Conference Preview: Rolling Valley

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>The Teams</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ar-We-Va (7-15, 26.3% of scoring returning): </strong>The top three scorers from last year's team graduated, leaving junior forward Emmett Neumann (6.8, 7.0 rebounds) as the top returnee. Neumann shot over 56% from the floor last season and was excellent on the offensive glass (3.1 offensive boards a game). Senior Kyelar Cleveland (4.0) is the team's top returnee on the perimeter. Ar-We-Va usually goes pretty deep comfortably, and expect that to be the case again this year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Boyer Valley (17-6, 21.0%): </strong>Senior wing Drew Volkmann (9.0) is the only returnee among the top eight scorers from last year's team. He's a slashing wing who makes a major impact on the defensive end of the floor, averaging nearly two steals a game. The other four returnees only took a combined 45 shots last season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>CAM (14-8, 38.6%): </strong>A pair of double-figure scorers return for the Cougars in seniors Sam Foreman (10.6, 8.6 rebounds) and Seth Hensley (10.2), which will give them one of the best duos in the conference to build around. They lose the other four key pieces from last year's rotation, but expect to see jumps from sophomore Chase Jahde (1.5) and junior Ryan Bower (1.0) into more significant roles. CAM generally has an athletic, physical team, and this year's group should be no exception. With Hensley and Foreman leading the charge, they'll be in play for a top 3 finish in the conference. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Coon Rapids-Bayard (17-7, 35.8%): </strong>The Crusaders lost a lot of production from last year's team, but they bring back one of the best players in the league in senior forward Lance Clayburg (13.0, 10.2 rebounds). Clayburg is a walking double-double, a physical presence in the paint and a dominant rebounder on both ends of the floor. The offense can blow through him and he's also a strong presence on the defensive end. Raiden Doty (5.1) is the only other returnee with relevant varsity experience, so they'll be very reliant on Clayburg early in the season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Exira-EHK (15-9, 100.0%):</strong> Everyone returns from a 15-win team, so expect to see the Spartans factoring into the league race this season. Their top six is comprised of three juniors - [player_tooltip player_id='1587374' first='Cash' last='Emgarten'] (12.3), Aiden Flathers (11.2), and Jackson Radcliff (9.3) - and three seniors - Easton Nelson (10.3), Trey Petersen (8.0), and Derrek Kommes (4.7) - giving them a bevy of experienced pieces and scoring threats. Flathers is the team's top perimeter scoring threat and shares primary ball-handling duties with Petersen. Emgarten is an athletic wing who can get to the rim, and Nelson is an efficient interior scorer. This team is going to be deep, talented, and athletic. If they can improve from the free-throw line (63.7% as a team), they could make a lot of noise in postseason play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Glidden-Ralston (3-20, 41.0%):</strong> Senior guard Ethan Olberding (7.6) is the only returnee among the top four from last year's team. He's a good piece to start building with, though, after leading the team in scoring and assists last season. Junior guard Emmett Snyder (3.9) will step into a bigger scoring role this season alongside Olberding in the backcourt. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Paton-Churdan (1-19, 30.7%):</strong> The Rockets won just one game last season and lose nearly 70% of their production from that team. Senior forward Shaydon Thurman (8.9) is the top returnee, and Parker Fitzpatrick (4.6) is the only other returnee with significant experience. This is a group that actually protected the ball fairly well for a one-win team, and if they can continue to do so, they may grab a few more wins this season despite the personnel losses. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"right","id":1290373,"sizeSlug":"medium","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-medium"><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/09/3-Mason-King.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/09/3-Mason-King-300x200.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1290373" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>West Harrison (22-4, 100.0%): </strong>The Hawkeyes bring back everyone from a team that qualified for the school's first ever state tournament last season. They're led by a group of five seniors that has grown together and worked towards this season for the last three years. [player_tooltip player_id='1288871' first='Mason' last='King'] (15.3, 45.7 3P%, pictured) led the team in scoring last season and is the team's top perimeter scoring threat. [player_tooltip player_id='1167693' first='Koleson' last='Evans'] (14.4, 9.6 rebounds) is a 6-6 wing who can score from all three levels, defend multiple positions, and rebound at a high level. And [player_tooltip player_id='1167703' first='Sage' last='Evans'] (13.6, 13.9 rebounds, 6.3 assists) is the stat-sheet stuffing 6-2 power forward who is the heart-and-soul of the team. He looks like a football player but is a really skilled, high IQ basketball player who does a little bit of everything for this team. Seniors Walker Rife (6.2) and Brady Melby (5.8), and junior Mason McIntosh (4.9), are also experienced pieces that can provide some scoring punch. With everyone back from a team that made it to the state tournament, expectations are sky-high in Mondamin. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Woodbine (12-10, 31.1%):</strong> Sophomore guard Carson Kelley (3.6) is the top returnee for the Tigers, while Kylon Reisz (3.4) and Adam Barry (1.7) saw some time last season. They will have a ton of new faces taking the court this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Projected Order of Finish</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>1. West Harrison<br>2. Exira-EHK<br>3. CAM<br>4. Coon Rapids-Bayard<br>5. Boyer Valley<br>6. Woodbine<br>7. Ar-We-Va<br>8. Glidden-Ralston<br>9. Paton-Churdan</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Analysis: </strong>West Harrison and Exira-EHK each return everything from very successful teams and should be considered the top two teams in the conference. CAM brings back some experienced pieces, and Coon Rapids-Bayard has one of the league's best players and will be formidable. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Preseason Player of the Year</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"right","id":1290488,"sizeSlug":"medium","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-medium"><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/09/85-Sage-Evans.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/09/85-Sage-Evans-300x200.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1290488" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2023 [player_tooltip player_id='1167703' first='Sage' last='Evans'], West Harrison:</strong> You could choose any of the three West Harrison standouts for this honor, but [player_tooltip player_id='1167703' first='Sage' last='Evans'] is the one who stuffs the stat sheet the most of the bunch. A relentless rebounder and talented playmaker, he's a hard-nosed forward who does everything for his team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Players to Watch</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2023 [player_tooltip player_id='1167703' first='Sage' last='Evans'], West Harrison<br>2023 [player_tooltip player_id='1167693' first='Koleson' last='Evans'], West Harrison<br>2023 [player_tooltip player_id='1288871' first='Mason' last='King'], West Harrison<br>2023 Walker Rife, West Harrison<br>2023 Brady Melby, West Harrison<br>2023 Lance Clayburg, Coon Rapids-Bayard<br>2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1587374' first='Cash' last='Emgarten'], Exira-EHK<br>2023 Aiden Flathers, Exira-EHK<br>2023 Easton Nelson, Exira-EHK<br>2024 Jackson Radcliff, Exira-EHK<br>2023 Trey Petersen, Exira-EHK<br>2023 Sam Foreman, CAM<br>2023 Seth Hensley, CAM<br>2025 Carter Gruver, Woodbine<br>2023 Drew Volkmann, Boyer Valley<br>2023 Shaydon Thurman, Paton-Churdan<br>2023 Ethan Olberding, Glidden-Ralston<br>2024 Emmett Neumann, Ar-We-Va</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->