Conference Preview: CIML Metro

<h4>The Teams</h4> [caption id="attachment_1198885" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/116-Elijah-Vos-1-crop-1855x1218-1621546748.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1198885 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/116-Elijah-Vos-1-crop-1855x1218-1621546748-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Vos[/caption] <p><strong>Hoover (13-5):</strong> A young Huskies team had a bit of an up-and-down season last year. They’d post an impressive win over Southeast Polk, then lose by 28 to Ankeny. They’d knock off a very good Valley team, then lose to Ames by 31. They need to become more consistent, and that should happen with more experience. Leading scorer [player_tooltip player_id="727866" first="Manny" last="Austin"] graduated, but they bring back a pair of big-time scorers in juniors [player_tooltip player_id="956876" first="Chase" last="Henderson"] (17.4) and [player_tooltip player_id="956869" first="Elijah" last="Vos"] (12.9). Henderson is a volume scorer with limitless range who has really improved his all-around abilities. He’s cat-quick, and can get to the bucket with ease, and as he has continued to mature physically, he’s become a better finisher. He recently picked up his first Division I offer from South Dakota, and he averaged 5.2 assists a game last year in addition to his scoring. Vos is a big, physical wing at 6-5/6-6 who posted 51-48-77 shooting splits. With Henderson and Austin on the floor last year, Vos didn’t get as many touches as he probably warrants, and that should change this year. He’s a very talented scoring threat who can take advantage of bigger defenders with his quickness, or smaller defenders with his size. The Henderson-Vos tandem is the best in the division and should lead Hoover to the top.</p> <p><strong>East (3-14):</strong> A very young Scarlets team improved a bit as the season went on, and pulled off a significant upset over North in the postseason. They’ll be looking to carry some momentum into this year and build on that win. They lose leading scorer James Jefferson, but bring back the next three scorers in [player_tooltip player_id="1171694" first="Tyron" last="Wright"] (10.8), Kobrom Mikele (7.8), and JeCari Patton (7.5). Wright is an athletic 6-5 forward who led 4A in rebounding last season, pulling down 10.9 rebounds as a freshman, and Patton, a fellow sophomore, is the team’s top perimeter shooting threat. With four players back who were major contributors as freshmen and sophomores last year, expect to see East be more competitive this season and continue building their program.</p> [caption id="attachment_1290380" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/09/7-Trovary-Cavil.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1290380 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/09/7-Trovary-Cavil-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a> Cavil[/caption] <p><strong>Lincoln (5-13):</strong> The Railsplitters got off to a solid 3-1 start last year before dropping 12 of the final 14 games. They weren’t competitive against the top teams on the schedule, but they were also extremely young last year and looked much improved when we saw them play this summer. Sophomore lead guard [player_tooltip player_id="1171658" first="Trovary" last="Cavil"] (15.0) is coming off a superb freshman year and looks like he has really improved his efficiency. He shot 37.8% from the floor last year, but appears to be primed to get that number up into the mid-to-high 40s this year after a strong summer. He has a dynamic mid-range game, has the ball on a string, and with a year of experience playing in the rugged CIML, he should be ready to lead this group to success. Fellow sophomore, forward [player_tooltip player_id="1171699" first="Ja’Vion" last="Bell"] (6.4, 5.4 rebounds) is an athletic forward who runs the floor and rebounds it well, and junior forward Jamal West (6.1) is another good athlete in the paint. [player_tooltip player_id="1235022" first="Victor" last="Hatungimana"] (5.3) is a good, but streaky, shooter who could give them some big production as a senior. Cavil is ready to emerge as one of the better players in the CIML, and Lincoln should be much improved as a result.</p> <p><strong>North (10-5):</strong> North was the third-highest scoring team in 4A last season, but they lose the top four scorers from that group, so they'll be leaning on a new group of scorers. Junior quartet David Caulker (2.4), Kenny Brooks (2.0), D'Marion White (2.0), and Aron Gonkaryon (2.0) are the top returnees. Look for Caulker and Brooks to emerge as the go-to scoring threats, especially early on while a slew of newcomers gets accustomed to varsity run. They always have a number of talented athletes, and with their up-tempo style, they'll get into some track meets and outscore some teams throughout the year. </p> <p><strong>Ottumwa (16-6):</strong> The 16 wins that the Bulldogs compiled last year was the most the program has had in the QuikStats/VarsityBound era (dating back to the 2007-08 season), and was just the third season in which they finished above .500 in that stretch. With dominant scoring wing [player_tooltip player_id="727889" first="Trae" last="Swartz"] graduated, and five of the top six rotation pieces gone, they’ll be hard-pressed to replicate that success this year. Senior wing [player_tooltip player_id="1158446" first="Adam" last="Greiner"] (12.8) and guard [player_tooltip player_id="1288873" first="Armani" last="Robinson"] (2.6) are the only returnees who saw significant playing time last season, so there will be a ton of new faces on the floor for Ottumwa this year.</p> <p><strong>Roosevelt (6-12):</strong> Junior wing [player_tooltip player_id="1167710" first="Sam" last="King"] (11.0) leads a talented 2023 class at Roosevelt, with [player_tooltip player_id="1167733" first="Jamison" last="Patton"] (9.1) and [player_tooltip player_id="1167697" first="George" last="Williams"] (5.3) joining him as key contributors. The Roughriders will lean heavily on that trio this year. King is a 6-3 playmaking wing who sees the floor well and can get others involved while also scoring from all three levels. Patton is a standout football player who contributes across the board, and Williams is an undersized forward who competes hard on the glass and is the type of player that you can run the offense through as he’s a really good passer who sees the floor well. He put together some big games this summer on the grassroots circuit and looks ready to take his game to the next level. Like East, this year will be about building towards the future and getting more competitive against the better teams on the schedule.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Projected Order of Finish</h4> <p><br /> 1. Hoover<br /> 2. Lincoln<br /> 3. Roosevelt<br /> 4. North<br /> 5. Ottumwa<br /> 6. East</p> <p><strong>Analysis:</strong> The Huskies are the clear-cut favorite in this division. Lincoln, Roosevelt, North, and East each have some intriguing young pieces that could make them dangerous as well, and each of those programs are on the right trajectory.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/Chase-Henderson.jpeg"><img class="alignright wp-image-1066742 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/Chase-Henderson-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a></p> <h4>Preseason Player of the Year</h4> <p><strong>2023 [player_tooltip player_id="956876" first="Chase" last="Henderson"], Hoover:</strong> A skilled junior guard who recently picked up his first Division I offer (South Dakota), Henderson can impact the game on both ends of the floor with his quickness and talent. He has limitless range, gets others involved, and can break down the defense and get to the bucket, where he has really improved as a finisher. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Players to Watch</h4> <p>2023 [player_tooltip player_id="956876" first="Chase" last="Henderson"], Hoover<br /> 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="956869" first="Elijah" last="Vos"], Hoover<br /> 2024 [player_tooltip player_id="1171658" first="Trovary" last="Cavil"], Lincoln<br /> 2024 [player_tooltip player_id="1171699" first="Ja’Vion" last="Bell"], Lincoln<br /> 2023 Jamal West, Lincoln<br /> 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1235022" first="Victor" last="Hatungimana"], Lincoln<br /> 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1167710" first="Sam" last="King"], Roosevelt<br /> 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1167733" first="Jamison" last="Patton"], Roosevelt<br /> 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1167697" first="George" last="Williams"], Roosevelt<br /> 2024 [player_tooltip player_id="1171694" first="Tyron" last="Wright"], East<br /> 2023 Kobrom Mikele, East<br /> 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1158446" first="Adam" last="Greiner"], Ottumwa<br /> 2023 David Caulker, North</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>