Conference Preview: Northeast Iowa

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>The Teams</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Charles City (17-6, 58.6% of scoring returning):</strong> The Comets lost leading scorer Chase Low to graduation, leaving an athletic hole on the wing, but bring back four of the next five scorers, giving them an experienced quartet of players to build around. They bring back a pair of double-figure scorers in [player_tooltip player_id='1476943' first='Keenen' last='Wiley'] (11.6, 7.8 rebounds) and [player_tooltip player_id='1945652' first='Kam' last='Mestas'] (15.0, 6.4 rebounds), who will be one of the best tandems in the league. Mestas is an extremely efficient scorer (58.7 FG%) who is at his best when he's attacking, as is Wiley. That tandem is athletic and big (both listed at 6-5 last season), giving them good size and length to impact the game defensively as well. Look for senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1288892' first='Jack' last='Hanson'] (7.6, 3.7 assists) to take a major leap this season. A strong guard who can create off the dribble, he was one of the better players in the gym at the Top 250 Expo in September, showcasing improved range and confidence in his ability to create. Jeb Wandro (4.1) is the other key returnee, a player who does a little bit of everything and buys into his role. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Crestwood (13-9, 36.7%): </strong>The Cadets lost five of their top six scorers from last year's team either to graduation or transfer, leaving senior guard Ty Cotant (10.4, 39.2 3P%) as the lone returnee with much experience. Cotant operated well last season as an off-ball guard, moving without the ball in his hands and shooting it at a high clip off the catch. He'll be asked to do more with the ball in his hands this season following the transfer of [player_tooltip player_id='1641849' first='Jackson' last='Gaul'] to Lake Mills. Layton Johnson (2.7) and Brayden Thompson (1.8) are the only other returnees of note, each appearing in 19 games last season. Will Crestwood find someone to step up and produce alongside Cotant? They've only had two losing seasons in the last 17, so it seems likely that they won't bottom out. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Decorah (14-8, 70.9%): </strong>The Vikings were dealt a significant blow last offseason when star point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1171655' first='Treyton' last='McCain'] tore his ACL, missing his entire junior year as a result. McCain averaged 12.1 points and 4.7 assists a game as a sophomore, while also playing really good defense, and not having him on the floor was a major loss. The absence of McCain, however, allowed several players to step into bigger roles last season, and they should be improved as a result. [player_tooltip player_id='1256304' first='Ben' last='Bockman'] (22.4, 8.9 rebounds, 37.5 3P%) is a big wing who can shoot it at a high clip from deep as well as dominate the glass on both ends of the floor. He was excellent last season and will have some of the scoring pressure taken off of him this year. His cousin [player_tooltip player_id='1751170' first='Matthew' last='Bockman'] (11.6, 4.2 assists) led the team in helpers last season but will move back into his more natural position, playing off the ball and providing additional floor spacing with his shooting. [player_tooltip player_id='2377280' first='Kaiden' last='Quandahl'] (7.9, 7.9 rebounds) gives them some size and rebounding, and Andrew Rhodes (3.5) is another key returnee who gives them some experience and a player who knows his role. The Vikings will not only be boosted by the return of McCain, but also gained an extremely valuable player in [player_tooltip player_id='1381408' first='Zach' last='Driscoll'], who transfers in from MFL Mar Mac. Driscoll is one of the best players in the 2025 class in the state, coming off a year in which he averaged 20.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 4.2 steals. His quickness, court vision, and scoring will be huge for this group. Sophomore forward Cael LaFrentz, son of former NBA player Raef LaFrentz, could also factor into the rotation, a 6-8/6-9 big man with great pedigree. The Vikings lost six games by single digits last season, and having two more reliable ball-handlers on the roster should help turn those losses into wins. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>New Hampton (9-14, 42.4%): </strong>The top two scorers from last year's team graduated, but the next three, and five rotation players in all, return. They're led by seniors Ben Gilbert (6.7) and Cael Laures (5.8), and junior Adam Ewert (6.5), a trio that combined to start 58 games last season. Ewert figures to step into a primary ball-handling role and is also the team's best perimeter shooting threat, while Laures is a good option in the paint and on the glass. Reid Rausch (2.2) and Nick Brincks (2.0) also saw a fair amount of time last season and have some experience. They'll struggle to compete with the top teams in the league, but should be able to approach last year's win total again.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Waukon (3-18, 67.3%): </strong>The Indians struggled to compete on most nights last season, losing by an average of 15 points a game, but they should be improved with the return of Kole McCormick (11.6, 7.0 rebounds) and Mason Wasson (10.6), giving them a pair of experienced players. McCormick was really good on both ends of the floor last season, turning away over 2 shots a game in addition to his scoring and rebounding, while Wasson is the team's top perimeter scoring threat. Senior guard Jack O'Neill (5.4) led the team in assists per game last season as well and also returns, giving them a veteran presence in the backcourt. They'll still struggle against the best teams in the league, but should be able to grab a few additional non-conference wins and could compete better against the New Hamptons and Crestwoods of the league this year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Waverly-Shell Rock (17-6, 77.1%): </strong>This will be the last year in the Northeast for the Go-Hawks, and they'll be looking to go out with a conference title. They bring back a trio of double-figure scorers in [player_tooltip player_id='1376675' first='Cole' last='Marsh'] (14.2, 40.7 3P%), [player_tooltip player_id='1751095' first='Noah' last='Frazell'] (13.8, 41.4 3P%), and [player_tooltip player_id='1759905' first='Luke' last='Frazell'] (12.2, 48.6 3P%), as well as [player_tooltip player_id='1751097' first='Benny' last='Ramker'] (9.5, 49.0 3P%), who was just outside of that mark. This team will be one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the state with that quartet back, as they combined to shoot 161-369 from deep last season (43.6%). The Go-Hawks will be small, but they should play quick, and they have a number of options who can handle the ball and knock down open shots. Their balance and shooting make them deadly, and they should be pretty deep. </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. Decorah<br>2. Waverly-Shell Rock<br>3. Charles City<br>4. Crestwood<br>5. New Hampton<br>6. Waukon</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Analysis: </strong>The Vikings were swept by WSR last season, but bring back a ton and add two huge pieces to the roster that weren't there last season, making them the favorite here. The Go-Hawks are certainly a serious threat, and both are viable contenders in 3A, while Charles City has the pieces in place to make some noise as well.</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='1256304' first='Ben' last='Bockman'] (Decorah): </strong>Take your pick of a number of Vikings for this honor, but we'll side with the 6-4 sharpshooting wing who stuffs the stat sheet. Decorah should be a ton of fun to watch this season, and Bockman is a major reason why.</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='1256304' first='Ben' last='Bockman'] (Decorah)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1381408' first='Zach' last='Driscoll'] (Decorah)<br>2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1171655' first='Treyton' last='McCain'] (Decorah)<br>2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1751170' first='Matthew' last='Bockman'] (Decorah)<br>2024 Kaden Quandahl (Decorah)<br>2024 Andrew Rhodes (Decorah)<br>2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1376675' first='Cole' last='Marsh'] (Waverly-Shell Rock)<br>2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1751095' first='Noah' last='Frazell'] (Waverly-Shell Rock)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1759905' first='Luke' last='Frazell'] (Waverly-Shell Rock)<br>2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1751097' first='Benny' last='Ramker'] (Waverly-Shell Rock)<br>2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1945652' first='Kam' last='Mestas'] (Charles City)<br>2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1476943' first='Keenen' last='Wiley'] (Charles City)<br>2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1288892' first='Jack' last='Hanson'] (Charles City)<br>2024 Kole McCormick (Waukon)<br>2024 Mason Wasson (Waukon)<br>2024 Ty Cotant (Crestwood)<br>2025 Adam Ewert (New Hampton)<br>2024 Ben Gilbert (New Hampton)<br>2024 Cael Laures (New Hampton)<br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->