Preseason All-Conference Teams: Bluegrass Conference

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Preseason Player of the Year: </strong>2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1751231' first='Cade' last='Wierck'] (Ankeny Christian)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>ACA is the clear-cut favorite to win the league this winter, and Wierck is their best player. This is probably going to end up being one of the easiest selections for a PPOY of any conference.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>First Team</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1751231' first='Cade' last='Wierck'] (Ankeny Christian): 13.5 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.6 steals, 1.3 blocks, 44.9 FG%</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A 6-6 combo forward coming off a strong summer with a good Iowa Hoop Dreams team, Wierck looks primed to have a huge senior year for the Eagles as a scorer, rebounder, and rim protector. With his blend of size, length, and skill, he's a really difficult matchup for opposing teams in this conference. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1765540' first='Holden' last='Roberts'] (Twin Cedars): 13.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.9 steals</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Roberts is coming off a great freshman season in which he led the Sabers in scoring. The top returning scorer in the conference, he'll now be focused on helping Twin Cedars win more games as a sophomore. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2024 Titus Barber (Murray): 12.9 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.0 steals, 4.8 blocks, 50.0 FG%</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the best interior defenders in small school basketball, Barber is a 6-7 mobile big man with great timing as a shot blocker and soft hands and good touch on the offensive end. He should average a double-double and be an intimidating presence in the paint on a nightly basis. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2024 [player_tooltip player_id='2325457' first='Shane' last='Helmick'] (Moravia): 12.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.3 steals, 50.0 FG%</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2022-23 Moravia team was the best in school history, and they lost a good chunk of that roster to graduation. Luckily for them, the 6-2 Helmick returns and should be an absolute force on both ends of the floor for the Mohawks. He could be among the 1A leaders in rebounding this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2024 Triton Gwinn (Mormon Trail): 11.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.8 steals</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gwinn will step into a much larger role this year for the Saints following the graduation of three of the top four scorers from last year's team. A 6-0 forward, he's a bit undersized as a traditional big, but he's physical and is a good athlete who can do a little bit of everything for a Mormon Trail program that has been pretty good for the last decade. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Second Team</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2520036' first='Cameron' last='Swarts'] (Moulton-Udell)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2024 Eli Christensen (Ankeny Christian)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2024 Brody Hoefle (Ankeny Christian)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2024 Jackson McDaniel (Moravia)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2025 Caden Page (Murray)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Honorable Mentions</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2024 Braydin Shaffer (Moulton-Udell)<br>2024 Tyler Mahoney (Ankeny Christian)<br>2024 Wyatt Throckmorton (Moravia)<br>2025 Ambrose Savage (Lamoni)<br>2024 Garrett Stephens (Diagonal)<br>2024 Degin Dixson (Mormon Trail)<br>2024 Dylan Quick (Ankeny Christian)<br>2024 Garrett Pearson (Ankeny Christian)<br>2025 Hayden Davis (Ankeny Christian)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->