Substate Preview: 4A-7
The favorite: Waukee Northwest has been one of the top three teams in the state all year and was given a pretty favorable substate draw as a result. Senior wing Pryce Sandfort Pryce Sandfort 6'7" | SF Waukee Northwest |…
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Continue ReadingThe favorite: Waukee Northwest has been one of the top three teams in the state all year and was given a pretty favorable substate draw as a result. Senior wing Pryce Sandfort Pryce Sandfort 6'7" | SF Waukee Northwest | 2023 State #123 Nation IA (25.6, 11.1 rebounds, 2.9 blocks) has been dominant, posting 54-45-88 shooting splits and showing the ability to dominate games on both ends of the floor. Cade Kelderman Cade Kelderman 6'0" | PG Waukee Northwest | 2023 State IA (16.7, 6.0 assists) has taken his game up another level this year, routinely having huge games in some of the Wolves’ biggest. A quick lefty guard with a physical frame, he’s shooting 59% from the floor, nearly 46% from 3, and leads the team in assists. Grant Tigges Grant Tigges 6'4" | SG Waukee Northwest | 2024 State IA (10.1, 46.3 3P%), Andrew Cose Andrew Cose 5'11" | PG Waukee Northwest | 2024 State IA (4.7, 48.8 3P%), and Henry Manning Henry Manning 6'1" | SG Waukee | 2023 State IA (7.2) provide additional shooting and scoring on the perimeter. The Wolves aren’t traditionally big, but they have good length at a majority of their spots in the lineup, tons of shooting, and one of the top two players in the state in Sandfort.
The biggest threats: Roosevelt earned the #2 seed in the substate and gets their semifinal game at home as a result. The Roughriders are led by a trio of senior double-figure scorers in Tevonta Jackson Tevonta Jackson 6'1" | PG Roosevelt | 2023 State IA (15.3), Sam King Sam King 6'4" | SG Roosevelt | 2023 State IA (15.0), and Jaekwon Bradley Jaekwon Bradley 6'1" | SG Roosevelt | 2023 State IA (14.3). Jackson, a move-in from Illinois, leads the team in scoring, assists, and steals and has been a dynamic two-way threat for this group all year. King is a high IQ guard who can impact the game as a scorer, playmaker, or defender, and Bradley is a fantastic athlete who rebounds at an extremely high level on the offensive glass. As a team, Roosevelt is pulling down 13 offensive rebounds a game, so that will need to be a major piece of the game plan for opposing teams – finding ways to keep this athletic team off the boards.
The dark horses: Southeast Polk got off to a very slow start to the year, going just 1-9 in their first 10 games. They’ve played much better down the stretch, going 7-5 in the last month or so, including a really good win over Ames in the final week of the regular season. The Rams are led by a pair of 15-point scorers in Riley Edwards Riley Edwards 6'3" | SG Southeast Polk | 2023 State IA (15.0) and Bode Goodman (15.0). Neither are shooting it at the level they’re capable of from behind the arc, but both are capable of getting hot and carrying this team. Lincoln Cantrall Lincoln Cantrall 6'8" | PF Southeast Polk | 2023 State IA (9.6, 36.6 3P%) is a big wing at 6-7 who can really shoot it as well. They’ve played a loaded schedule and improved as the year progressed. They’ll give Roosevelt a tough time in the semifinals.
Des Moines Lincoln and Marshalltown have the difficult assignment of heading to Northwest in the semifinals, but both teams have some players who could give the Wolves issues for a bit. Lincoln is led by dynamic point guard Trovary Cavil Trovary Cavil 5'11" | PG Johnston | 2024 State IA (20.4, 6.3 assists), a high-level playmaker and scorer who can get to the rim at will, while Deng Gai Deng Gai 6'2" | SG Roosevelt | 2024 State IA (10.5) is an athletic slasher on the wing. The Railsplitters can struggle at times with turnovers, but if they’re able to protect the ball and Cavil is able to get hot, they can hang with just about anyone. Marshalltown has a pair of fantastic shooters in Drake Kapayou Drake Kapayou 6'0" | PG Marshalltown | 2023 State IA (10.2, 42.3 3P%) and Jaxson Eisenbarth (6.2, 40.9 3P%) that they’re able to put around a tandem of athletic wings in Prince Jallah Prince Jallah 6'1" | SG Marshalltown | 2023 State IA (15.0) and Dalen Huston Dalen Huston 6'3" | SF Johnston | 2024 State IA (14.0). Jallah is a really good defender, Huston an explosive athlete who can dominate the glass.
Players to watch
2023
Pryce Sandfort
Pryce
Sandfort
6'7" | SF
Waukee Northwest | 2023
State
#123
Nation
IA
, Northwest
2023
Cade Kelderman
Cade
Kelderman
6'0" | PG
Waukee Northwest | 2023
State
IA
, Northwest
2024
Grant Tigges
Grant
Tigges
6'4" | SG
Waukee Northwest | 2024
State
IA
, Northwest
2023
Tevonta Jackson
Tevonta
Jackson
6'1" | PG
Roosevelt | 2023
State
IA
, Roosevelt
2023
Sam King
Sam
King
6'4" | SG
Roosevelt | 2023
State
IA
, Roosevelt
2023
Jaekwon Bradley
Jaekwon
Bradley
6'1" | SG
Roosevelt | 2023
State
IA
, Roosevelt
2024
Trovary Cavil
Trovary
Cavil
5'11" | PG
Johnston | 2024
State
IA
, Lincoln
2024
Deng Gai
Deng
Gai
6'2" | SG
Roosevelt | 2024
State
IA
, Lincoln
2023
Prince Jallah
Prince
Jallah
6'1" | SG
Marshalltown | 2023
State
IA
, Marshalltown
2024
Dalen Huston
Dalen
Huston
6'3" | SF
Johnston | 2024
State
IA
, Marshalltown
2023
Drake Kapayou
Drake
Kapayou
6'0" | PG
Marshalltown | 2023
State
IA
, Marshalltown
2023
Riley Edwards
Riley
Edwards
6'3" | SG
Southeast Polk | 2023
State
IA
, Southeast Polk
2025 Bode Goodman, Southeast Polk
2023 Kale Hobart, Mason City
SUBSTATE FINAL PREDICTION
Waukee Northwest vs. Roosevelt
Waukee Northwest shouldn’t have too many issues getting through this substate. The Wolves have been dominant this season and behind a big Sandfort game, they get back to the state tournament.