Preseason All-Conference Teams: Western Valley

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Preseason Player of the Year: </strong>2023 [player_tooltip player_id='1167707' first='Beckett' last='DeJean'] (OABCIG)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The younger brother of one of the most dynamic athletes the state has seen, Beckett put together a fantastic junior year for the Falcons to lead them to a conference title. They'll be the favorites to do so again this year behind his fantastic all-around play. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>First Team</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2023 [player_tooltip player_id='1167707' first='Beckett' last='DeJean'] (OABCIG): 19.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 3.3 steals, 1.4 blocks, 61.4 FG%</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An athletic, stat sheet-stuffing guard, DeJean led the Falcons in every major category as a junior while shooting over 61% from the floor. He's able to get to the rim routinely, is a menace on the defensive end, and a great rebounder from his perimeter spot. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"right","id":1596310,"sizeSlug":"thumbnail","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-thumbnail"><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/09/149-Landon-Blatchford-scaled.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/09/149-Landon-Blatchford-150x150.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1596310"/></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2023 [player_tooltip player_id='1367439' first='Landon' last='Blatchford'] (West Monona): 18.6 points, 11.3 rebounds, 1.1 steals, 1.4 blocks, 48.8 FG%, 37.9 3P%</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Blatchford was a double-double machine last year for the Spartans, controlling the glass on both ends of the floor (4.1 offensive, 7.1 defensive). He's a versatile, three-level scorer who posted 49-38-58 shooting splits as a junior.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2023 [player_tooltip player_id='1367456' first='Elijah' last='Claeys'] (Siouxland Christian): 20.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.9 steals</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Claeys appeared in just 11 games last season, but was incredibly productive when he was on the floor, leading the Eagles in scoring, assists, and steals. He's a high-volume scorer who can fill it up in a hurry.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2023 [player_tooltip player_id='1367461' first='Caleb' last='Burns'] (River Valley): 15.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.0 steals</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Wolverines go as Burns goes, as he accounted for 37% of the team's scoring output last season. He's a good enough shooter that it needs to be respected, and he can create some havoc on the defensive end. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2023 Nick Collins (MVAOCOU): 10.9 points, 6.5 rebounds</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Rams won just three games last season, but Collins was a standout, leading the team in scoring and rebounding. He does a majority of his damage inside the arc, but can step out and knock down an occasional jumper. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Second Team</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2023 Nolan Porter (Siouxland Christian)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2024 Carson Topf (Westwood)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2023 Tracin Price (Ridge View)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2023 Isaac Stadsvold (Lawton-Bronson)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2024 Beau Goodwin (Kingsley-Pierson)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Honorable Mentions</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1172816' first='Anthony' last='Newquist'] (MVAOCOU)<br>2023 Kane Ladwig (OABCIG)<br>2025 Gage Sample (Lawton-Bronson)<br>2023 Kyler Wunschel (Ridge View)<br>2023 Bryen Kohn (River Valley)<br>2025 Brody Muenchrath (Westwood)<br>2024 Drew Kluender (Woodbury Central)<br>2025 Harry Spicer (MVAOCOU)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->