Substate Preview: 4A-3
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The favorite: After making 10 straight state tournament appearances from 2011-20, Iowa City West has gone three years without a trip to Des Moines and the Trojans are itching to get back. They’re 18-2 at the time of this writing,…
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Continue ReadingThe favorite: After making 10 straight state tournament appearances from 2011-20, Iowa City West has gone three years without a trip to Des Moines and the Trojans are itching to get back. They’re 18-2 at the time of this writing, with the two losses coming to Linn-Mar in December and top-ranked Kennedy earlier this month. With the MVC being a bit down, it’s hard to gauge just how good this team actually is, but there has been a commitment on the defensive end after the holiday break that looks more like a vintage West team. In 13 games since the break, they’ve allowed 49.6 points a game, a number that would rank within the top 10 in 4A if it came over the full season. Junior wing Jack McCaffery Jack McCaffery 6'8" | SF Iowa City West | 2025 State #70 Nation IA (16.5, 6.7 rebounds) is the headliner, a nationally ranked prospect who, at 6-8, has the ability to protect the rim, create off the dribble, and space the floor with a pure stroke from deep. The Trojans are able to put more shooting around him in the form of Jacob Koch Jacob Koch 6'1" | PG Iowa City West | 2024 State IA (12.8, 39.6 3P%) and TaeVeon Stevens TaeVeon Stevens 6'1" | PG Iowa City West | 2024 State IA (8.6, 44.3 3P%), a pair of knockdown shooters. Kareem Earl Kareem Earl 6'5" | SF Iowa City West | 2024 State IA (9.5, 55.6 FG%) has battled injuries throughout his high school career but is a 6-5/6-6 wing who can score from all three levels, and Julian Manson Julian Manson 6'3" | SF Iowa City West | 2026 State IA (8.8, 52.1 FG%) is an athletic combo forward who can create off the dribble and facilitate the offense. This team is pretty athletic, defends well, and has one of the best players in the state leading them.
The biggest threat: Since a blowout loss at the hands of Ankeny on January 6, Bettendorf has been one of the hottest teams in 4A. They’ve won 10 of their last 11 games, with the lone loss coming by six against rival Pleasant Valley. During that stretch, only two of the wins have come by single digits, and they have really committed on the defensive end, holding eight of the 11 opponents to 49 points or less. Senior wing Caden Wilkins Caden Wilkins 6'7" | SF Bettendorf | 2024 State #196 Nation IA (17.8) is a go-to wing who can score in bunches as well as create looks for his teammates, and the emergence of junior wing Ben Kerkhoff Ben Kerkhoff 6'5" | SF Bettendorf | 2025 State IA (10.0, 42.4 3P%) has been huge for the Bulldogs, giving them some floor stretching and more spacing for Wilkins, Tre’Von Coney (8.5, 4.7 assists), and Asher Wade Asher Wade 6'7" | C Bettendorf | 2024 State IA (7.9, 65.7 FG%) to operate. In Wilkins, Bettendorf has a dominant player, and they’re able to put a well-balanced team around him. They’re playing great basketball and will be a really tough out in this substate.
The dark horse: Davenport West is one of the most dangerous #3 seeds in 4A, a 15-6 team that has shown they can beat high-level teams, posting wins over Assumption, Pleasant Valley, and sweeping North Scott. The Falcons are led by a pair of seniors in Idris Thomas Idris Thomas 6'4" | SF Davenport West | 2024 State IA (19.4, 54.2 FG%) and Davante Bradford Davante Bradford 6'3" | SF Davenport West | 2024 State IA (13.6, 4.8 assists) who are both enjoying breakout years. Thomas is an athletic 6-6 combo forward who is really good in the mid-range and is able to get to the rim, while Bradford is a physical 6-3 point guard who sues his size, strength, and vision to control the game with the ball in his hands. Junior guard Elijah Reid-Scott Elijah Reid-Scott 6'1" | PG Davenport West | 2025 State IA (9.8) gives them some more playmaking and shot creation in the backcourt, and this is a team that has done a pretty solid job protecting the rock this season, averaging just over 10 turnovers a game. They’ll have to go through Bettendorf if they want to reach the substate final, and they were swept by the Bulldogs.
Players to watch
2025
Jack McCaffery
Jack
McCaffery
6'8" | SF
Iowa City West | 2025
State
#70
Nation
IA
, Iowa City West
2024
Jacob Koch
Jacob
Koch
6'1" | PG
Iowa City West | 2024
State
IA
, Iowa City West
2024
Kareem Earl
Kareem
Earl
6'5" | SF
Iowa City West | 2024
State
IA
, Iowa City West
2026
Julian Manson
Julian
Manson
6'3" | SF
Iowa City West | 2026
State
IA
, Iowa City West
2024
Caden Wilkins
Caden
Wilkins
6'7" | SF
Bettendorf | 2024
State
#196
Nation
IA
, Bettendorf
2025
Ben Kerkhoff
Ben
Kerkhoff
6'5" | SF
Bettendorf | 2025
State
IA
, Bettendorf
2024 Tre’Von Coney, Bettendorf
2024
Idris Thomas
Idris
Thomas
6'4" | SF
Davenport West | 2024
State
IA
, Davenport West
2024
Davante Bradford
Davante
Bradford
6'3" | SF
Davenport West | 2024
State
IA
, Davenport West
2025
Elijah Reid-Scott
Elijah
Reid-Scott
6'1" | PG
Davenport West | 2025
State
IA
, Davenport West
2024 Chris Moss, Davenport North
2025
Reed Strohmeyer
Reed
Strohmeyer
6'2" | SG
Hempstead | 2025
State
IA
, Hempstead
2024 Tim Robinson, Burlington
2024 Shaye Stringer, Burlington
SUBSTATE FINAL PREDICTION
Iowa City West vs. Bettendorf
Bettendorf has been one of the hottest teams in the state over the last two months, and while the Bulldogs will certainly be a formidable foe here, it’s about time for Iowa City West to make a trip back to Des Moines. Behind a strong defensive effort against Wilkins, and just enough from McCaffery, Koch, and Earl, the Trojans punch their ticket to the state tournament in a tight, low-scoring game.