Conference Preview: Raccoon River

<h4>The Teams</h4> ADM (10-13): New coach Trevor Mickelson inherits a team that was very close to having an inverse record last season, losing seven games by single digits. He’ll bring back a pair of experienced pieces in junior forward [player_tooltip player_id="1240104" first="Vince" last="Benetti"] (9.8, 7.7 rebounds) and senior sharpshooter [player_tooltip player_id="1234981" first="Sam" last="Hlas"] (9.5, 46.0 3P%). Benetti led the team in rebounding last season, while Hlas has established himself as one of the best shooters in the conference and in Class 3A. Outside of those two, however, there isn’t much coming back. Mickelson is an offensive coach who comes over from Waukee, so expect to see the Tigers looking to push the tempo a bit more than they have in previous years, and if that is the case, Hlas could have a big-time scoring season. Without much else returning, it’s hard to see ADM competing with the big boys in the conference, but Mickelson is a bright young coach who will get this program energized and headed in the right direction. [caption id="attachment_1066263" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/53-Ashton-Hermann.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1066263 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/53-Ashton-Hermann-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Hermann[/caption] Ballard (25-2): The Bombers nearly went wire-to-wire as the #1 team in 3A last year, beating teams by an average of 27 points a game before falling to Pella in the 3A championship game. They should be contenders again in 3A this year despite losing major contributors Connor Drew, Mason Murphy, Isaiah Peasley, and Sam Petersen. They’ll be headlined by one of the best players in 3A in senior guard [player_tooltip player_id="962491" first="Ashton" last="Hermann"] (16.2, 3.3 steals), a dynamic wing scorer who is a menace on the defensive end with his quickness and instincts. He turns defense into offense in a hurry, and should be one of the state’s top scorers as a senior. Also returning is senior forward [player_tooltip player_id="962630" first="Kale" last="Krogh"] (7.3), a big body who controls the paint on both ends of the floor. He has signed to play football at Iowa. Jacob Ihle (3.4), Colby Calvert (2.6), and Jaren Njos (2.0) saw significant playing time last season with all of the blowout wins the Bombers had, and that experience will be beneficial for them as they step into bigger roles this season. Expect to see sophomore wing [player_tooltip player_id="1256298" first="Nolan" last="Cogdill"] and junior guard [player_tooltip player_id="1240105" first="Mason" last="Gorsh"] become big contributors this season as well. Cogdill is a 6-5 wing with all sorts of defensive potential, and Gorsh is a 6-1 sharpshooter who should fit in well alongside Hermann. This team won’t be as dominant as last year’s group was, but they’ll still be very good and have to be considered the team to beat in the RRC until they’re dethroned. [caption id="attachment_1218566" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/06/Colby-Collison-crop-2826x1855-1624031774.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1218566 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/06/Colby-Collison-crop-2826x1855-1624031774-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Collison[/caption] Bondurant-Farrar (13-11): The Bluejays have one of the best scorers in the state in junior wing [player_tooltip player_id="956874" first="Colby" last="Collison"] (18.7). Collison is a big, physical, and efficient wing who posted 59-51-76 shooting splits as a sophomore, and he has an outstanding feel for the game. He knows when he needs to take over as a scorer, and when he needs to get others involved. He scores from all three levels, and is willing to post up smaller defenses to take advantage of his size and talent. Trey McDowell (6.4), Titus Cram (4.4), [player_tooltip player_id="1288874" first="Carter" last="Sanny"] (3.4), and Nolan Meyer (2.2) are the other key returnees with experience. Expect a big season from Sanny, a 6-3/6-4 forward who had a strong summer, as well as the emergence of 6-6 big man [player_tooltip player_id="1288860" first="Toby" last="Berggren"] (1.8). Collison will be one of the best players in 3A, and he’ll lead them to plenty of wins. The development of the role players will determine just how good this group can be. Boone (6-15): The top two scorers return for the Toreadors in senior guard Evan Behn (9.4) and junior point guard [player_tooltip player_id="1240064" first="Nathaniel" last="Winter"] (9.3). They are the only two returnees among the top six, however. Winter is a long, lean point guard at 6-4 who sees the floor well and does a nice job utilizing his size and length on both ends of the court, and he could have a breakout junior season. They’ll need to find production out of last year’s JV roster, but with Behn and Winter returning, they should be a bit more competitive this season than they were last year. Expect to see Winter make a major leap and become one of the better players in the conference. Carlisle (2-20): The Wildcats only two wins last season came against Perry, and only two other games were decided by single digits. No player averaged more than 6.2 points a game, and three regulars return in junior Ryan Petersen (6.0) and seniors Tyson Guard (4.6) and Carter Prenosil (4.5). Guard led the team in assists last season, while Petersen was their most efficient scorer. It will be another long season for Carlisle. [caption id="attachment_1067003" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/Kaleb-Booth.jpeg"><img class="wp-image-1067003 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/Kaleb-Booth-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Booth[/caption] Carroll (22-3): The Tigers were one of only two teams to hand Ballard a loss last season, and they briefly reached the #1 spot in the 3A rankings after getting out to a fantastic 12-0 start. Two of their top three scorers return in guards [player_tooltip player_id="962631" first="Kaleb" last="Booth"] (15.2, 44.6 3P%) and [player_tooltip player_id="962671" first="Nick" last="Macke"] (10.0, 41.2 3P%), giving them a dominant scoring backcourt with a pair of players who can take over games at any given time. Fellow seniors Ethan Lengeling (3.3), Logan Fricke (2.4), and Caden Kock (2.1) saw a good amount of playing time last season and will be asked to step into bigger roles this season. With Booth and Macke leading the charge, Carroll has a real chance at their first state tournament appearance since 2010, and they should battle it out at the top of the league with Ballard, Bondurant-Farrar, and Winterset all winter long. Gilbert (10-12): Two starters return in Birk Hanson (11.8) and [player_tooltip player_id="1235016" first="Justin" last="Terry"] (7.3) to lead the Tigers. Hanson was second on the team in scoring last season and will be asked to handle the ball more this season following the graduations of the top three in assists. Terry is a force in the paint who blocked over a shot a game and pulled down 7.0 rebounds, including some great work on the offensive glass. Six rotation pieces graduated, leaving this team without much returning experience, so they will be heavily reliant on Hanson and Terry, especially early in the year. [caption id="attachment_1073021" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/Jevin-Sullivan.jpeg"><img class="wp-image-1073021 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/Jevin-Sullivan-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Sullivan[/caption] North Polk (9-13): UMKC signee [player_tooltip player_id="682289" first="Jevin" last="Sullivan"] (19.3, 7.2 rebounds) leads the Comets, who had an up-and-down season last year. They had eight losses by single digits, but were also blown out in quite a few games, so they’ll need to become more consistent, especially defensively. The top four scorers are back, headlined by Sullivan, a big, physical wing who can score from all three levels. Junior guard Austin Parkins (8.0, 37.1 3P%) is a good shooter who could step up and take some of the scoring pressure off of Sullivan, while Marcus Haupert (5.6), Jackson Nemmers (4.4), Kole Krings (3.6), and Jackson Rutledge (3.2) each return with some starting experience. The Comets haven’t finished above .500 since 2012-13, but this group should be the one to do it, led by the dynamic Sullivan. Perry (0-19): The Bluejays really struggled last year, averaging just 22.5 points a game and going winless. They bring back a good amount of experience from last year’s roster, with three of the top four scorers back, and 10 players who saw playing time last year returning. Junior forward Sincere Johnson (5.4) and senior Jeremy Mateso (3.4) are the top returnees. It will be another long year for Perry, but they should be at least improved a bit with the experience they have coming back. [caption id="attachment_1222229" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/21-Levi-Gurwell-crop-2227x1463-1624475231.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1222229 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/21-Levi-Gurwell-crop-2227x1463-1624475231-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Gurwell[/caption] Winterset (13-10): The Huskies got off to a slow start last season, going just 2-4 before the holiday break. They used that hiatus to re-group and won 10 of their next 11 out of the break, with that lone loss coming to Ballard. They stumbled a bit down the stretch again, losing five of their final six games, but bring back a lot of talent, especially in the backcourt. Three double-figure scorers are back in seniors [player_tooltip player_id="1158412" first="Levi" last="Gurwell"] (16.5), [player_tooltip player_id="784978" first="Dawson" last="Forgy"] (11.3), and forward [player_tooltip player_id="1158464" first="Nathan" last="Avery"] (10.6), along with talented junior guard [player_tooltip player_id="1167720" first="Brayden" last="Dinkla"] (6.7). Gurwell is a talented three-level scorer who can create his own look. Forgy is a fast and physical lead guard who is also a standout running back, and he uses that physicality to his advantage, bullying his way to the rim. Avery is a stretch-four who can shoot it and rebound, and Dinkla is a strong ball-handler and decision-maker. Look for increased production out of junior forward [player_tooltip player_id="1240080" first="Charlie" last="McDonald"] (1.9), who is a high-energy forward who rebounds and defends the paint. With Gurwell, Forgy, and Dinkla, the Huskies have one of the best guard groups in 3A.   <h4>Projected Order of Finish</h4> 1. Ballard 2. Carroll 3. Bondurant-Farrar 4. Winterset 5. North Polk 6. ADM 7. Gilbert 8. Boone 9. Carlisle 10. Perry Analysis: The top five in this league is arguably as good as any in the state not at the 4A level. Ballard is a legitimate 3A contender again, as is Carroll, and Bondurant-Farrar, Winterset, and North Polk can all be very dangerous postseason teams with their offensive firepower.   <h4>Preseason Player of the Year</h4> 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="962491" first="Ashton" last="Hermann"], Ballard: We expect to see the Bombers back at the top of the RRC, and Hermann is the biggest reason why. His ability to dominate games on both ends of the floor with his quickness, length, and talent makes him the easy choice in a league that is filled with talented scorers.   <h4>Players to Watch</h4> 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="962491" first="Ashton" last="Hermann"], Ballard 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="962630" first="Kale" last="Krogh"], Ballard 2024 [player_tooltip player_id="1256298" first="Nolan" last="Cogdill"], Ballard 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1240105" first="Mason" last="Gorsh"], Ballard 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="682289" first="Jevin" last="Sullivan"], North Polk 2023 Austin Parkins, North Polk 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="956874" first="Colby" last="Collison"], Bondurant-Farrar 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1158412" first="Levi" last="Gurwell"], Winterset 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="784978" first="Dawson" last="Forgy"], Winterset 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1158464" first="Nathan" last="Avery"], Winterset 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1167720" first="Brayden" last="Dinkla"], Winterset 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="962631" first="Kaleb" last="Booth"], Carroll 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="962671" first="Nick" last="Macke"], Carroll 2022 Birk Hanson, Gilbert 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1235016" first="Justin" last="Terry"], Gilbert 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1240104" first="Vince" last="Benetti"], ADM 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1234981" first="Sam" last="Hlas"], ADM 2022 Evan Behn, Boone 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1240064" first="Nathaniel" last="Winter"], Boone