State Tournament: Wednesday’s Top Performers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2024 PG [player_tooltip player_id='1171667' first='Joseph' last='Bean'] (Kennedy)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A tough 6-3 guard, Bean's three straight 3-pointers in the second quarter helped the Cougars grab control of their quarterfinal win over Dallas Center-Grimes. While his jumper was the story of the first half, it was his dribble penetration that was the story in the final 16 minutes, routinely turning the corner and getting to the rim going to his left for finishes. He sees the floor extremely well and wants to be a pass-first guard first and foremost, but he also has a good understanding of when he has a mismatch and looks to be more assertive offensively. He had 18 points on 7-10 shooting (3-4 3P, 1-2 FT), 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals against the Mustangs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2024 SG [player_tooltip player_id='1171687' first='Cyrus' last='Courtney'] (Kennedy)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Courtney was extremely efficient in Kennedy's win over DCG, scoring 15 points on 7-12 shooting to go with 7 rebounds, a block, and a steal. An athletic 6-3 guard who provides a ton of versatility on the defensive end, and who can be a major matchup problem offensively with his frame, athleticism, and ability to play downhill, he'll have a huge defensive task ahead of him on Thursday, as he'll likely draw the [player_tooltip player_id='1171660' first='Carson' last='Johnson'] assignment.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2024 PF [player_tooltip player_id='1376674' first='Calix' last='Cahill'] (Dallas Center-Grimes)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cahill is an explosive forward with good hands and soft touch around the rim. He showed impressive footwork, improved ball-handling, and the free-throw shooting is encouraging, with the potential to maybe add some range to his game down the line. He's an intriguing prospect that small schools should be all over, because I think there is still quite a bit to unlock here. He had 20 points on 7-10 shooting (6-6 FT) and 6 rebounds in the Mustangs loss.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2024 PG [player_tooltip player_id='1171660' first='Carson' last='Johnson'] (Ankeny)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In a Mr. Basketball race that is still pretty open to this outside observer, Johnson delivered a performance that will get him talked about in those meetings on Friday morning. Armed with elite handles and a smooth stroke, he's extremely tough to slow down at this level. He had 26 points on 8-13 shooting (3-6 3P, 7-10 FT) to go with 4 steals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2024 SG [player_tooltip player_id='1198430' first='Nicholas' last='Kennedy'] (Senior)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of my favorite parts of this job is watching how kids develop over the course of their high school careers, and each year it feels as though I develop a soft spot for one or two kids who really improve remarkably. Kennedy, for me, was one of those kids in the 2024 class. He's a good kid, highly intelligent, and he turned himself into a pretty darn good two-way player for the Rams. He greatly improved his ball-handling, playmaking, and lateral movement on the defensive end, and he's a kid that I wish nothing but the best for moving forward. He had 12 points on 4-9 shooting (1-5 3P, 3-6 FT) in the Rams season-ending loss to Ankeny.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2024 PF [player_tooltip player_id='1376678' first='Jacob' last='Williams'] (Senior)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long, bouncy athletic forward with a great second jump that he uses to control the glass on both ends of the floor. He's another kid who has improved tremendously over the last few years, adding a face-up game and improving his ball-handling. He had 14 points on 5-9 shooting (1-2 3P, 3-5 FT) to go with 11 rebounds and a block. The University of Dubuque is getting a good one.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2025 PF [player_tooltip player_id='1759895' first='Trevin' last='Jirak'] (Valley)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I think this was the best I've ever seen Jirak play in person. He was in complete command of the game on the offensive end, showing his background as a guard growing up with impressive handles for a 6-9 big man and impressive court vision. He had 15 points on 6-7 shooting along with 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks, and a steal. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2025 PG [player_tooltip player_id='1381422' first='Curtis' last='Stinson Jr'] (Valley)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A tough, physical 6-5 guard, Stinson was really good against Johnston, scoring 22 points on 6-13 shooting (2-2 3P, 8-10 FT), 7 rebounds, 2 assists, a block, and a steal. He has a tremendous feel for the game and he uses his strength to his advantage on both ends of the floor. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2024 SF [player_tooltip player_id='1476939' first='Dalen' last='Huston'] (Johnston)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Huston is an athletic freak who, at 6-4, is able to compete on the glass against the bigger bodies by elevating above everyone. He's the type of athlete who was able to hang with Valley's exceptional athletes on the glass and play downhill to get to the rim. He had 14 points on 7-11 shooting along with 10 rebounds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2024 SF [player_tooltip player_id='1171682' first='Caden' last='Wilkins'] (Bettendorf)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The top-ranked senior in the state had a great first showing at the state tournament, scoring 20 points on 8-16 shooting to go with 13 rebounds and 4 assists. The 6-6 wing is really good at getting to his spots in the mid-range and elevating above the defender to routinely knock down 15-footers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2025 SF [player_tooltip player_id='2397255' first='Cole' last='Odefey'] (Bettendorf)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 6-5 wing provided one of the highlights of the week to date with his baseline drive and dunk, plus the foul to put Bettendorf up by 14 points with just over three minutes left. The play stopped a Cedar Falls run and put an exclamation point on the Bulldogs win. He was good on both ends throughout their quarterfinal win, scoring 12 points on 4-7 shooting (2-4 3P, 2-4 FT) to go with 9 rebounds and a block. He's a good athlete with a big, physical frame that he uses to compete on the glass, defend multiple positions, and score around the rim through contact. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2025 PG [player_tooltip player_id='1484418' first='Mason' last='Bechen'] (North Linn)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bechen was dominant in the Lynx's win over Winfield-Mt. Union, shaking off a slow start (3 points in the first quarter) and taking over the game in the final 24 minutes. The 6-2 guard is built like a running back, and he plays like one as well, using his blend of speed, vision, finesse, and power to get to the rim for finishes time after time. When he decides that it's his time to take over the game, he's really tough to slow down at this level. He had 32 points on 12-20 shooting (2-4 3P, 6-8 FT) to go with 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2024 SF [player_tooltip player_id='1426164' first='Ty' last='Pflughaupt'] (North Linn)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The only part of the Lynx's dynamic one-two punch, Pflughaupt made a big impact on teh game on both ends of the floor, scoring 18 points on 7-13 shooting (3-8 3P, 1-2 FT) with 4 rebounds and 2 blocks. The future Upper Iowa wing has a feathery stroke from the arc with a high release and a high arcing shot that seems to fall through the net without making it move. His length bothers teams on the defensive end and he does a good job contesting shots.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2025 SG [player_tooltip player_id='1381409' first='Jake' last='Edwards'] (Winfield-Mt. Union)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Edwards was sensational for the Wolves in their semifinal loss, scoring a team-high 17 points on 6-11 shooting, including going 5-10 from behind the arc. A lanky 6-4 guard with a quick release and plenty of confidence in his jumper, he knocked down huge shot after huge shot to keep WMU tight with North Linn for a majority of the night. In addition to his scoring, he also chipped in 7 rebounds, a block, and a steal.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2025 SF [player_tooltip player_id='1759939' first='Spencer' last='Roeder'] (Marquette Catholic)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Roeder had a rough game in the quarterfinals, but was great in the semis in helping lead the Defenders to the 1A championship game. A 6-5 wing with a pure stroke from the arc, he went 4-7 from behind the arc en route to 18 points (7-13 shooting), 12 rebounds, an assist, a steal, and a block. He's a versatile defender who moves his feet well and he's a really good all-around offensive weapon who can stretch the floor or create off the bounce.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2024 PG [player_tooltip player_id='2204880' first='Kannon' last='Still'] (Marquette Catholic)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 5-6 Still was the hero for the Defenders, turning the corner and driving down the left side of the wing, getting to his spot on the baseline for the game-winning 13-footer, sending Marquette to the 1A title game. But that wasn't his only highlight, as he was really good throughout the game, finishing with 13 points on 5-9 shooting, including knocking down three huge 3s.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2024 SF [player_tooltip player_id='1751213' first='Lance' last='Helming'] (Lake Mills)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Helming was really good before fouling out with around six minutes left to play, scoring a team-high 16 points to go with 4 rebounds and a block. The 6-5 power wing uses his frame to bully his way to the rim for finishes, and he also flashed a really good mid-range game, stopping on a dime and elevating into his jumper with a high, quick release. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2025 PF [player_tooltip player_id='1288890' first='Aiden' last='Stensrud'] (Lake Mills)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 6-5 lefty was a force on the block for the Bulldogs, finishing with 14 points on 7-10 shooting to go with 11 rebounds and 2 blocks. He has good touch, quick feet, and does a great job playing through contact on the block, using his physicality to power through it and finish. He'll be one of the focal points of the Bulldogs' attack next season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->