Preseason All-Conference Teams: Little Hawkeye

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Preseason Player of the Year: </strong>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2120763' first='Jack' last='McGuire'] (Pella)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In a league that was heavily impacted by losses to graduation and transfer, Pella stays largely in tact, including their best player, McGuire. A skilled 6-4/6-5 wing who can take over games on both ends of the floor, he's pretty clearly the best player in the league heading into this season, and the Dutch are the favorite to win the LHC, making this a pretty easy selection.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>First Team</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2120763' first='Jack' last='McGuire'] (Pella): 14.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 59.9 FG%</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McGuire is the leading returning scorer and rebounder in the league. He was excellent as a sophomore, scoring at a highly efficient clip by constantly putting his head down and attacking the rim. He has worked to become more consistent with his jumper, and if that improvement carries into the high school season, he'll be really difficult for LHC teams to defend.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1759897' first='Kyle' last='Cason'] (Dallas Center-Grimes): 8.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.0 steals, 81.6 FT%*</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cason transfers over to DCG for his senior year after helping Valley win back-to-back state titles in Class 4A. A long wing who can shoot it from deep, especially off the catch, he's the type of winning player who makes a major impact on both ends of the floor on nearly every play of a game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2413557' first='Caden' last='Klein'] (Newton): 9.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.0 steals, 42.1 3P%</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Klein is an impressive athlete in the backcourt, a smaller guard who can finish above the rim. He's a creative playmaker who handles and sees the floor well, he can really shoot it from deep off both the dribble and the catch, and he isn't afraid to stick his nose in and compete against the bigger bodies on the glass. He should have a really nice junior year for the Cardinals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1484417' first='Brayden' last='Traetow'] (Pella): 9.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.3 steals, 82.6 FT%</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McGuire's primary running mate on the wing this season, Traetow is a versatile scorer who can fill it up from all three levels. He's also a talented playmaker who sees the floor well and keeps the ball moving on the offensive end.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2419808' first='George' last='Blake'] (Indianola): 10.2 points, 2.1 rebounds</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Blake led a very young Indians team in scoring last season as a freshman, showing the ability to do so from all three levels with good size at 6-2/6-3. He knocked down a team-high 35 3-pointers last season and showed that he can attack off the bounce as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Second Team</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2204886' first='Mateo' last='Dzolota'] (Dallas Center-Grimes)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2419810' first='Easton' last='McGraw'] (Indianola)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2413561' first='Austin' last='Schulte'] (Pella)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2511461' first='Derek' last='Willmott'] (Indianola)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1759907' first='Tate' last='Perrin'] (Dallas Center-Grimes)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Honorable Mentions</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2420802' first='Audric' last='Pelzer'] (Norwalk)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1587373' first='Cameron' last='Thomas'] (Norwalk)<br>2025 Timothy Koerselman (Norwalk)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2419752' first='Hayden' last='Schulte'] (Indianola)<br>2025 Andrew DeWall (Indianola)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2511456' first='Landon' last='Bozarth'] (Newton)<br>2025 Landon Fransman (Pella Christian)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->