Preseason All-Conference Teams: NICL Central

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Preseason Player of the Year: </strong>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1765547' first='Benny' last='Waller'] (Aplington-Parkersburg)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Strong arguments could be made for three different players here - Waller, Meester, or LaFrentz. A-P has had a bit of a stranglehold on the division of late, and while they may not be as strong as they have been in previous years, the Falcons are still probably the team to beat here and Waller is the biggest reason why.</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='1765547' first='Benny' last='Waller'] (Aplington-Parkersburg): 15.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, 41.1 3P%, 81.1 FT%</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A tough guard who does a great job using his physical frame to get to the rim and finish through contact, Waller is also one of the most deadly 3-point shooters in the conference. He'll be asked to do a ton for a Falcons team that lost a lot to graduation, and he's up to the task.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1951834' first='Colin' last='Meester'] (Dike-New Hartford): 16.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.3 steals, 51.5 FG%</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The leading returning scorer in the division, Meester put together a breakout junior year for the Wolverines, stuffing the stat sheet in a variety of ways. He can score from all three levels and is a skilled passer who sees the floor really well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1759940' first='Talan' last='LaFrentz'] (Denver): 13.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.3 steals, 40.0 3P%</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>LaFrentz is a skilled all-around offensive weapon who can score from all three levels, create plays for himself and his teammates, and control the glass on both ends of the floor. He'll put up huge numbers for the Cyclones as a senior, and if they're going to win the division, it'll be because he was awesome.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2025 Carson Costello (Dike-New Hartford): 12.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.1 steals</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Costello also had a breakout junior year for D-NH, controlling the glass on both ends of the floor as well as showing the ability to score inside and out.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2026 Amani Robinson (Columbus Catholic): 7.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.1 steals, 1.2 blocks</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A quick, athletic guard who can do a little bit of everything on both ends of the floor, Robinson is the straw that stirs the drink for the Sailors, initiating offense, defending multiple positions, and creating for himself and his teammates.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Second Team</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2025 Braxton Sauerbrei (Denver)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2025 Devon Lotts (Dike-New Hartford)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2026 Caleb Campbell (Aplington-Parkersburg)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2025 Kiean Crile (Hudson)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2028 [player_tooltip player_id='2594659' first='Tyler' last='Wedeking'] (Aplington-Parkersburg)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Honorable Mentions</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2025 Jack Severson (Dike-New Hartford)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2425919' first='Jace' last='Matern'] (Columbus Catholic)<br>2025 Drew Lindsay (Columbus Catholic)<br>2026 Dawson Dietrick (Dike-New Hartford)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2887816' first='Myles' last='Matthias'] (Denver)<br>2025 Kolton DeWall (Dike-New Hartford)<br>2026 Trevan Thomas (Aplington-Parkersburg)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->