Conference Preview: South Central

<h4>The Teams</h4> <p><strong>Albia (19-3):</strong> Leading scorer [player_tooltip player_id="1167695" first="Drew" last="Chance"] (15.0, 6.0 rebounds) returns to lead the Blue Demons, but they lose a lot of production from last year’s 19-win team. The next six scorers graduated, with the most notable loss being Chance’s brother, Blake, who led the team in assists and was the focal point of their offensive attack for the last several seasons. CJ Ratliff (1.2) is the only other returnee who saw playing time last season, leaving this group with a lot of new faces in key roles this year. Chance will be one of the best players in the league again, but this team will most certainly take a step back with the massive personnel losses.</p> <p><strong>Centerville (5-13):</strong> The Big Reds lose their top two, and four of their top five scorers, leaving junior wing Brody Tuttle (9.9, 6.0 rebounds) as the top returnee. Tuttle can score inside and out, and he rebounds the ball at a high level, so he’s a good piece to start building around. Sophomore guard Connor Stephens (3.8) was solid in limited minutes, and senior forward Isaac Byrd (3.7) does a great job pounding the offensive glass. This group will need to find someone to handle the ball and protect it after turning the ball over 15 times a game last season.</p> <p><strong>Chariton (1-16):</strong> The Chargers had a rough season, winning just one game with only one other game decided by single digits. They bring back leading scorer Mason Smith (13.6), who was very productive as a freshman, but lose their next three scorers. No other returnee averaged more than 1.8 points a game last season. In Smith, they have a solid piece to build around, but there are a lot of inexperienced pieces in this rotation, so don’t expect to see too much improvement in the win column from Chariton this season.</p> <p><strong>Clarke (7-13):</strong> Sophomore forward [player_tooltip player_id="1171696" first="Jack" last="Cooley"] (15.2, 8.5 rebounds) led the Indians in every major category last season, putting together one of the best freshman seasons in the state. An athletic and powerful 6-4 forward, he’s skilled around the rim, a talented passer, and a strong rim protector. The next three scorers graduated from last year’s team, but seniors Spruceton Buddenhagen (5.5) and Kamis Bulis (5.2) also return to give them a trio of big-time rebounders who pound the offensive glass hard. That trio of forwards combined to pull down 7.2 offensive rebounds a game last season, which helps offset an attack that wasn’t the most efficient. They’ll need to get some increased production out of sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id="1324979" first="Cole" last="White"] (3.7) on the perimeter, as this team lacks shooting.</p> <p><strong>Davis County (8-13):</strong> In senior forward [player_tooltip player_id="962691" first="Dalton" last="Reeves"] (19.7), the Mustangs bring back one of the league’s best players. Reeves is a mobile big who scores efficiently around the rim, rebounds, and is a versatile defender. A huge chunk of the scoring last season was done by Reeves and Noah Zmolek, who accounted for two-thirds of the team’s scoring last season. They’ll need to find a secondary scorer to step in alongside Reeves, and the two best options there would be senior guards Caedyn Glosser (3.2) or Carson Maeder (2.9). Glosser is the better perimeter shooter, while Maeder is more of an interior presence.</p> [caption id="attachment_1290528" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/09/121-Brooks-Moore.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1290528 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/09/121-Brooks-Moore-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a> Moore[/caption] <p><strong>Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont (11-12):</strong> Despite finishing below .500, the Rockets had a +4.5 point differential last season, so they were close to putting together a really strong year. They bring back their top two scorers in senior forward [player_tooltip player_id="1158468" first="Ethan" last="Davis"] (16.8, 10.1 rebounds) and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="1171680" first="Brooks" last="Moore"] (13.8), which should be enough to make them the favorites in this conference. Davis is a walking double-double who scores at a high clip, protects the rim, and is an all-around dominant interior presence. The headliner for this team, however, will be Moore, who looks primed to have a breakout sophomore season. A versatile 6-4/6-5 wing, he can score from all three levels, and is a fantastic athlete who finishes above the rim routinely. EBF has a number of talented players in the 2024 class in Landon Glosser (3.0), Jesse Cornelison (2.5), and Karic Stout (2.0) that should all become bigger contributors this season, and juniors [player_tooltip player_id="1195409" first="Carsen" last="Wade"] (4.6) and Kyle Davis (3.7) provide depth and experience. </p> <p><strong>Knoxville (13-8):</strong> The Panthers lost nearly all of their production with the graduations of three of their top four scorers, and the transfer of the fourth ([player_tooltip player_id="1167696" first="Luke" last="Keitges"] to Pella). That leaves sophomore guard Noah Keefer (3.0) and sophomore forward Jack Bertrand (1.9) as the only returnees who saw significant playing time last season. With a roster made up almost entirely of new faces, it’s difficult to project Knoxville heading into this season, but they will almost certainly struggle.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Projected Order of Finish</h4> <p>1. Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont<br /> 2. Albia<br /> 3. Clarke<br /> 4. Knoxville<br /> 5. Davis County<br /> 6. Centerville<br /> 7. Chariton</p> <p><strong>Analysis:</strong> EBF shouldn’t have too much issues rolling through this league this year. In a league decimated by graduations, the Rockets are the only team in the conference that returns more than one key piece. They have arguably the two best players in the league, and a number of talented role players ready to contribute.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Preseason Player of the Year</h4> <p><strong>2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1158468" first="Ethan" last="Davis"], Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont:</strong> A 6-7 forward who averaged a double-double last season while shooting 58.8% from the floor, Davis is a versatile player who does a great job pounding the glass on both ends of the floor. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Players to Watch</h4> <p>2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1158468" first="Ethan" last="Davis"], Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont<br /> 2024 [player_tooltip player_id="1171680" first="Brooks" last="Moore"], Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont<br /> 2023 Carson Wade, Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont<br /> 2023 Kyle Davis, Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont<br /> 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="962691" first="Dalton" last="Reeves"], Davis County<br /> 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1167695" first="Drew" last="Chance"], Albia<br /> 2024 [player_tooltip player_id="1171696" first="Jack" last="Cooley"], Clarke<br /> 2022 Spruceton Buddenhagen, Clarke<br /> 2022 Kamis Bullis, Clarke<br /> 2024 [player_tooltip player_id="1324979" first="Cole" last="White"], Clarke<br /> 2024 Mason Smith, Chariton<br /> 2023 Brody Tuttle, Centerville<br /> 2024 Connor Stephens, Centerville<br /> 2022 Isaac Byrd, Centerville</p>