Substate Preview: 4A-4
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The favorite: For the second straight year, Kennedy absolutely rolled through the regular season, the lone team in 4A to go undefeated. They have the #1 ranked scoring offense (78.0) and defense (41.3) in the class, and have had just…
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Continue ReadingThe favorite: For the second straight year, Kennedy absolutely rolled through the regular season, the lone team in 4A to go undefeated. They have the #1 ranked scoring offense (78.0) and defense (41.3) in the class, and have had just one game decided by single digits, a 51-47 win over Cedar Falls in the third game of the year. That’s a resume that includes wins over Waukee, Senior, Linn-Mar, Valley, and Iowa City West, among others. A deep and talented team on both ends of the floor, they’re led by a quartet of double-figure scorers in junior guard Trey McKowen Trey McKowen 5'11" | PG Kennedy | 2025 State IA (13.6, 4.3 assists, 41.4 3P%) and seniors Joseph Bean Joseph Bean 6'3" | PG Kennedy | 2024 State IA (12.4, 53.6 FG%), Micah Schlaak Micah Schlaak 6'6" | PF Kennedy | 2024 State IA (10.5, 62.1 FG%), and Trevan Krumrei Trevan Krumrei 6'5" | SF Kennedy | 2024 State IA (10.3, 45.3 3P%). And arguably the most important player on the roster, senior wing Cyrus Courtney Cyrus Courtney 6'1" | SG Kennedy | 2024 State IA (9.2, 4.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 3.1 steals), doesn’t average double figures but is capable of having huge scoring nights, as he did in dropping 26 against West. An athletic, deep team that can throw a ton of different defensive looks at you, they frustrate teams on the defensive end, create a ton of turnovers, and score in bunches. It will take a huge effort to beat this team.
The biggest threat: A senior-laden team from North Scott earned the #2 seed in the substate and will get their semifinal game against (likely) Linn-Mar at home as a result, making them a slight favorite to come out of the bottom of the bracket. Six of the Lancers’ top seven scorers are seniors, led by Brennan Reid Brennan Reid 6'7" | SF North Scott | 2024 State IA (13.4, 7.2 rebounds, 46.5 3P%) and Jamarion Readus Jamarion Readus 6'3" | SG North Scott | 2024 State IA (13.4). Reid is a lanky 6-6 wing who can really shoot it, and he provides some versatility on the defensive end. Readus is a cat-quick guard who can break down the defense and get to the rim in the halfcourt. Kavon Phillips Kavon Phillips 6'7" | SF North Scott | 2024 State IA (9.6, 3.0 assists) hasn’t had a big scoring year, but the 6-6/6-7 wing leads the team in assists and is a big playmaker and solid defender, while Kyler Gerardy Kyler Gerardy 6'0" | PG North Scott | 2024 State IA (7.3, 37.1 3P%) is a tough, experienced lead guard who can knock down open shots. The X-factor for this group is freshman wing Josiah Harrington Josiah Harrington 6'4" | SG North Scott | 2027 State IA (12.9, 47.5 3P%), who has arguably been the best freshman in the state this season. A poised, 6-5 wing with a pure stroke from deep, he’s the type of composed player who can quietly take over a game on either end of the floor. With the experience the Lancers have, an elite pair of shooters in Reid and Harrington, and getting their game against the Lions at The Pit, this is a team that is a serious threat.
The dark horse: Linn-Mar got off to a hot 6-1 start that included great wins over Bettendorf, Waukee, Xavier, and Iowa City West before stumbling a bit out of the holiday break. They lost four of five games out of the hiatus (albeit against really high-level competition – Valley, Cedar Falls, Kennedy, Iowa City West), but they’re playing better ball again over the last two weeks, entering postseason play having won five of their last six. The Lions have a tight six-man rotation led by junior forward Davis Kern Davis Kern 6'8" | PF Linn-Mar | 2025 State #244 Nation IA (23.1, 9.0 rebounds, 2.3 blocks), who has been one of the most dominant players in the state this season. A 6-8 big man who can score inside and out, he’s posting 57-47-79 shooting splits and has shown dominance as a rim protector. Senior guard Owen Havlik Owen Havlik 6'4" | SG Linn-Mar | 2024 State IA (9.1, 4.0 assists) and junior Mason Matson Mason Matson 6'1" | PG Linn Mar | 2025 State IA (8.9, 3.5 assists) man the backcourt, giving them a pair of solid lead guards who can get their teammates involved and knock down open shots, while Payson Nietert Payson Nietert 6'6" | SF Linn-Mar | 2025 State IA (9.0) is a big wing with great size, and although he’s had an up-and-down year as a shooter, he’s capable of getting hot and knocking down five 3s in a half. Matthew Darbouze Matthew Darbouze 6'4" | SF Linn-Mar | 2024 State IA (6.7) is the ultimate glue guy, a 6-4 athlete who does a little bit of everything and defends a little bit of everyone. Despite not going very deep, Linn-Mar is talented and has proven to be capable of beating just about anyone in the state.
Players to watch
2025
Trey McKowen
Trey
McKowen
5'11" | PG
Kennedy | 2025
State
IA
, Kennedy
2024
Joseph Bean
Joseph
Bean
6'3" | PG
Kennedy | 2024
State
IA
, Kennedy
2024
Micah Schlaak
Micah
Schlaak
6'6" | PF
Kennedy | 2024
State
IA
, Kennedy
2024
Cyrus Courtney
Cyrus
Courtney
6'1" | SG
Kennedy | 2024
State
IA
, Kennedy
2024
Trevan Krumrei
Trevan
Krumrei
6'5" | SF
Kennedy | 2024
State
IA
, Kennedy
2024
Brennan Reid
Brennan
Reid
6'7" | SF
North Scott | 2024
State
IA
, North Scott
2024
Jamarion Readus
Jamarion
Readus
6'3" | SG
North Scott | 2024
State
IA
, North Scott
2027
Josiah Harrington
Josiah
Harrington
6'4" | SG
North Scott | 2027
State
IA
, North Scott
2024
Kavon Phillips
Kavon
Phillips
6'7" | SF
North Scott | 2024
State
IA
, North Scott
2024
Kyler Gerardy
Kyler
Gerardy
6'0" | PG
North Scott | 2024
State
IA
, North Scott
2025
Davis Kern
Davis
Kern
6'8" | PF
Linn-Mar | 2025
State
#244
Nation
IA
, Linn-Mar
2024
Owen Havlik
Owen
Havlik
6'4" | SG
Linn-Mar | 2024
State
IA
, Linn-Mar
2025
Payson Nietert
Payson
Nietert
6'6" | SF
Linn-Mar | 2025
State
IA
, Linn-Mar
2025
Mason Matson
Mason
Matson
6'1" | PG
Linn Mar | 2025
State
IA
, Linn-Mar
2024 J’Quari Willis, Cedar Rapids Washington
2024
Landyn Mitvalsky
Landyn
Mitvalsky
6'1" | SG
Cedar Rapids Washington | 2024
State
IA
, Cedar Rapids Washington
2024
Kwae China
Kwae
China
6'2" | SG
Cedar Rapids Washington | 2024
State
IA
, Cedar Rapids Washington
2025 Jeremiah Clark, Waterloo East
SUBSTATE FINAL PREDICTION
Kennedy vs. North Scott
Not much drama here. North Scott is good, but Kennedy is on another level, especially on a neutral floor. Too much depth, quickness, athleticism, defense, and shooting. Cougars cruise back to Des Moines.