Substate Preview: 3A-8
In this article:
The favorite: ADM has been one of the best, and most consistent, teams in 3A this season. After a season-opening blowout loss at the hands of Dallas Center-Grimes, the Tigers responded by winning 16 straight. They’ve lost two of their…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThe favorite: ADM has been one of the best, and most consistent, teams in 3A this season. After a season-opening blowout loss at the hands of Dallas Center-Grimes, the Tigers responded by winning 16 straight. They’ve lost two of their last three games (at time of writing, still have a game against Newton Thursday night), but with a pretty manageable draw at the top of this bracket, they have to be considered a pretty heavy favorite. Senior wing Adam Bryte Adam Bryte 6'4" | SG Adel-DeSoto-Minburn | 2024 State IA (16.0, 7.7 rebounds, 39.0 3P%) leads a balanced group of offensive weapons, and this is a group that has a bunch of pieces that complement each other well. In Bryte, Hudson Lorsensen (15.2, 45.0 3P%), and Hudson Shull Hudson Shull 5'11" | SG ADM | 2026 State IA (6.8, 38.4 3P%), they have plenty of shooting to space the floor. In Grant Rychnovsky Grant Rychnovsky 6'4" | PF ADM | 2024 State IA (10.9, 6.7 rebounds), they have a big man who can control the paint and the glass, while scoring efficiently around the rim. And in Rhylan Stine-Smith Rhylan Stine-Smith 5'11" | PG ADM | 2024 State IA (9.9, 6.0 assists, 2.25 assist-to-turnover), they have a steady point guard who can break down a defense, protect the ball, and find the open man. Trevor Mickelson has built ADM’s program up in a hurry, and this is the type of dynamic offensive team that can win it all in 3A.
The biggest threat: After losing Colby Collison and Jaxson Fried to graduation, and Reed Pfaltzgraff Reed Pfaltzgraff 6'4" | PG Bondurant Farrar | 2024 State IA to a knee injury during football season, defending champion Bondurant-Farrar was going to have a difficult time living up to expectations this season. And while the Bluejays are just 11-9 on the year, they’ve proven themselves to be very capable of making noise in the class still, posting good wins over Ballard, Gilbert, Roosevelt, Winterset, and Knoxville, and they have a dynamic three-level scorer who can take over games in senior wing Tanner Berggren Tanner Berggren 6'3" | SF Bondurant-Farrar | 2024 State IA (21.8, 6.0 rebounds). Berggren had one of the most productive summers of any player in the state, and on a team that really needed someone to step up, he has been fantastic. Junior guard Cole Miller Cole Miller 5'10" | PG Bondurant-Farrar | 2025 State IA (12.6, 6.9 assists), one of the breakout stars of last year’s state tournament, has been really good as a playmaking guard, and junior guard Hudson McConnell Hudson McConnell 6'2" | SF Bondurant-Farrar | 2025 State IA (10.8, 46.9 3P%) has been electric as a shooting threat from deep. The Jays were swept by ADM, but those losses came by 7 and 11 points, so getting a third shot at the Tigers would certainly be a welcome thought for the players from Bondurant.
The dark horses: Legendary coach Mitch Osborn doesn’t have his most talented team ever down in Harlan, but the Cyclones have been solid enough, especially on the defensive end of the floor, to be considered a sleeper here. Forward Franz Reisz Franz Reisz 6'5" | PF Harlan | 2024 State IA (12.5, 8.4 rebounds, 54.0 FG%) gives them some size, rebounding, and rim protection, while Jason Erlemeier (10.4, 47.8 3P%) has been one of the best shooters in the state this season, knocking down 55 3-pointers at a very impressive clip. With that type of inside-out game, and the usual strong defense and athletes that Harlan has, they’ll always be a tough out in postseason play.
Carroll started the season 8-2, but have gone just 2-8 down the stretch, losing five of those games by single digits. The Tigers have a dominant interior player in Evan Hammer Evan Hammer 6'4" | PF Carroll | 2024 State IA (19.1, 10.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.7 blocks), an athletic forward who can take over games on both ends of the floor, and he can be a difficult matchup for opposing teams in this substate. Caden Lengeling (10.9) and Stone Sibenaller (5.7) are the top perimeter shooting threats, but this is a team that doesn’t shoot it particularly well from the arc (27.7% as a team). They pound the offensive glass, pulling down 11.5 offensive rebounds a game, which helps get some extra possessions, but they’ll need to find someone who can knock down a few 3s if they want to make some real noise in this substate.
Players to watch
2024
Adam Bryte
Adam
Bryte
6'4" | SG
Adel-DeSoto-Minburn | 2024
State
IA
, ADM
2026
Hudson Lorensen
Hudson
Lorensen
5'11" | SG
ADM | 2026
State
IA
, ADM
2024
Grant Rychnovsky
Grant
Rychnovsky
6'4" | PF
ADM | 2024
State
IA
, ADM
2024
Rhylan Stine-Smith
Rhylan
Stine-Smith
5'11" | PG
ADM | 2024
State
IA
, ADM
2024
Tanner Berggren
Tanner
Berggren
6'3" | SF
Bondurant-Farrar | 2024
State
IA
, Bondurant-Farrar
2025
Cole Miller
Cole
Miller
5'10" | PG
Bondurant-Farrar | 2025
State
IA
, Bondurant-Farrar
2025
Hudson McConnell
Hudson
McConnell
6'2" | SF
Bondurant-Farrar | 2025
State
IA
, Bondurant-Farrar
2024
Franz Reisz
Franz
Reisz
6'5" | PF
Harlan | 2024
State
IA
, Harlan
2024 Jason Erlemeier, Harlan
2024
Luke Wiebers
Luke
Wiebers
6'1" | SG
Denison-Schleswig | 2024
State
IA
, Denison-Schleswig
2024
Lance Arkfeld
Lance
Arkfeld
6'8" | C
Denison-Schleswig | 2024
State
IA
, Denison-Schleswig
2024
Evan Hammer
Evan
Hammer
6'4" | PF
Carroll | 2024
State
IA
, Carroll
2024 Payton Wardell, Carroll
2025
Jake Hoyt
Jake
Hoyt
6'3" | SF
Creston | 2025
State
IA
, Creston
2024 Cael Turner, Creston
2024
Tony Davidson
Tony
Davidson
6'4" | PF
Creston | 2024
IA
, Creston
2025 Geren Kenney, Perry
2025 Owen Myers, Perry
2024 Drake Levan, Perry
2024
Colton Rasmussen
Colton
Rasmussen
6'3" | SF
Atlantic | 2024
State
IA
, Atlantic
2026
Gavin McLaren
Gavin
McLaren
6'2" | SF
Atlantic | 2026
State
IA
, Atlantic
SUBSTATE FINAL PREDICTION
ADM vs. Bondurant-Farrar
ADM swept the season series, and while Bondurant-Farrar would certainly like to get another shot at the Tigers, ADM simply has a little too much firepower for the Bluejays to keep up with. There will be a new champion in 3A, as ADM knocks off the defending champs and punches their ticket to Des Moines.