Conference Preview: SICL East

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>The Teams</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Belle Plaine (14-10, 74.4% of scoring returning):</strong> If anyone in the division could potentially challenge Keota, it will be the Plainsmen, who played the Eagles to a pair of 12-point losses within the last month of the season. They bring back their top four scorers from that group - juniors Sam DeMeulenaere (12.3, 7.0 rebounds) and Ty Alcott (7.3), and seniors Riley Simmons (10.0, 7.0 rebounds) and Wyatt Kuch (6.9). Also returning is senior forward Jax Stamp (6.5, 8.9 rebounds), another dominant rebounder on both ends of the floor. Belle Plaine is always excellent on the glass, and they'll need to be again to help offset turnover (18.1) and shooting (21.5 3P%) issues. If either of those areas improves, they could be a thorn in Keota's side. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>English Valleys (5-18, 43.8%): </strong>After posting back-to-back winning seasons, the Bears took a step back last season, winning just five games. They lost three of the top four from that team, so there could be another season with only a handful of wins on the horizon. Senior Myles Grove (12.0, 4.2 assists) is the headliner of the group after leading the team in assists and steals last season. AJ Bruns (3.4) started 15 games and Ty Ayers (3.0) added another nine starts, so they have some experience returning, but depth and turnovers (17.4 a game last season) will be an issue. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Iowa Valley (10-12, 46.0%): </strong>The Tigers may have the best individual player in the division in junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1951796' first='Caleb' last='Haack'] (19.6), a mobile 6-7 big man who can dominate games on both ends of the floor. In addition to leading the team in scoring, Haack also contributed 9.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 3.9 blocks a game as a sophomore. If they had any other experience returning, the Tigers could be in play to make a major leap this season, but there just isn't much coming back alongside Haack. He's good enough to win them several games, but teams will be able to focus in on him after the graduation of Evan Kearney.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Keota (21-4, 88.8%): </strong>The Eagles bring back three double-figure scorers from a team that rolled through the division last season, winning all 11 games against divisional teams by an average of nearly 26 points a game, which will make them an overwhelming favorite here again. They're led by the trio of [player_tooltip player_id='1376716' first='Sawyer' last='Stout'] (18.0), Cole Kindred (12.3, 5.1 assists), and Evan Vittetoe (11.6, 7.5 rebounds). Stout is an electric scorer who can take over games in the blink of an eye. He loves to chuck it from deep (196 attempts last season) and if his efficiency on those 3s improves even a little bit, watch out. Kindred is a solid lead guard who values possessions and gets his teammates involved, while Vittetoe is a force in the paint. Junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2511617' first='Billie' last='Kindred'] (6.8, 8.0 rebounds) also returns, giving them more size and rebounding. They should have no issues at all in the division. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sigourney (13-10, 44.4%): </strong>Leading scorer Isaac Bruns (13.3, 8.7 rebounds) returns to lead the Savages, who played pretty good basketball down the stretch last season, winning five straight games before falling to Baxter in the postseason. Bruns is a good athlete at 6-0 who loves to compete on the glass and can do a little bit of everything on the floor. Sophomore guard Solon Yates (5.5) and senior Kale Clarahan (4.2) are the other notable returnees. Yates' 13 3-pointers ranked fourth on the team last season and he could provide some additional shooting for this group. They'll struggle to compete with Keota (who won't?), but they should be able to play with everyone else in the division. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Tri-County (3-18, 19.7%): </strong>The Trojans won just three games last season and lost their top four from that group, leaving junior Levi Molyneux (4.5) and Joshua McCulloch (4.2) as the only two returnees with any relevant experience. It figures to be another long winter in Thornburg. </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.<br>2.<br>3.<br>4.<br>5.<br>6.</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>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1951796' first='Caleb' last='Haack'] (Iowa Valley):</strong> A mobile 6-7 big man who excels as a shot blocker and interior scorer, Haack stuffs the stat sheet for the Tigers on both ends of the floor. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Players to Watch</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1951796' first='Caleb' last='Haack'] (Iowa Valley)<br>2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1376716' first='Sawyer' last='Stout'] (Keota)<br>2024 Cole Kindred (Keota)<br>2024 Evan Vittetoe (Keota)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2511617' first='Billie' last='Kindred'] (Keota)<br>2025 Isaac Bruns (Sigourney)<br>2026 Solon Yates (Sigourney)<br>2024 Kale Clarahan (Sigourney)<br>2025 Sam DeMeulenaere (Belle Plaine)<br>2024 Riley Simmons (Belle Plaine)<br>2025 Ty Alcott (Belle Plaine)<br>2024 Wyatt Kuch (Belle Plaine)<br>2024 Jax Stamp (Belle Plaine)<br>2024 Myles Grove (English Valleys)<br>2024 AJ Bruns (English Valleys)<br>2025 Levi Molyneux (Tri-County)<br>2025 Joshua McCullouch (Tri-County)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->