2024 Winterset Shootout: 1A/2A Team Preview

Winterset High School will be hosting 32 teams from around the state on Friday, June 14 and Saturday, June 15. There will be a ton of talent in three gyms, with games tipping off at 8:00 am each day, and lasting until 8:00 pm, giving us a solid 24 hours of basketball over the course of those two days. In this article, we take a brief look at the Class 1A and 2A teams that will be in attendance.   Participating teams Both days: ADM, Ankeny Centennial, Aplington-Parkersburg, Kuemper Catholic, Clear Creek Amana, Dallas Center-Grimes, Roosevelt, Des Moines Christian, Grand View Christian, Madrid, Newton, Roland-Story, Waukee, Waverly-Shell Rock, Williamsburg, Winterset Friday only: ACGC, Ames, Ballard, Knoxville, Pella, Pella Christian, Southeast Polk, Van Meter Saturday only: Carroll, Center Point-Urbana, Indianola, North Polk, Norwalk, Pleasantville, Washington, Xavier   Class 1A   ACGC (14-9, 64.6% of scoring returning) Opponents: Grand View Christian (8:00 am Friday), Southeast Polk (10:00 am Friday), Roland-Story (12:00 pm Friday)   This is a program that has been trending upward over the last five years, and they have a chance to be pretty darn good again in the 2024-25 season. They'll bring back a trio of double-figure scorers in seniors Jathan South (15.4), [player_tooltip player_id='1416420' first='Noah' last='Kading'] (12.0), and [player_tooltip player_id='1797393' first='Payton' last='Policky'] (10.5, 9.6 rebounds). South is the leading scorer and a solid secondary playmaker, Kading the primary ball-handler who led the team in assists last season, and Policky, while undersized, is a force on the glass on both ends of the floor. This will be a nice chance for some of the other returnees - junior Joe Crawford, senior Mason Wahl, etc. - to start to get comfortable plpaying bigger minutes at the varsity level, especially with an early test against Grand View Christian.   Madrid (22-3, 85.9%) Opponents: Pella Christian (9:00 am Friday), Centennial (11:00 am Friday), Newton (1:00 pm Friday), Roosevelt (2:00 pm Saturday), Dallas Center-Grimes (4:00 pm Saturday), Waukee (6:00 pm Saturday)   The Tigers are expected to be among the best teams again in Class 1A this coming season, returning nearly 86% of their scoring production from a team that fell just short in the substate final, losing 66-63 to Woodbine. [player_tooltip player_id='1174816' first='Toryn' last='Severson'], fresh off of averaging 22.6 points a game on 50-39-84 splits, is the headliner of a strong senior class that also features guards [player_tooltip player_id='2397210' first='Brody' last='Buck'] (17.3, 37.5 3P%) and [player_tooltip player_id='2398087' first='Fabian' last='Ortiz-Alaniz'] (15.4, 6.5 assists, 41.5 3P%), giving them arguably the best trio in small school basketball. And while those three are excellent, they'll receive a few additional boosts with the addition of South Tama transfer [player_tooltip player_id='2420789' first='Emerson' last='Bridgewater'], who averaged 9.8 points and 7.4 rebounds as a freshman, as well as Toryn's younger brother Jevyn, joining the roster as a freshman this season. The younger Severson has a chance to be the best of the bunch, a big, athletic, physical combo forward who can score inside and out. The Tigers will have a chance to get tested against bigger schools this weekend, with games set against CIML foes Centennial and Waukee, as well as a trio of Little Hawkeye teams and Roosevelt out of the Iowa Alliance. Seeing that type of size and athleticism will benefit them greatly in the 2024-25 season.   Class 2A   Aplington-Parkersburg (17-6, 35.4%) Opponents: Dallas Center-Grimes (3:00 pm Friday), Roosevelt (5:00 pm Friday), Pella (7:00 pm Friday), Indianola (8:00 am Saturday), Winterset (10:00 am Saturday), North Polk (12:00 pm Saturday)   Aaron Thomas' program has been one of the most successful in 2A over the last decade, and while they'll lose a lot of production off of last year's team, most notably his son, Gavin Thomas, a 20-point scorer, the cupboard is far from bare. Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1765547' first='Benny' last='Waller'] was sensational as a sophomore, averaging 15.7 points a game on 48-41-81 shooting splits, and this will now be his team. A versatile offensive weapon who can score off the dribble or shoot it off the catch, he's the type of dynamic threat who can get scorching hot and carry a team for long stretches as a scorer or playmaker. Caleb Campbell (6.1) is the other notable returnee, averaging 5.0 rebounds a game last season, and this will be a great opportunity for a lot of new faces to start getting some valuable experience against bigger, more athletic teams.   Grand View Christian (13-10, 84.6%) Opponents: ACGC (8:00 am Friday), ADM (10:00 am Friday), Van Meter (12:00 pm Friday), Pleasantville (3:00 pm Saturday), Carroll (5:00 pm Saturday), Roland-Story (7:00 pm Saturday)   These next two teams have to be considered among the primary contenders to compete with Western Christian at the top of the class this winter, starting with the Thunder. Senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1381402' first='Emiliano' last='Barrantes'] averaged 27.4 points, 15.0 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks a game last season and has only improved if his play throughout the spring is an indication. An athletic 6-9/6-10 forward who can stretch the floor, dominate the glass, and protect the rim defensively, he's a high-upside two-way player who absolutely dominates games on both ends of the floor. The junior tandem of [player_tooltip player_id='2287857' first='Brayden' last='Hoben'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2413533' first='Jameson' last='Scharnberg'] are fantastic weapons alongside Barrantes, with Hoben being a big, long wing who can really shoot it from deep, and Scharnberg playing a playmaking role in the backcourt who can also really shoot it. That trio will be among the best in the state, regardless of class, and they bring back a number of other key contributors from last year's team. The Thunder will once again be big, athletic, and supremely talented.   Kuemper Catholic (19-4, 56.0%) Opponents: Des Moines Christian (2:00 pm Friday), Clear Creek Amana (4:00 pm Friday), Williamsburg (6:00 pm Friday), Winterset (8:00 am Saturday), North Polk (10:00 am Saturday), Indianola (12:00 pm Saturday)   The Knights were one of the elite shooting teams in the state last season, knocking down 37.6% of their 3-point attempts as a team, paced by junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1765503' first='Brock' last='Badding'], who shot 45.8% from deep en route to a team-high 13.0 points a game. Badding and senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1759944' first='Carson' last='Kanne'] (9.9, 5.5 assists) pair to form one of the best backcourts in the class, and the Knights have a ton of other weapons who can stretch the floor - [player_tooltip player_id='2519974' first='Jack' last='Badding'] (6.2, 38.9 3P%), [player_tooltip player_id='1951817' first='Tregan' last='Beiter'] (11.1, 32.9 3P%), [player_tooltip player_id='2420798' first='Griffin' last='Glynn'] (3.7, 44.4 3P%). If there is one thing that Kuemper has been lacking the last few years, it's been size, and a fix for that is here with the addition of East Sac County transfer [player_tooltip player_id='1765513' first='Ryan' last='Clair']. Clair is a big, athletic forward who, at 6-4/6-5, will give them some toughness in the paint. He averaged 18.7 points and 10.7 rebounds a game as a sophomore for the Raiders, and with him demanding attention in the paint, the bevy of perimeter shooting threats will have even more space to operate.   Pella Christian (18-6, 12.0%) Opponents: Madrid (9:00 am Friday), Ballard (11:00 am Friday), Ames (1:00 pm Friday)   It'll be the start of a new era of Eagles basketball following the departure of coach JD Boer, now an assistant at Dordt, as well as the graduation of 88% of last year's scoring. Forward Landon Fransman and guards Deacon Branderhorst and Cooper Spronk are the only returnees to appear in a majority of last year's games, and will be asked to step into bigger roles this season. PC is a perennial power who will certainly have some new weapons ready to step into big roles, it's just a matter of finding out who they are.   Pleasantville (14-10, 48.6%) Opponents: Grand View Christian (3:00 pm Saturday), Center Point-Urbana (5:00 pm Saturday), Washington (7:00 pm Saturday)   The Trojans lose a lot of production off of last year's 14-win team, which was their best season in six years, but there is a lot to still be excited about in the form of sophomore wing [player_tooltip player_id='2419699' first='Braylon' last='Bingham'], who was electric as a freshman, averaging over 20 points a game. He can score from anywhere and is a high IQ player who can do a little bit of everything on both ends of the floor. It'll be the Bingham Show, and I, for one, am excited to see what it's all about.   Roland-Story (17-4, 15.9%) Opponents: ADM (8:00 am Friday), Grand View Christian (10:00 am Friday), ACGC (12:00 pm Friday), Center Point-Urbana (3:00 pm Saturday), Washington (5:00 pm Saturday), Grand View Christian (7:00 pm Saturday)   Like Pella Christian, Roland-Story is entering a new era of Norsemen basketball following the graduation of four-year starter Jonovan Wilkinson, one of the most decorated players in school history. In all, five of the top six scorers from last year's team graduated, leaving junior guard Cody Long (6.3 points per game) as the top returnee. Expect to see sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='2754727' first='Luke' last='Thoreson'] step into a bigger role this season, and this will be a good opportunity for them to get looks at a number of different options against good competition.   Van Meter (12-11, 31.2%) Opponents: Southeast Polk (8:00 am Friday), Roland-Story (10:00 am Friday), Grand View Christian (12:00 pm Friday)   Like Aplington-Parkersburg, Van Meter is a perennially strong program, but they had a bit of a down year last season, with their 12 wins being the fewest since the 2014-15 season (11). [player_tooltip player_id='2398079' first='Caleb' last='Moore'] led the team in assists last season, dishing out 3.7 a game, and he's also a versatile three-level scorer who put in 12.6 points a night. He'll be asked to be the leader on both ends of the floor. Junior wing [player_tooltip player_id='2381239' first='Andon' last='Watson'] is the only other returnee who saw significant playing time last year, averaging just over 5 points a game. The Bulldogs always have a slew of athletic, strong players, and we'll be looking forward to learning about some of the new faces.

Winterset High School will be hosting 32 teams from around the state on Friday, June 14 and Saturday, June 15. There will be a ton of talent in three gyms, with games tipping off at 8:00 am each day, and lasting until 8:00 pm, giving us a solid 24 hours of basketball over the course of those two days. In this article, we take a brief look at the Class 1A and 2A teams that will be in attendance.