Class 1A Stars to Watch (Part 2)
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Jaixen Frost IA #56 PG #19 HEIGHT 6'2" POS PG CLASS 2023 View Profile Jaixen Frost Instagram State: Iowa School: Mount Ayr A 6-2 guard who can play both with and without the ball in his hands, Frost averaged 22.4…
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Continue ReadingA 6-2 guard who can play both with and without the ball in his hands, Frost averaged 22.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 2.5 steals a game with 53-40-85 shooting splits. He’s a dominant three-level scorer with good size and length, and he does a great job playing with pace.
A throwback big man who does almost all of his damage inside the painted area, Berends was dominant as a junior averaging 20.5 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks a game. He’s a sturdy big man who uses his size and length effectively on the glass and as a rim protector. He’s an efficient interior scorer who shot 65.6% from the floor and showed that he can, on occasion, step out and stretch the floor.
Crouse was really effective as a junior, averaging 20.2 points and 6.9 rebounds with 50-40-64 shooting splits. He’s a rangy 6-0 wing who showed last year that he can score inside and out at a high clip. The Wolverines should be one of the better 1A teams in southwest Iowa this year and Crouse is a major reason why.
A 6-3 combo guard who put together one of the best statistical freshman seasons we’ve seen last year, Severson is primed to have an even bigger sophomore year for a Tigers team looking to make their first state tournament. He averaged 19.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists with 47-41-90 shooting splits last season. He has a high IQ, doesn’t force anything, and really knows how to get to his spots.
Highlights
Semelroth is a typical small-school big man – a bit undersized for a traditional big at 6-2, but strong, physical, great hands, and a non-stop motor. He’s a walking double-double who averaged 20.1 points and 12.8 rebounds a game as a junior while shooting 56% from the field. He’s a dominant offensive rebounder (5.2 a game), which certainly helps contribute to his high scoring output.
A high-scoring 6-0 off-ball guard, Sievers put up 19.2 points a game last year. He’s a slasher who likes to use his quickness to get to the bucket, which helped him shoot 52% from the floor as a junior. He’s also strong on the defensive end as both an on-ball and off-ball defender, shooting passing lanes and turning defense into quick and easy offense.
Bonderson’s efficiency numbers dropped quite a bit last year, from 59-41-75 splits as a sophomore to 49-30-72 as a junior. He still averaged 18 points and 2.9 assists a game as a junior, using his explosive quickness and athleticism to routinely blow by defenders and get to the rim. He’s a talented playmaking guard who can score from all three levels and get others involved. If his efficiency numbers get closer to where he was as a sophomore, he could lead the Jays to the state tournament for the first time since 1983.
Highlights
A 6-2 guard who helped lead the Mohawks to their best season in school history last year (20 wins), Hanes averaged a team-high 15.6 points to go with 6.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.1 steals. He’s a steady guard who can get to the rim and finish through contact, and he’s a good enough perimeter shooting threat that it needs to be respected. With the top six scorers from last year’s team returning, Moravia has a real chance to make their first state tournament.
Evans saw his shooting numbers drop a bit from his sophomore to junior years (51-45-71 to 45-30-80), but he still made a major impact on the game on both ends of the floor, averaging 14.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 3.1 “stocks” a game. If he’s able to get his 3-point numbers somewhere in the middle of the last two seasons, he could have a huge senior year for the Hawkeyes. With his size and ability to stretch the floor, he’s an intriguing small-school prospect.
If you just take a look at Evans’ stat line from last year, it looks like something that you’d put together on 2K. As a junior, he averaged 13.6 points, 13.9 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 3.4 steals and posted 52-48-68 shooting splits. He looks like a defensive end, but has the nimble feet, IQ, and touch of a really good basketball player. He’s the rare type of player who can absolutely dominate games when he isn’t scoring and his physicality and all-around skill set helped lead the Hawkeyes to their first state tournament last year.