Conference Preview: MVC Valley

<h4>The Teams</h4> [caption id="attachment_1287056" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/09/Cameron-Fens-crop-1668x1095-1632148630.jpeg"><img class="wp-image-1287056 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/09/Cameron-Fens-crop-1668x1095-1632148630-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Fens[/caption] Hempstead (15-5): The Mustangs have a lot of scoring firepower to replace following the graduations of Michael Duax and Jamari Smith, who combined to average 36.8 points a game last season. They do bring back a pair of starters from last year’s group in senior big [player_tooltip player_id="1055294" first="Cameron" last="Fens"] (9.7) and wing [player_tooltip player_id="962654" first="Kellen" last="Strohmeyer"] (9.1). Fens is a mobile 6-10 big who runs the floor, finishes around the bucket, and protects the rim. Strohmeyer is a lanky wing who can shoot it a bit and attack the rim. He should have the ball in his hands a fair amount this season after averaging 2.5 assists a game. Anterio Thompson (2.9), Nathan Kaesbauer (2.3), and [player_tooltip player_id="1234980" first="Noah" last="Pettinger"] (2.0) are the other returnees who saw playing time last year. After being one of the highest-scoring teams in 4A last year, expect the ’Stangs to slow it down a bit more this year and rely on their defense to win games. [caption id="attachment_1290512" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/09/107-Kareem-Earl.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1290512 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/09/107-Kareem-Earl-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a> Earl[/caption] Iowa City West (4-9): The Trojans were never really able to get into a rhythm last season, starting the season late due to Iowa City schools being in online learning, and then having a 24-day break between games due to COVID exposures in January. The start-and-stop of the season never allowed this group to build chemistry and get things rolling. Still, with the exception of a 28-point loss to Senior and a 12-point loss to Kennedy, the other seven losses came by a combined 25 points, an average of 3.6 points a game. The top three, and four of the top five, scorers return. They’re led by senior forward [player_tooltip player_id="1158261" first="Peter" last="Moe"] (21.9), who moved in from Indianapolis before the start of last season and had a huge year. He’s a 6-9 forward who can score inside and out, and his 8.1 free throw attempts a game was the best in 4A. Fellow senior point guard [player_tooltip player_id="682262" first="Christian" last="Barnes"] (10.5, 3.7 assists) is a talented two-way player with quickness and court vision, while sophomore wing [player_tooltip player_id="1171670" first="Kareem" last="Earl"] (7.3, 36.8 3P%) is a good shooter with a rapidly developing all-around offensive game. [player_tooltip player_id="1167705" first="Savion" last="Taylor"] (5.8) is a big wing who can defend and shoot, knocking down 40.4% of his 3-point attempts. And the Trojans will add Jack McCaffery to the lineup. The 6-7/6-8 son of Iowa coach Fran McCaffery, Jack is big, long, and talented. It may take him a little while to get acclimated to varsity play, but he’ll be the key piece for this program for the next four years. With continuity and a more regular schedule, the Trojans should be back to being a formidable foe this year. Jefferson (2-18): The J-Hawks won just two games last year, but got more competitive as the season went on. They lost leading scorer [player_tooltip player_id="1158435" first="Carson" last="Blietz"] to Kennedy, but return a slew of players, as last year’s roster was entirely made up of juniors with the exception of one end-of-the-bench player. [player_tooltip player_id="962659" first="Andreas" last="Williams"] (10.0) is the top returning scorer, but five players who averaged at least 7.6 points a game last season return. This group will be undersized, but fast and shouldn’t have too many issues scoring. The areas of concern for Jefferson will be on the glass and on the defensive end of the floor, where their lack of size could hurt them again. [caption id="attachment_1116187" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/11-Kenzie-Reed-crop-2173x1427-1610657914.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1116187 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/11-Kenzie-Reed-crop-2173x1427-1610657914-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Reed[/caption] Kennedy (15-8): The Cougars fell just short of the state tournament last year, losing to eventual runner-up Johnston in overtime in the substate final. Leading scorer Caleb Schlaak has moved on to Truman State, but three players with starting experience return in juniors [player_tooltip player_id="956877" first="Kenzie" last="Reed"] (9.9, 5.8 assists) and [player_tooltip player_id="1167718" first="Colby" last="Dolphin"] (8.1), and senior forward [player_tooltip player_id="1158434" first="Jackson" last="Bowman"] (6.3). Reed is one of the best pure lead guards in the state, a strong ball-handler and decision-maker who values possessions, and who has really improved as a shooter. He knocked down 41% of his 3-point attempts last season and will be asked to play a larger scoring role this year. Dolphin is another quality shooter (40.4 3P%) and defender on the perimeter, while Bowman is an athletic big man who rebounds well and finishes at the bucket. The Cougars also got a boost with the addition of [player_tooltip player_id="1158435" first="Carson" last="Blietz"], who averaged 10.4 points a game at Jefferson last year and shot 38% from behind the arc. The Reed-Dolphin-Blietz trio on the perimeter will be one of the best in the conference. [player_tooltip player_id="784983" first="Craig" last="Mills"] (3.8) and Connor Jeffors (2.1) also return with experience, and coach Jon McKowen’s freshman son Trey McKowen may make an immediate impact as well. McKowen is one of the best coaches in the state, always having his teams ready to compete on the defensive end and the Cougars should be on the verge of the top-10 throughout the course of the season. Senior (12-9): We had high expectations for the Rams last season, ranking them 7th in our preseason rankings, but they got off to a cold 2-7 start. They caught fire in February, closing the regular season on a six-game winning streak, extending it to nine through substate play, and qualifying for the state tournament. Unfortunately for the Rams, the top five scorers from that group have graduated, leaving [player_tooltip player_id="962632" first="Sam" last="Akins"] (6.5) as the top returnee. Akins is a solid lead guard who can score or facilitate, and will be asked to be a bigger scoring threat this season. Hayden Francois (3.3) and [player_tooltip player_id="962636" first="Landon" last="Sauser"] (2.5) each saw some time last year, and Joel Wilbricht (3.0) and [player_tooltip player_id="962639" first="Walker" last="Tart"] (3.0) will be asked to step into significant roles. Wendell Eimers has done a great job building up the Senior program, and they’ve gotten to the point where they generally re-load rather than rebuild. They may struggle early, but expect to see them remain competitive despite the major personnel losses. [caption id="attachment_1287160" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/09/Martez-Wiggley-crop-4852x3186-1632152684.jpeg"><img class="wp-image-1287160 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/09/Martez-Wiggley-crop-4852x3186-1632152684-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Wiggley[/caption] Waterloo East (5-14): After getting off to a solid 5-7 start that included quality wins over Linn-Mar and Kennedy, the Trojans closed the year on a seven-game losing streak. They lose leading scorer Ramir Scott, but bring back five juniors who saw lots of playing time last season. [player_tooltip player_id="1167741" first="Kewone" last="Jones"] (6.7) is the top returning scorer, with [player_tooltip player_id="1167721" first="Martez" last="Wiggley"] (6.6), [player_tooltip player_id="1167737" first="Shakur" last="Wright"] (5.9), [player_tooltip player_id="1240087" first="Jamauryus" last="Bradford-Gates"] (4.5), and Dayton Bruce (3.2) rounding out the balanced group of returnees. Jones is a big, physical wing who had a strong summer with Waterloo Salvation, and Wiggley may be one of the best passing bigs in the state. Expect to see the offense run through Wiggley a bit more this year, and the offense should flow a bit better if that is the case. East lacks much traditional size, but like Jefferson, they’ll be quick and athletic. Waterloo West (10-8): The top four, and seven of the top eight, scorers graduated for the Wahawks, leaving them with a largely new roster heading into this season. Junior guard Keishaun Pendleton (5.1) is the only returnee who saw significant playing time last year and will be relied upon as a leader for what will be a very young and inexperienced group. [caption id="attachment_1142226" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/54-Aidan-Yamilkoski-crop-1815x1192-1614634786.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1142226 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/54-Aidan-Yamilkoski-crop-1815x1192-1614634786-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Yamilkoski[/caption] Xavier (11-11): Junior wings [player_tooltip player_id="1167689" first="Aidan" last="Yamilkoski"] (10.3) and [player_tooltip player_id="1240086" first="Aidan" last="McDermott"] (6.6) return to lead the Saints this season, giving them a pair of solid scorers who can fill it up from all three levels. Expect to see sophomore point guard [player_tooltip player_id="1171667" first="Joseph" last="Bean"] step into a major role this season. He’s a physical lead guard who is a strong on-ball defender, ball-handler, and decision-maker who can also really shoot it. He could be one of the breakout players in the league this season. The Saints have a lot of holes to fill in the rotation this season following the graduations of seven key rotation pieces.   <h4>Projected Order of Finish</h4> 1. Iowa City West 2. Kennedy 3. Hempstead 4. Xavier 5. Senior 6. Waterloo East 7. Waterloo West 8. Jefferson Analysis: Iowa City West should be back closer to what we expect out of that program this year with some continuity and more time together. Kennedy will be strong again, and Hempstead and Xavier both return pieces that will make them dangerous.   <h4>Preseason Player of the Year</h4> 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1158261" first="Peter" last="Moe"], Iowa City West: Moe could lead 4A in scoring this year after putting up nearly 22 points a game last season. A dominant three-level scorer with great footwork and touch around the rim and the ability to routinely knock down shots from deep, he should have a massive season for a Trojans team that will be much improved.   <h4>Players to Watch</h4> 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1158261" first="Peter" last="Moe"], Iowa City West 2024 [player_tooltip player_id="1171670" first="Kareem" last="Earl"], Iowa City West 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="682262" first="Christian" last="Barnes"], Iowa City West 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1167705" first="Savion" last="Taylor"], Iowa City West 2025 Jack McCaffery, Iowa City West 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="956877" first="Kenzie" last="Reed"], Kennedy 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1158435" first="Carson" last="Blietz"], Kennedy 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1167718" first="Colby" last="Dolphin"], Kennedy 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1158434" first="Jackson" last="Bowman"], Kennedy 2022 Craigory Mills, Kennedy 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1055294" first="Cameron" last="Fens"], Hempstead 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="962654" first="Kellen" last="Strohmeyer"], Hempstead 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1167689" first="Aidan" last="Yamilkoski"], Xavier 2024 [player_tooltip player_id="1171667" first="Joseph" last="Bean"], Xavier 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="962659" first="Andreas" last="Williams"], Jefferson 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1158495" first="Caden" last="Schroeder"], Jefferson 2022 Ayrondus Hodges, Jefferson 2022 Kaden Heller, Jefferson 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1167721" first="Martez" last="Wiggley"], Waterloo East 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1167741" first="Kewone" last="Jones"], Waterloo East 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="962632" first="Sam" last="Akins"], Senior