Conference Preview: Southeast
In this article:
The Teams Burlington (16-7, 24.5% of scoring returning): 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…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThe Teams
Burlington (16-7, 24.5% of scoring returning): 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 Nehemiah Lewis Nehemiah Lewis 6'4" | SF Burlington | 2025 State IA (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.
Fairfield (12-10, 18.0%): The top three scorers from last year’s team graduated, leaving junior guard Riley Perkins Riley Perkins 6'3" | SF Fairfield | 2025 State IA (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.
Fort Madison (6-16, 90.1%): 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 Hunter Cresswell Hunter Cresswell 6'3" | PF Fort Madison | 2024 State IA (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.
Keokuk (7-16, 96.8%): 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 Diego Garcia Diego Garcia 6'2" | SF Keokuk | 2024 State IA (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 Brenton Hoard Brenton Hoard 6'2" | SG Keokuk | 2025 State IA (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 Jaxon Clark Jaxon Clark 6'7" | C Keokuk | 2026 State IA (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.
Mount Pleasant (18-6, 51.5%): 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 Payton Hagans Payton Hagans 6'0" | SG Mount Pleasant | 2024 State IA (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 Nathan Stroud Nathan Stroud 6'5" | PF Mount Pleasant | 2024 State IA (7.1) is the other notable returnee, coming off a good summer with Iowa 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, Christian Stacy Christian Stacy 5'11" | SG Mount Pleasant | 2026 State IA (2.5) and Noah 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.
Washington (11-10, 33.4%): Five of the top six scorers from last year’s team graduated, leaving junior wing Logan McDole Logan McDole 6'3" | SF Washington | 2025 State IA (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.
Projected Order of Finish
1. Mount Pleasant
2. Burlington
3. Keokuk
4. Fort Madison
5. Fairfield
6. Washington
Analysis: 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.
Preseason Player of the Year
2024 Payton Hagans Payton Hagans 6'0" | SG Mount Pleasant | 2024 State IA (Mount Pleasant): 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.
Players to Watch
2024
Payton Hagans
Payton
Hagans
6'0" | SG
Mount Pleasant | 2024
State
IA
(Mount Pleasant)
2024
Nathan Stroud
Nathan
Stroud
6'5" | PF
Mount Pleasant | 2024
State
IA
(Mount Pleasant)
2026
Christian Stacy
Christian
Stacy
5'11" | SG
Mount Pleasant | 2026
State
IA
(Mount Pleasant)
2026 Noah Lange (Mount Pleasant)
2024
Hunter Cresswell
Hunter
Cresswell
6'3" | PF
Fort Madison | 2024
State
IA
(Fort Madison)
2024 Carson Rashid (Fort Madison)
2024 Leif Boeding (Fort Madison)
2025 Dayton Lamar (Fort Madison)
2025 Julian Dear (Fort Madison)
2024
Diego Garcia
Diego
Garcia
6'2" | SF
Keokuk | 2024
State
IA
(Keokuk)
2025
Brenton Hoard
Brenton
Hoard
6'2" | SG
Keokuk | 2025
State
IA
(Keokuk)
2026
Jaxon Clark
Jaxon
Clark
6'7" | C
Keokuk | 2026
State
IA
(Keokuk)
2025 Blake Chase (Keokuk)
2025
Logan McDole
Logan
McDole
6'3" | SF
Washington | 2025
State
IA
(Washington)
2025
Nehemiah Lewis
Nehemiah
Lewis
6'4" | SF
Burlington | 2025
State
IA
(Burlington)
2026 Michael Kantzavelos (Burlington)
2024 Sam Weaton (Fairfield)
2025
Riley Perkins
Riley
Perkins
6'3" | SF
Fairfield | 2025
State
IA
(Fairfield)