Conference Preview: NICL East

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>The Teams</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jesup (16-7, 70.2% of scoring returning):</strong> Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1153046' first='Jack' last='Miller'] (26.0) is one of the best all-around scorers in the state and will lead the charge for the J-Hawks. He's elite off the dribble and gets to his shot whenever he wants. He also had a great summer with [program_tooltip program_id='2075572' first='Iowa' last='Prep'] in which he showcased improvements as a playmaker and defender, which should be terrifying for the rest of the division. Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1839807' first='Ryan' last='Treptow'] (11.7) gives them some more perimeter scoring and ball handling, as does Cale Schissel (8.4). Treptow and Schissel's ability to take care of the ball allow Miller to occasionally move off of it and operate as a catch-and-shoot threat, where he is deadly. This group is going to be pretty small, and they may struggle at times on the glass and on the defensive end as a result, but they'll be able to score in bunches, and with Miller leading the way, this is clearly the team to beat in the East.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Oelwein (8-14, 70.5%):</strong> The Huskies have one of the best players in the division in junior combo forward [player_tooltip player_id='2398026' first='Conall' last='Sauser'] (13.0, 9.1 rebounds). He's an efficient 6-4 scorer who does a great job on the glass on both ends of the floor and will pace an Oelwein attack that should be improved. He'll be joined by a trio of senior returnees in Ethan Detemmerman (7.5), Garet Kiel (7.3), and Terick Pryor (5.0), giving them a solid quartet of returnees. Kiel is the team's top ball-handler while Detemmerman and Pryor provide some additional scoring on the perimeter. They'll really need to buckle down on the turnovers this season (17.5 a game) if they want to make significant improvements in the win column. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sumner-Fredericksburg (9-14, 70.7%): </strong>The top two, and four of the top five, scorers return for the Cougars, including a pair of double-figure scorers in senior Jaymison Howard (10.4) and junior Kallen Wilharm (10.2). Wilharm is their most efficient offensive weapon, shooting 44.4% from the floor and showing the ability to stretch the floor, albeit on limited attempts. Tatum Nuss (8.0) and Achilles Quigley (6.6) are the other key returnees for this group. Both are active defenders and good on the glass. The Cougars, like Oelwein, will need to improve their ball protection (16.4) if they want to make some noise and potentially jump up and knock off one of the big players in the NICL.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Union (10-15, 87.3%): </strong>A pair of big-time perimeter scorers return for the Knights in senior [player_tooltip player_id='1751222' first='Jackson' last='Anderson'] (18.4) and [player_tooltip player_id='1726227' first='Caden' last='Sorensen'] (15.1, 4.4 assists), giving them one of the best one-two punches in any division in the NICL. Two other starters - Mason Mullen (6.6) and Logan Rosauer (6.2, 9.7 rebounds) - also return, as do two more rotation pieces in sophomores Maddux DeWinter (2.0) and [player_tooltip player_id='1986602' first='Cameron' last='Mullen'] (1.4), who each saw significant time as freshmen. Of the other returnees, Rosauer is the most important piece because of the size, interior defense, and rebounding he provides. With Anderson and Sorensen leading the charge, Union shouldn't have too many issues scoring this season; defensive improvement will determine just how far this team can go.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Wapsie Valley (20-5, 11.0%):</strong> Six of the top seven scorers from last year's team graduated, leaving sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='2519981' first='Briggs' last='Boehme'] (6.3) as the only returnee with any relevant varsity experience returning. Boehme had a productive freshman season but will be asked to step into a much larger role this year. Look for fellow sophomores [player_tooltip player_id='1884756' first='Tanner' last='Bergmann'] and Blake Hesse to step into bigger roles as well as the Warriors start to re-build the program. With Marty McKowen roaming the sidelines, they won't completely bottom out, but there just isn't much experience here.</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. Jesup<br>2. Union<br>3. Sumner-Fredericksburg<br>4. Wapsie Valley<br>5. Oelwein</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Analysis:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Preseason Player of the Year</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1153046' first='Jack' last='Miller'] (Jesup): </strong>A dominant three-level scorer who shoots it at an extremely high clip off the dribble, Miller is coming off a junior year in which he averaged 26 points a game, and he could easily put up 30+ this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Players to Watch</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1153046' first='Jack' last='Miller'] (Jesup)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1839807' first='Ryan' last='Treptow'] (Jesup)<br>2024 Cale Schissel (Jesup)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2398026' first='Conall' last='Sauser'] (Oelwein)<br>2024 Ethan Detemmerman (Oelwein)<br>2024 Garet Kiel (Oelwein)<br>2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1751222' first='Jackson' last='Anderson'] (Union)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1726227' first='Caden' last='Sorensen'] (Union)<br>2024 Logan Rosauer (Union)<br>2024 Mason Mullen (Union)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2519981' first='Briggs' last='Boehme'] (Wapsie Valley)<br>2025 Kallen Wilharm (Sumner-Fredericksburg)<br>2025 Tatum Nuss (Sumner-Fredricksburg)<br>2024 Jaymison Howard (Sumner-Fredericksburg)<br>2024 Achilles Quigley (Sumner-Fredericksburg)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->