stretch...Young team returns six of their top seven scorers, led by senior wing Alex Godfredsen... Sam Remmerde Sam Remmerde 6'3" | PF Rock Valley | 2022 State IA provides some size and strength in the paint, while Bryson Van Grootheest Bryson Van Grootheest 6'0" | CG Rock Valley | 2022 State IA is a solid primary ball handler, scorer and shooter...Rockets share the ball well and should have plenty of perimeter shooting...Offensive development of Remmerde could make them a real problem.

4.) Albia (18-4 last year, 89.3% of scoring returning)

Blue Demons put together a strong season, falling to Woodward-Granger by six in substate final...Bring back nearly 90% of last year’s production, with only Joe Teno graduating...Senior guard Blake Chance Blake Chance 6'4" | PG Albia | 2021 State IA stuffs the stat sheet in a big way, averaging 14-6-8 last year... Brayden Messamaker Brayden Messamaker 6'1" | SG Albia | 2021 State IA is the top perimeter shooting threat at 40% last year...Sophomore big man Drew Chance came on strong last year, averaging 6.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, but was even better than that late in the season; expect to see a big sophomore year from him...Demons bring back eight players who averaged at least 3.1 points a game, should be very deep.

5.) Dike-New Hartford (18-5 last year, 68.1% of scoring returning)

Outside of 15-point loss to 1A champion Wapsie Valley, losses came by single digits...Swept NICL East rival Aplington-Parkersburg...Wolverines have dynamic backcourt with four talented guards in Dane Fuller Dane Fuller 5'10" | CG Dike-New Hartford | 2021 State IA , AJ Wegener AJ Wegener 5'10" | PG Dike-New Hartford | 2021 State IA , Zak Wauters Zak Wauters 5'11" | SG Dike-New Hartford | 2021 State IA and Landen Sullivan Landen Sullivan 5'10" | SG Dike-New Hartford | 2021 State IA ...Fuller led the team in scoring at 18.1 points; Wauters is a 45% 3-point shooter; Wegener talented, shifty guard who gets to the bucket, and Sullivan came on late as he got acclimated to the rest of the team following transfer from Cedar Falls...Guard play wins in high school basketball, and D-NH’s guard play will be great.

6.) Aplington-Parkersburg (19-3 last year, 77.8% of scoring returning)

Falcons were upset in postseason play last year, but were very young...Five of top six scorers return, led by junior wing Jayden Mackie Jayden Mackie 6'2" | PG Aplington-Parkersburg | 2022 State IA ...Mackie is an athletic, slashing wing who can stuff the stat sheet and take over games on either end of the floor...Senior wing Owen Thomas Owen Thomas 6'4" | SF Aplington-Parkersburg | 2021 State IA , sophomore Garrett Hempsen are solid perimeter scoring threats as well...Team should have good size with 6-6 Josh Haan Josh Haan 6'6" | PF Aplington-Parkersburg | 2021 State IA and 6-7 Christian Haugstad Christian Haugstad 6'7" | C Aplington-Parkersburg | 2022 State IA , who combined to average 18.8 points, 16.5 rebounds last year...Falcons always have good athletes, will have great size and have a star player in Mackie.

7.) Treynor (State semifinalist, 25-3 last year, 34.2% of scoring returning)

All the Cardinals do is win basketball games; they’re averaging 21.5 wins a season over the last 11 years...Despite losing three huge pieces from last year’s team, expect to see them back in the running in March... Sid Schaaf Sid Schaaf 5'11" | CG Treynor | 2021 State IA , Tim Zimmerman and Thomas Schwartz Thomas Schwartz 6'0" | PG Treynor | 2022 State IA were the 3rd, 5th and 6th leading scorers on last year’s team, have plenty of experience...Role players Blake Sadr and Noah James also return...Among returnees, there isn’t much size, but this group can shoot it...Look for a breakout junior year from Schwartz...They’ll find pieces to plug into whatever holes they have, and just keep finding ways to win 20+ games.

8.) Denver (16-7 last year, 90.2% of scoring returning)

Cyclones have been building towards this year for the last three years...Senior trio of Bryce Phelps Bryce Phelps 6'2" | PG Denver | 2021 State IA , Isaac Besh Isaac Besh 5'10" | CG Denver | 2021 State IA and Kyler Matthias Kyler Matthias 6'2" | CG Denver | 2021 State IA have been key contributors since they were freshmen...Trio combined to average 43.7 points, 16 rebounds and 9.7 assists a game last year...Top five scorers overall return including Caylor Hoffer Caylor Hoffer 5'11" | SG Denver | 2022 State IA and Will Curtis...Shooting is a question, as no returnee shot above 35% from 3...Swept by Aplington-Parkersburg last year but won two of three against Dike-New Hartford...NICL East battle should be a blast this year with those three high-quality teams.

9.) Camanche (State semifinalist, 23-4 last year, 42.4% of scoring returning)

Indians lose three huge pieces from best team in school history, but the cupboard isn’t bare...All-around talent Zach Erwin Zach Erwin 6'6" | SF Camanche | 2022 State IA returns as the leader; averaged 9.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals, 1.5 blocks as a sophomore, has a chance to become one of the best stat-sheet stuffers in the state...Senior guard Jordan Lawrence Jordan Lawrence 5'9" | PG Camanche | 2021 State IA is an elite defender, solid scoring guard as well... Zayne Feller Zayne Feller 6'7" | PF Camanche | 2021 State IA , Mike Delzell Mike Delzell 6'0" | SF Camanche | 2022 State IA , Tucker Dickherber saw solid playing time last year, and Camanche has started to churn out talent at lower levels too... Caleb Delzell Caleb Delzell 6'8" | SF Camanche | 2020 State IA , Cam Soenksen, LJ Henderson LJ Henderson 6'2" | SG Camanche | 2020 State IA losses are huge, but Indians will still be fast, athletic and they’ll find depth.

10.) South Hardin (15-7 last year, 91.3% of scoring returning)

Lots of experience back for the Tigers, with top four and nine of top 10 scorers returning...Led by trio of double-figure scorers in Beau Butler Beau Butler 6'3" | PF South Hardin | 2021 State IA , Garrison Tripp Garrison Tripp 5'8" | PG South Hardin | 2021 State IA and Dante Dolash...Butler provides size and strength on the block, averaging 13.5 points, 10.5 rebounds...Tripp is a versatile threat on the perimeter who led the team with 5.9 assists, while Dolash is an efficient scorer inside the arc...Look for big season from senior wing Kael Carr as a role player/sharpshooter; shot 40% from 3 last year, can take some pressure off of Butler/Tripp/Dolash...Tigers won seven straight before postseason loss to South Hamilton, look for them to build on that last season success.

Ten more teams to watch

Central Lyon (10-12 last year, 64.7% of scoring returning)

Lions were a very young team last year, with a freshman and a sophomore leading the team in scoring...Sophomore wing Zach Lutmer Zach Lutmer 6'1" | PG Central Lyon | 2023 State IA stuffs the stat sheet, putting up 15.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists as a freshman, and should turn into one of the best players in 2A over the next few years... Mason Gerleman Mason Gerleman 6'0" | SG Central Lyon | 2022 State IA is a knockdown shooter who shot 47% from behind the arc, giving Central Lyon a great one-two punch in the backcourt...Four other players who saw significant time return, but this team will go as far as Lutmer and Gerleman take them.

Clarion-Goldfield-Dows (8-15 last year, 98.5% of scoring returning)

Season started with an impressive win over South Hardin, but the Cowboys never really got back on track after that...Return all but 20 points from last year’s roster, so expect improvement with more experience...This was a sophomore heavy team last year, with five of the top eight scorers being sophomores...Junior forward Connor State Connor State 6'4" | PF Clarion-Goldfield-Dows | 2022 State IA holds down the fort in the paint, averaging 13.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.0 blocks a game...Jaxon Carpenter returns as lead ball-handler after dishing 4.4 assists a game, but group will need to improve decision-making as a whole after 341 turnovers against 304 assists last year...With top eight rotation players returning, CGD will have a lot of experience, and that should help them grow a lot this year.

Des Moines Christian (17-6 last year, 51.6% of scoring returning)

Lions lose major piece with graduation of Curran Ingram Curran Ingram 6'2" | SG Des Moines Christian | 2020 State IA , an 18-point scorer, but bring back three starters to annually strong program...Stretch forward Ben Loverude Ben Loverude 6'6" | PF Dmc | 2021 State IA is the standout here, a 6-6 lefty with range to the arc and ability to score from anywhere; he’ll need to have a big season to keep DMC in the running for State... Adam Witty Adam Witty 6'2" | SF Des Moines Christian | 2022 State IA is a rangy do-it-all wing, while Grant Veenstra Grant Veenstra 6'2" | SF Des Moines Christian | 2021 State IA provides some size and length on the interior...Lions will need to find role players to step up alongside their "Big Three", but DMC always has good basketball players, that shouldn’t change this year. They will be heard from come February.

Iowa Falls-Alden (13-10 last year, 64.2% of scoring returning)

Cadets drop from 3A to 2A this year for postseason play, which will help them...Return big-time scorer in senior guard Karson Sharar Karson Sharar 6'2" | SG Iowa Falls-Alden | 2021 State IA , who averaged 23.6 points and 7.3 rebounds last season... Blake Janssen Blake Janssen 5'11" | CG Iowa Falls-Alden | 2022 State IA is a solid lead guard who protects the ball and gets others involved...Four of the top six scorers return, but they’ll be as good as Sharar can be...He’s capable of getting red hot and carrying this group to wins, but needs to become more efficient.

OABCIG (16-5 last year, 62.0% of scoring returning)

For the second straight year, the Falcons lose a ton of production, but they bring back the most important piece, Cooper DeJean Cooper DeJean 6'2" | CG OABCIG | 2021 State IA ...DeJean, an Iowa football commit and one of the top safety prospects in the country, averaged 25.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 3.5 steals a game last year...One of the best 2A players in the state, he’ll carry this group and whatever role players step up alongside him to plenty more wins this year.

Southeast Valley (17-6 last year, 49.4% of scoring returning)

Jaguars raced out to 11-1 start last season before faltering a bit down the stretch...Led by junior tandem of Aaron Graves Aaron Graves 6'5" | PF Southeast Valley | 2022 State IA and Kolton Kruse, who will be relied upon even more this year following graduation of the next six scorers...Graves is an Iowa football commit, a dominant big body in the paint who averaged 15.8 points, 7.0 rebounds as a sophomore...Kruse is a knockdown shooter who buried 42% of his 3-point attempts last year...They’ll need to find more bodies to fill in the spaces around those two, but with another year of seasoning, the Graves/Kruse duo will be one of the best tandems in 2A.

Spirit Lake (11-10 last year, 84.9% of scoring returning)

Indians lost six of their last seven games last year after starting 10-4...Bring back a pair of big-time scoring threats in 6-2 junior Vance Katzfey Vance Katzfey 6'3" | SG Spirit Lake | 2022 State IA and 6-7 senior Creighton Moricsh Creighton Moricsh 6'7" | SF Spirit Lake | 2021 State IA ...Katzfey can fill it up from anywhere, averaging 16.2 points and 5.1 rebounds with 56-45-73 splits, while Moricsh put up 15.7 points and 7.0 rebounds, shot 40% from 3 himself...In all, only one key player from last year is gone...Look for improved production from senior forward Tyler Kriener, younger brother of former Iowa center Ryan Kriener...Luke Sidles and Brent Scott Brent Scott 6'1" | SF Spirit Lake | 2021 State IA give them even more shooting, shooting 36 and 40% from 3, respectively...Spirit Lake is going to be able to score, defense will be the question for this group. If they can get some key stops, they should be a contender.

Waukon (13-9 last year, 79.9% of scoring returning)

Indians don’t play many 2A teams during the regular season, playing in 3A heavy NEIC...Only two losses last year were to 2A teams (both to Crestwood)...6-4 senior wing Creed Welch Creed Welch 6'4" | SF Waukon | 2021 State IA is the leader, averaging 15.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.9 assists last year...Three double-figure scorers return in Welch, Ethan O’Neill (12.9) and Braden Hemann (12.5)...Hemann is coming off a great sophomore campaign in which he also put up 8.1 rebounds and shot 36% from 3...Team needs to get to the free-throw line more, after averaging just 14 FTA per game last season...Two many scoring threats to not be getting to the line more often.

West Branch (18-5 last year, 43.8% of scoring returning)

Bears lose a lot of firepower, but always have good athletes who can step into bigger roles...Senior forward Simon Palmer Simon Palmer 6'5" | PF West Branch | 2021 State IA is an active player with good size and a nice looking stroke, averaged 10.7 points and should see that number rise this year...Gavin Hierseman, Peyton Miller, Thomas Gould and Brady Knoop all saw significant time last year, and look for freshman guard Holden Arnaman to make an impact immediately...This group would be considered for the top 10 if Iowa football commit Jeff Bowie Jeff Bowie 6'5" | PF West Branch | 2021 State IA decided to play this year, giving them more size and physicality in the frontcourt...Bowie averaged 12.7 points, 5.6 rebounds before shutting it down last year following an injury.

West Burlington (14-9 last year, 95.3% of scoring returning)

Falcons play largely 1A schedule during regular season, struggled against better teams on the schedule last season...Top seven scorers are back, led by athletic forward Marvion Jackson Marvion Jackson 6'5" | PF West Burlington | 2021 State IA , who averaged 14.5 points, 6.5 rebounds last season...Jackson is a versatile, athletic forward who can defend multiple spots... Colten Sherwood Colten Sherwood 5'10" | SG West Burlington | 2021 State IA , Darian Johnson Darian Johnson 5'10" | PG West Burlington | 2021 State IA , Cayson Shipp, Austin Applegate, Ty Hill, Ethan Eilers all return, providing all sorts of experience...Group will be very athletic, more experienced this year, which should help against the better teams on the slate, make them more competitive.