Conference Preview: Western Iowa

<h4>The Teams</h4> AHSTW (20-3): The Vikings bring back 99.6% of their scoring from a 20-win team that pretty much cruised through league play last season. They’ll be led by one of the best trios in small-school basketball in senior wing [player_tooltip player_id="784987" first="Raydden" last="Grobe"] (18.9), junior forward [player_tooltip player_id="1167687" first="Brayden" last="Lund"] (17.6), and junior wing [player_tooltip player_id="1167692" first="Kyle" last="Sternberg"] (16.8). Grobe led the team in scoring and is a talented playmaker, while Lund is probably the team’s best player. He’s a talented 6-5 combo forward who can score inside and out at a highly efficient clip, shooting nearly 65% from the floor and nearly 44% of his 3-point attempts. He led the team in rebounding and can also protect the rim a bit. Sternberg is a long and lanky wing who can also stretch the floor, rebound, and facilitate. Junior point guard [player_tooltip player_id="1240070" first="Cole" last="Scheffler"] (5.6, 4.8 assists) is a quick and intelligent lead guard who thrives on getting others involved, and he does an excellent job protecting the basketball. All but six points returns, so expect this team to be deep and talented, and with the best trio in the league returning, they’re the easy pick to win the conference, and they’ll be a real state championship contender in 1A. Audubon (8-14): The top two scorers return for the Wheelers, giving them a solid tandem to begin building around. Junior guard Carson Bauer (10.4) is the top returning scorer, while senior forward Gavin Smith (9.2, 7.8 rebounds) led the team in rebounding last season and is their most efficient scoring option. He hits the offensive glass hard, which will be valuable for a team that struggles to score at times. Senior wing Jackson Deist (5.5) is the other key returnee for this group. This team struggled with efficiency (32.0 FG%, 23.1 3P%) last year, and those numbers will need to improve if they want to compete consistently. IKM-Manning (6-14): The Wolves lose the top three scorers from last year’s team, leaving junior wing Cooper Irlmeier (5.2) as the top returning scorer. He’s a capable playmaker and ball-handler who should emerge as a good scoring threat. Seniors Luke Ramsey (3.6) and Nolan Ramsey (2.9) are the only other returnees who saw significant playing time last year, so there will be a number of new faces taking the floor for IKM, and it may be another long year for them. Logan-Magnolia (10-10): The Panthers lost a huge piece with the graduation of Tre Melby, who averaged nearly 21 points and 13 rebounds a game last season. That is obviously a major loss, but they bring back the next eight scorers from last year’s team, so expect them to finish with a similar mark as last season. Senior guard Baker Lally (12.0) led the team in assists last year, and he’ll pair with junior Calvin Wallis (4.2) to give them a solid tandem in the backcourt. Wallis is a talented playmaker who contributes across the board. The Panthers didn’t shoot it very well from the arc last season (just 29.4%), and that number will need to improve if they want to compete at a higher level. This should be a middle-of-the-pack team in the conference that will be capable of jumping up and knocking off some of the top teams on any given night. Missouri Valley (2-20): The Big Reds weren’t competitive last season, but there should be some reason for optimism heading into this year, with the top four scorers, and seven of the top eight, returning. Will Gutzmer (10.2) and Brody Lager (9.4) are the top returnees, while Cole Staska (7.0), Connor Murray (4.2), and Eli Fouts (2.9) are the other key pieces coming back. They will still struggle to compete with the middle-and-upper-tier teams in the league, but they may be able to notch a few more wins this year. Riverside (12-11): The Bulldogs bring back one of the state’s most productive sophomores in [player_tooltip player_id="1171690" first="Grady" last="Jeppesen"] (16.4), who had a great freshman season in which he led the team in scoring and posted impressive 49-37-70 shooting splits. He’s a good three-level scorer who can also get others involved. Look for increased production out of juniors Aiden Bell (6.1) and Ayden Salais (2.7), the only other returnees who saw much playing time last year. In Jeppesen, Riverside has one of the conference’s best players, but their level of competitiveness will depend on how the role players develop. Treynor (19-5): The Cardinals lost a ton of production from last year’s team, bringing back just 26% of their scoring, but it doesn’t matter who this group loses, they’re always going to be competitive. They’ve averaged 20.8 wins a year over the last 15 seasons. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id="962645" first="Thomas" last="Schwartz"] (8.7) is the top returnee, a solid lead guard who dished out 5.4 assists a game last season. He’ll be asked to step into a larger scoring role this year, and he’s obviously a great facilitator. Junior forward Ethan Dickerson (3.1), senior wing Davin Rucker (2.7), and sophomore guard Jace Tams (2.4) are the only other returnees with significant experience. Despite losing four of their top five scorers from last year’s team, Treynor is going to compete for the conference crown. It’s just what they do. Tri-Center (20-4): Six of the top eight scorers from last year’s team graduated, leaving just junior Kent Elliott (7.8) and senior [player_tooltip player_id="1235020" first="Jaxon" last="Johnson"] (5.5) as returnees from last year’s 20-win team. Elliott is an efficient scorer who rebounds the ball well on both ends of the floor, while Johnson is a great shooter who buried 50% of his 3-point attempts last season. Tri-Center has a strong program, with only two seasons in the last 15 in which they won fewer than 12 games (and they won 10 in each of those). The bottom isn’t going to fall out on this team, because like Treynor, they just win consistently. Underwood (10-10): The top five scorers from last year’s team graduated, leaving junior Alex Ravlin (5.3) as the team’s top returnee. Senior Pryce Patten (3.5) is the team’s top returning perimeter scoring threat. The Eagles lost a ton of production off of a team that was middle-of-the-pack, so expect them to take a step back this year.   <h4>Projected Order of Finish</h4> 1. AHSTW 2. Treynor 3. Tri-Center 4. Riverside 5. Logan-Magnolia 6. Audubon 7. Underwood 8. IKM-Manning 9. Missouri Valley Analysis: AHSTW is definitely the team to beat in the conference this season, but Treynor is Treynor and will always be competitive. Expect Tri-Center to remain relevant as well, and Riverside could compete on a nightly basis if they can find some role players to step up alongside Jeppesen.   <h4>Preseason Player of the Year</h4> 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1167687" first="Brayden" last="Lund"], AHSTW: The Vikings have a number of options for this honor, and they should control this conference this season. Lund is a 6-4 combo forward who scores efficiently from all three levels and is probably the most difficult matchup on the team.   <h4>Players to Watch</h4> 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1167687" first="Brayden" last="Lund"], AHSTW 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="784987" first="Raydden" last="Grobe"], AHSTW 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1167692" first="Kyle" last="Sternberg"], AHSTW 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1240070" first="Cole" last="Scheffler"], AHSTW 2024 [player_tooltip player_id="1171690" first="Grady" last="Jeppesen"], Riverside 2022 Baker Lally, Logan-Magnolia 2022 Brody West, Logan-Magnolia 2023 Carson Bauer, Audubon 2022 Gavin Smith, Audubon 2022 Will Gutzmer, Missouri Valley 2024 Brody Lager, Missouri Valley 2022 Cole Staska, Missouri Valley 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="962645" first="Thomas" last="Schwartz"], Treynor 2023 Kent Elliott, Tri-Center 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1235020" first="Jaxon" last="Johnson"], Tri-Center