Heartland Athletic Conference Preview

<p>Should be an exciting battle for the HAC title this season. </p> <p><strong>Conference Commentary</strong></p> <p><strong>Top Ten</strong>: Lincoln Pius X</p> <p>Pius should be entrenched in most people’s preseason top ten in Class A. They return the best mix of talent and experience in the conference. Recent Summit League commits, Sam and [player_tooltip player_id="1023539" first="Jack" last="Hastreiter"], are the stars of this squad that went 18-4 last season. Coach Spicka always makes sure his kids play hard and play the right way. Could the Thunderbolts now bring home a Class A title after winning the Class B crown just a few seasons ago? </p> <p><strong>Top Ten Potential: </strong>Grand Island, Lincoln Northeast, Lincoln Southwest, Lincoln Northstar</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="890574" first="Isaac" last="Traudt"] will be unstoppable and he should have an improved supporting cast this season, they should do much better than their 12-11 season previously. Lincoln Northeast will surprise people with improvement all the way down the roster. The Beard/Bazil duo will cause a lot of problems for teams this year. Lincoln Southwest is already in some folk’s top ten and I understand completely. [player_tooltip player_id="1013219" first="Rylan" last="Smith"] will be amongst the best playmakers in the state and will be surrounded by shooters. (Obligatory spot where I make sure to mention [player_tooltip player_id="981706" first="Ben" last="Hunzeker"] is one of the best players in the conference.) Northstar is deep with young talent that could make a jump this season, they’ll look to build on their 12-10 season last year. </p> <p><strong>Compete with Most</strong>: Lincoln East, Kearney, Lincoln High</p> <p>The Spartans have a solid group of guards and if their bigs can take another step, I might be rating them too low. Kearney is well-coached and is one of the toughest places to play in the state of Nebraska. [player_tooltip player_id="1049314" first="Jack" last="Mundorf"] is also a solid guard that should keep the Bearcats competing hard. The Links are another team that might surprise some people, they will have some great length and shot-blocking this year. They also have some bucket getters in [player_tooltip player_id="1165695" first="Collin" last="Nick"] and Marcellus McCulley. After winning only one game last season, you can expect the Links to pick up a few more W’s than last year. </p> <p><strong>Rebuilding</strong>: Columbus, Fremont, Norfolk, Lincoln Southeast</p> <p>These teams will be dealing with either a new coach or just a very young squad. Southeast has some intriguing talent in [player_tooltip player_id="1018714" first="Wade" last="Voss"], [player_tooltip player_id="1023546" first="Bangot" last="Dak"], and [player_tooltip player_id="1253988" first="Taye" last="Moore"]. They’ll be great building blocks for years to come. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>21-22 Conference Predictions</strong></p> <ol> <li>Lincoln Pius X</li> <li>Lincoln Southwest</li> <li>Grand Island</li> <li>Lincoln Northstar</li> <li>Lincoln Northeast</li> <li>Lincoln East</li> <li>Kearney</li> <li>Lincoln High</li> <li>Lincoln Southeast</li> <li>Fremont</li> <li>Norfolk</li> <li>Columbus </li> </ol> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Preseason HAC Player of the Year</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="890574" first="Isaac" last="Traudt"] (Grand Island)</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Preseason All-HAC Team</strong></p> <p>(Note: I chose 6 players per team regardless of what position they play.)</p> <p><strong><u>First Team</u></strong></p> <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="981708" first="Sam" last="Hastreiter"] (Pius X)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="1023539" first="Jack" last="Hastreiter"] (Pius X)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="890574" first="Isaac" last="Traudt"] (Grand Island)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="981706" first="Ben" last="Hunzeker"] (Lincoln Southwest)</li> <li>Brennon Clemmons Jr (Lincoln Northstar) </li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="1018713" first="Porter" last="Bazil"] (Lincoln Northeast) </li> </ul> <p><strong><u>Second Team</u></strong></p> <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="982462" first="Brayden" last="McPhail"] (Lincoln East)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="981714" first="Zander" last="Beard"] (Lincoln Northeast) </li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="1013219" first="Rylan" last="Smith"] (Lincoln Southwest)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="1018714" first="Wade" last="Voss"] (Lincoln Southeast) </li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="981700" first="Jared" last="Bohrer"] (Pius X)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="1150640" first="Jake" last="Hilkemann"] (Lincoln Northstar) </li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p>