Conference Preview: Southeast

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>The Teams</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Burlington (16-7, 24.5% of scoring returning):</strong> The Grayhounds were impressive last season, following up a surprising run to the state tournament by rattling off 16 wins, including an 8-1 start. Three of their top four scorers from that team graduated, leaving junior wing [player_tooltip player_id='1951799' first='Nehemiah' last='Lewis'] (8.1) as the top returnee. Lewis is a long, athletic wing who can get to the rim, and he'll be asked to do quite a bit for this group. The Kantzavelos brothers, senior Christos (3.5) and sophomore Michael (6.0 in one game), will step into bigger roles this season as well. As the biggest school in the league, Burlington should be able to find some athletes who will be able to create chaos on the defensive end and put some points on the board, and they figure to be a factor in the league again, despite losing a ton of production. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Fairfield (12-10, 18.0%): </strong>The top three scorers from last year's team graduated, leaving junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2165699' first='Riley' last='Perkins'] (6.1) and senior forward Sam Weaton (4.7) as the two notable returnees. Perkins is a good shooter who operates at his best off the ball but may need to handle it more this season, while Weaton is an athletic forward who rebounds well on both ends of the floor and is a pretty good finisher around the rim. There isn't much else coming back, so this could be a rebuilding year for the Trojans. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Fort Madison (6-16, 90.1%): </strong>A young Bloodhounds team lost seven games in single digits last season, and with their top five scorers returning, there is some reason for optimism that they could turn some of those narrow losses into wins with more experience. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='1945656' first='Hunter' last='Cresswell'] (12.0, 7.0 rebounds), Carson Rashid (9.8), and Leif Boeding (9.6) are the leaders of this group, a trio of veteran players who complement each other well. Boeding and junior Julian Dear (5.4) are the team's top ball-handlers and playmakers. Cresswell is an efficient interior scorer, while Rashid can shoot it from the arc and provide some floor spacing. This group didn't shoot it very well from deep (29.0%) last season, and if they're able to get that up even just a few percentage points, they could be a sleeper team in the league. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Keokuk (7-16, 96.8%):</strong> If you're looking for a potential surprise team in the conference, look for the Chiefs, who bring back their top six scorers from a team that gave Solon a good run for their money in the first round of the playoffs last year. Senior wing [player_tooltip player_id='1476968' first='Diego' last='Garcia'] (17.0) is a quick scorer who is at his best when he's playing downhill and attacking the rim, and he's flanked by a good shooter in [player_tooltip player_id='1720208' first='Brenton' last='Hoard'] (13.4, 35.3 3P%), giving the Chiefs one of the better backcourts in the league. Hoard has good size on the wing and can get his shot off whenever he wants, pairing good off-ball movement with a quick release. Blake Chase (6.1), Chase Eckland (2.9), and Drew Campbell (2.4) are all capable role players who know their responsibilities and play to them. The X-factor for this group is sophomore center [player_tooltip player_id='1978100' first='Jaxon' last='Clark'] (6.0), who appeared in just six games down the stretch last season, but he's an intriguing young big man with good hands and footwork at 6-8. At times in that game against Solon, he was dominant. If he's able to take a step forward and give them some rim protection and interior scoring, this team could surprise some people. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mount Pleasant (18-6, 51.5%): </strong>The Panthers allowed just 47.5 points a game last season, second in 3A, and used that smothering defense to suffocate teams and roll to 18 wins. They're a disciplined, quick team that is fundamentally sound on that end of the floor, and they should be the same again this season. They're headlined by senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1376720' first='Payton' last='Hagans'] (20.7, 8.2 rebounds), a dynamic and athletic 6-0 guard who does a little bit of everything for the Panthers. In addition to leading the team in scoring, he also led them in rebounding, assists (3.5), and steals (2.4), and has established himself as one of the best two-way players in 3A. Senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1499008' first='Nathan' last='Stroud'] (7.1) is the other notable returnee, coming off a good summer with [program_tooltip program_id='2075572' first='Iowa' last='Prep'] in which he showcased some rim protection and floor stretching abilities. He'll pair with Hagans to give the Panthers a solid one-two punch. A pair of sophomores, [player_tooltip player_id='1978109' first='Christian' last='Stacy'] (2.5) and [player_tooltip player_id='2731795' first='Noah' last='Lange'] (2.2), figure to step into bigger roles this season after producing in limited minutes as freshmen. With the best player in the league in tow, the Panthers should be considered the favorites again. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Washington (11-10, 33.4%):</strong> Five of the top six scorers from last year's team graduated, leaving junior wing [player_tooltip player_id='1428956' first='Logan' last='McDole'] (9.4) as the lone returnee with any notable experience. McDole, a 6-1/6-2 wing who can score from all three levels, is a really good offensive weapon who could emerge as one of the best players in the league, but there isn't much else coming back alongside him. </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. Mount Pleasant<br>2. Burlington<br>3. Keokuk<br>4. Fort Madison<br>5. Fairfield<br>6. Washington</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Analysis:</strong> In all honesty, outside of Mount Pleasant at the top, you could throw the other five teams in any order and I wouldn't be surprised. This could be a really fun, unpredictable year in the Southeast Conference. </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='1376720' first='Payton' last='Hagans'] (Mount Pleasant): </strong>Hagans is the top returnee in the league in both scoring and rebounding. He's a quick, athletic guard who controls the glass, creates off the dribble, and can fill it up in a hurry.</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='1376720' first='Payton' last='Hagans'] (Mount Pleasant)<br>2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1499008' first='Nathan' last='Stroud'] (Mount Pleasant)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1978109' first='Christian' last='Stacy'] (Mount Pleasant)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2731795' first='Noah' last='Lange'] (Mount Pleasant)<br>2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1945656' first='Hunter' last='Cresswell'] (Fort Madison)<br>2024 Carson Rashid (Fort Madison)<br>2024 Leif Boeding (Fort Madison)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2511523' first='Dayton' last='Lamar'] (Fort Madison)<br>2025 Julian Dear (Fort Madison)<br>2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1476968' first='Diego' last='Garcia'] (Keokuk)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1720208' first='Brenton' last='Hoard'] (Keokuk)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1978100' first='Jaxon' last='Clark'] (Keokuk)<br>2025 Blake Chase (Keokuk)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1428956' first='Logan' last='McDole'] (Washington)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1951799' first='Nehemiah' last='Lewis'] (Burlington)<br>2026 Michael Kantzavelos (Burlington)<br>2024 Sam Weaton (Fairfield)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2165699' first='Riley' last='Perkins'] (Fairfield)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->