Substate Preview: 4A-5
In this article:
The favorite: The best 2025 class in the state paces a Valley team that has firmly established themselves as a top-4 team in the state and a very worthy favorite in this substate. The Tigers are led by point guard…
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Continue ReadingThe favorite: The best 2025 class in the state paces a Valley team that has firmly established themselves as a top-4 team in the state and a very worthy favorite in this substate. The Tigers are led by point guard Curtis Stinson Jr Curtis Stinson Jr 6'5" | PG Valley | 2025 State #157 Nation IA . (14.1, 6.1 rebounds), one of five sophomores among the top six in scoring. A versatile three-level scorer, playmaker, and defender, he’s among the top point guard prospects in the Midwest in the 2025 class. He rolled his ankle late in the season, so his health is in question, but it will have been two full weeks since the injury by the time Valley plays their semifinal game, so he should be good to go. Xzavion Robinson Xzavion Robinson 6'1" | PG Valley | 2025 State #342 Nation IA (11.4) is an elite athlete on the perimeter, a dribble-penetrating guard who can break down the defense and get to the rim routinely, while Kiki Deng Kiki Deng 6'4" | SG Valley | 2025 State IA (9.9) is an athletic wing who is a terror in transition. Trevin Jirak Trevin Jirak 6'9" | C Valley | 2025 State #349 Nation IA (8.9, 6.9 rebounds) provides size and skill in the paint, and Kyle Cason Kyle Cason 6'0" | SG Valley | 2025 State IA (7.5, 43.3 3P%) is an elite shooter off the catch who is a really nice complement to the other pieces the Tigers possess. Trevian Carson Trevian Carson 6'4" | SG Valley | 2023 State IA (9.8, 3.3 assists) and Chuck Epperly Chuck Epperly 6'0" | PG Valley | 2023 State IA (2.5) are the lone seniors in the rotation, and both play their roles well. One of the most talented teams in the state, the only question for them is whether or not their youth will be an impediment.
The biggest threats: Cedar Rapids Washington came into the season with pretty lofty expectations and got off to a really slow start, going just 2-6 in their first eight games. They’ve rebounded nicely, going 10-3 down the stretch and are finally starting to play at the level that we expected them to play at coming into the season. Senior wing Traijan Sain Traijan Sain 6'5" | SF Cedar Rapids Washington | 2023 State IA (15.9) is the team’s best player, a long, athletic 6-6 wing who can score from all three levels, impact the game defensively, and create for his teammates. Jesse Sellers Jesse Sellers 5'10" | PG Cedar Rapids Washington | 2023 State IA (14.7) and Jaden Harris Jaden Harris 6'0" | PG Cedar Rapids Washington | 2023 State IA (6.1) give them a veteran presence in the backcourt, and Noah Johnson Noah Johnson 6'3" | SG Cedar Rapids Washington | 2023 State IA (9.4), a Linn-Mar transfer, has provided an additional scoring spark on the wing. This is a veteran team, with seniors comprising their top six scorers, and in Sain, they have a high-level player.
One of the most pleasant surprises this year has been Waterloo West, who earned the #2 seed in this substate behind an impressive 16-5 record. The Wahawks are led by a pair of dynamic senior wing scorers in Keishaun Pendleton Keishaun Pendleton 6'0" | SG Waterloo West | 2023 State IA (16.0) and Si’Marion Anderson Si’Marion Anderson 6'2" | SG Waterloo West | 2023 State IA (14.0). Both are capable of taking over games as three-level scorers as well as creating plays for their teammates. Four others average between 5.3 and 8.6 points a game, giving them six reliable scoring options, and this is an athletic group that defends at a high level. They beat Washington, their likely semifinal opponent, by 14 back on January 10.
The dark horse: Waterloo East has won six of their last seven games heading into postseason play, including a quality win over Ames, and have gone 10-3 since the holiday break. Senior wing Kewone Jones Kewone Jones 6'2" | SF Waterloo East | 2023 State IA (19.3, 7.1 rebounds) has been outstanding this season, posting 55-51-77 shooting splits and using his size, strength, and physicality to dominate games as a scorer, playmaker, and rebounder. Jameel Montgomery Jameel Montgomery 6'3" | SF Waterloo East | 2023 State IA (14.9, 8.7 rebounds) is a fantastic athlete who plays above the rim and dominates the offensive glass, and Jamauryus Bradford-Gates Jamauryus Bradford-Gates 5'10" | PG Waterloo East | 2023 State IA (13.7, 3.9 assists) is a cat-quick guard who can blow by defenders and get to the bucket at will. The Trojans are quick, athletic, and in Jones, they have a player who can take over games as a scorer. They scored more points on Ames (70) than any other team this season, and if you can score on Ames, you can pretty much score on anyone.
Players to watch
2025
Curtis Stinson Jr
Curtis
Stinson Jr
6'5" | PG
Valley | 2025
State
#157
Nation
IA
, Valley
2025
Xzavion Robinson
Xzavion
Robinson
6'1" | PG
Valley | 2025
State
#342
Nation
IA
, Valley
2025
Kiki Deng
Kiki
Deng
6'4" | SG
Valley | 2025
State
IA
, Valley
2023
Trevian Carson
Trevian
Carson
6'4" | SG
Valley | 2023
State
IA
, Valley
2025
Trevin Jirak
Trevin
Jirak
6'9" | C
Valley | 2025
State
#349
Nation
IA
, Valley
2025
Kyle Cason
Kyle
Cason
6'0" | SG
Valley | 2025
State
IA
, Valley
2023
Keishaun Pendleton
Keishaun
Pendleton
6'0" | SG
Waterloo West | 2023
State
IA
, Waterloo West
2023
Si’Marion Anderson
Si’Marion
Anderson
6'2" | SG
Waterloo West | 2023
State
IA
, Waterloo West
2023
Kewone Jones
Kewone
Jones
6'2" | SF
Waterloo East | 2023
State
IA
, Waterloo East
2023
Jameel Montgomery
Jameel
Montgomery
6'3" | SF
Waterloo East | 2023
State
IA
, Waterloo East
2023
Traijan Sain
Traijan
Sain
6'5" | SF
Cedar Rapids Washington | 2023
State
IA
, Cedar Rapids Washington
2023
Jesse Sellers
Jesse
Sellers
5'10" | PG
Cedar Rapids Washington | 2023
State
IA
, Cedar Rapids Washington
2023
Shamar Benton
Shamar
Benton
6'1" | PG
City | 2023
State
IA
, City
SUBSTATE FINAL PREDICTION
Valley vs. Waterloo West
The CIML has been worlds better than the MVC this season, and that comes into play here as Valley’s hyper-talented 2025 class leads the Tigers to the state tournament, where nobody will want to see them.