Conference Preview: Iowa Alliance North

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>The Teams</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ames (17-7 last season, 78.7% of scoring returning):</strong> The Little Cyclones are clearly a step above the rest of the schools in the Iowa Alliance, with only one of their 15 games against league foes last season decided by single digits, a 5-point win over Des Moines North. They won nine games against divisional foes by an average of 30 points a game, and while they lost leading scorer Jack Wynter, they brought back the next seven scorers from that group. All that to say, expect Ames to cruise against league competition again this season. They'll be led by senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1381418' first='Jamison' last='Poe'] (11.5, 3.6 assists), a small but talented and fast point guard who puts constant pressure on opposing teams on both ends of the floor with his speed and physicality. [player_tooltip player_id='1381424' first='Abe' last='Vos'] (8.8, 37.5 3P%) gives them some perimeter shooting and secondary playmaking, as does [player_tooltip player_id='2820092' first='Isaiah' last='Knight'] (7.5), while junior wing [player_tooltip player_id='1978102' first='Will' last='Thomas'] (6.6, 40.6 3P%) may be the team's top 3-point shooting threat. [player_tooltip player_id='1765516' first='Marach' last='Dau'] (4.7, 2.5 blocks) is raw offensively, but he's a dominant rim protector and solid rebounder, and senior wing [player_tooltip player_id='1951821' first='Manny' last='Lueth'] (3.2) was outstanding over the summer and could have a breakout senior year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Fort Dodge (5-17, 86.6%): </strong>The Dodgers bring back all but one player from last year's roster, so expect them to be more competitive in 2024-25. They'll be led by the senior trio of Cade Westerhoff (14.2), [player_tooltip player_id='2474862' first='Drake' last='Warland'] (12.3), and Carter Woodruff (8.1), a trio that has gone through some battles together and brings a ton of experience to the table. They'll be joined by a junior class that features some promising players like Tytrell Mosley (4.5) and [player_tooltip player_id='2413542' first='Taevon' last='Feeley'] (2.3). They will still struggle against Ames, but they should have the talent and experience to compete with the rest of the division.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Marshalltown (9-13, 32.0%): </strong>Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2413554' first='Kyle' last='Smith'] (13.5, 36.3 3P%) emerged as a reliable scoring threat from the perimeter last season for the Bobcats, stepping into a starring role maybe a year earlier than expected after they lost their top player to transfer. The unfortunate news heading into this season is that he's the only returnee among the top six scorers, so he'll be asked to be the headliner alongside a number of new faces. Jacob Hayes (1.8) is the next returning scorer, a pretty significant gap between the production of those two. Smith will be one of the best players in the division, but how competitive they'll be in the division will depend on the rest of the roster. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mason City (5-17, 74.9%):</strong> The Riverhawks bring back their top two scorers in juniors [player_tooltip player_id='2204885' first='Marcele' last='Whitner'] (13.8) and [player_tooltip player_id='2731853' first='Ty' last='Sanchez-Evans'] (10.8), as well as classmates [player_tooltip player_id='2673006' first='Drayden' last='Witt'] (4.7), Gabe Ries (3.2), and Drew Hobart (2.7), giving them some experience and talent to build around. Whitner is an athletic wing who uses his length well, while Sanchez-Evans may be the best all-around player on the roster. This group won just five games last season, but they could double that up this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Waterloo East (10-13, 57.8%): </strong>East is the only school in the division that can go athlete-for-athlete with Ames, giving them the best chance to unseat the Little Cyclones. [player_tooltip player_id='2425909' first='Jeremiah' last='Clark'] (10.2), [player_tooltip player_id='2617492' first='Da'Shaundis' last='Moore'] (9.7), [player_tooltip player_id='2425893' first='Ke'Andre' last='Owens'] (7.1), and [player_tooltip player_id='2425923' first='Davarrion' last='Clark'] (6.9) all return after playing big roles last season, and each of them provide some playmaking with the ball in their hands. Moore had a strong spring and summer and could emerge as the team's leader this season. This is a team that will need to rely on their speed and athleticism on both ends of the floor, as they don't have much size, but they should thrive in transition.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Projected Order of Finish</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>1. Ames<br>2. Waterloo East<br>3. Mason City<br>4. Marshalltown<br>5. Fort Dodge</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Analysis: </strong>Ames is the heavy, heavy favorite in the division after what they did to league foes last season and what they bring back. It would be a monumental upset if another team took the division crown. That said, Mason City and Fort Dodge should both be improved and more competitive, Waterloo East has some talent, and [player_tooltip player_id='2413554' first='Kyle' last='Smith'] of Marshalltown is one of the league's best.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Preseason Player of the Year</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1381418' first='Jamison' last='Poe'] (Ames): </strong>There are probably a few different Little Cyclones you could name here, but we'll side with Poe, the jitterbug in the backcourt who runs the offense and sparks the defense with his work defending on the ball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Players to Watch</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1381418' first='Jamison' last='Poe'] (Ames)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1381424' first='Abe' last='Vos'] (Ames)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1765516' first='Marach' last='Dau'] (Ames)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2820092' first='Isaiah' last='Knight'] (Ames)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1978102' first='Will' last='Thomas'] (Ames)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1951821' first='Manny' last='Lueth'] (Ames)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2425909' first='Jeremiah' last='Clark'] (Waterloo East)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2617492' first='Da'Shaundis' last='Moore'] (Waterloo East)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2425893' first='Ke'Andre' last='Owens'] (Waterloo East)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2425923' first='Davarrion' last='Clark'] (Waterloo East)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2204885' first='Marcele' last='Whitner'] (Mason City)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2731853' first='Ty' last='Sanchez-Evans'] (Mason City)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2673006' first='Drayden' last='Witt'] (Mason City)<br>2025 Cade Westerhoff (Fort Dodge)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2474862' first='Drake' last='Warland'] (Fort Dodge)<br>2025 Carter Woodruff (Fort Dodge)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2413542' first='Taevon' last='Feeley'] (Fort Dodge)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2413554' first='Kyle' last='Smith'] (Marshalltown)<br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->