Conference Preview: Iowa Alliance South

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>The Teams</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>East (3-19 last season, 55.7% of scoring returning): </strong>Leading scorer Abel Mikele (9.2) is back to lead the Scarlets, as are Craig Farley (6.1), Tayte Warren (3.9), and Teaghan Warren (3.5), who each saw a good amount of playing time last season. Turnovers plagued the Scarlets last season, giving it away 21.5 times per game, and that number will need to be cut in a major way if they want to be more competitive this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hoover (2-19, 79.8%): </strong>The Huskies had a big-time down year in their first year without Courtney Henderson, who is now the coach at Johnston, winning just two games. They took their lumps, and bring back the top three, and four of the top five, scorers from that group and should be improved as a result. Junior wing [player_tooltip player_id='2413543' first='Wor' last='Wor'] (11.8) is an athletic, lengthy wing who can attack off the dribble and do a little bit of everything defensively. He should be the team's best player again this season. Classmate [player_tooltip player_id='2413544' first='Boie' last='Gomo'] (8.9) and senior [player_tooltip player_id='2520030' first='Justice' last='Parkey'] (7.1) are also viable scoring threats, and they should get increased production out of some sophomores - Brandon Harrell and [player_tooltip player_id='2906425' first='Isaac' last='Fandeh'] - who saw action as freshmen. They probably won't compete with North, Ottumwa, and Roosevelt at the top of the division, but they should be more competitive on a nightly basis.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lincoln (4-17, 89.7%): </strong>The Railsplitters won their first two games last season before things fell apart on them. The good news is that they'll be among the most experienced teams in the division, with the top eight scorers slated to return. Senior guard Damarius Parker (10.6, 6.6 rebounds) led the team in scoring and rebounding last season and will be the focal point of the attack. Charlie Fry (9.5, 6.5 rebounds) is another solid scorer and rebounder, and [player_tooltip player_id='2731787' first='Lionel' last='Parks'] (6.4) and Mike Mitchell (6.0) should both be key contributors again this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>North (15-9, 76.4%):</strong> The Polar Bears suffered a few unexpected losses with the departures of [player_tooltip player_id='1874789' first='Wisdom' last='Fode'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2519987' first='Sadeek' last='Noah'], a pair that combined to average 20.9 points per game last season and were slated to be starters. They have both transferred to a prep school in Arizona and will not be part of the team this season. That said, the cupboard isn't bare for Julian Seay, with a number of talented guards to build around. [player_tooltip player_id='2398133' first='Da'corion' last='White'] (13.0) is the top returning scorer and is probably the top candidate to lead the team in scoring again, but [player_tooltip player_id='2618807' first='Naszir' last='Lamar'] (7.6) had an impressive spring and summer and should be really good as a senior, using his speed to his advantage on both ends. Tarian McNeley (7.2), [player_tooltip player_id='2617468' first='Aaron' last='Poe'] (3.1), and [player_tooltip player_id='2420807' first='JJ' last='Seay'] Jr (2.4) are all also talented guards who can play with or without the ball in their hands. The Polar Bears are going to be a pretty small team, but they'll be lightning-quick and will look to use that speed to put pressure on opposing teams on both ends of the floor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ottumwa (13-9, 74.0%): </strong>Senior wing [player_tooltip player_id='1951797' first='Trae' last='Brown'] (17.7, 8.0 rebounds) is probably the best player in the division, which will make Ottumwa a threat. Brown is a physical, athletic 6-4 wing who posted 53-43-75 shooting splits as a junior, and he has the ability to play on or off the ball at a high level. Expect him to have the ball in his hands even more this season following the graduation of Rahsha Pope, who led the team in assists last season. Five other rotation players - [player_tooltip player_id='2887879' first='Nehemiah' last='Wolfing'] (6.8), Chase Thompson (6.6), Parker Derby (5.6), Bryan Coulter (3.2), and Matthew Mitchell (1.5) - also return to take a little bit of the scoring pressure off of Brown. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Roosevelt (15-9, 54.6%): </strong>The Roughriders were the best team in the division last season and could be the team to beat again behind the dynamic duo of senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1439900' first='Remi' last='Taylor'] (11.6) and sophomore wing [player_tooltip player_id='2617487' first='Charlie' last='King'] (11.0, 38.2 3P%). Taylor is a quick guard who can create quality looks off the dribble, and King is one of the state's top sophomores; a lanky wing who can score from anywhere in bunches. [player_tooltip player_id='1170334' first='Jayden' last='Davison'] (6.1) gives them another good playmaker in the backcourt, and the X-factor for the group is Chudier Dorar (5.6), a nearly 7-foot wing who can impact the game on both ends of the floor with his length. Look for junior wing [player_tooltip player_id='2519967' first='Finley' last='Newman'] to step into a significant role this season as well, providing some floor spacing and shooting. He should be able to get plenty of open looks with the downhill attackers that the Riders can put on the floor.</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. Roosevelt<br>2. North<br>3. Ottumwa<br>4. Lincoln<br>5. Hoover<br>6. East</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Analysis: </strong>There is a pretty clear division here between the top three and the bottom three, and you could probably put both groups in any order and be just as accurate as I'll be here. Roosevelt has the highest ceiling of any team in the division, and gets the nod here, but North and Ottumwa should both be solid as well.</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='1951797' first='Trae' last='Brown'] (Ottumwa): </strong>You could go a number of different directions with this honor, but Brown was fantastic as a juniors for the Bulldogs, leading the team in scoring and rebounding. A physical, efficient wing who scores from all three levels, he should put up huge numbers as a senior.</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='1951797' first='Trae' last='Brown'] (Ottumwa)<br>2026 Nehemian Wolfing (Ottumwa)<br>2025 Chase Thompson (Ottumwa)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2398133' first='Da'corion' last='White'] (North)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2618807' first='Naszir' last='Lamar'] (North)<br>2025 Tarian McNeley (North)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2413543' first='Wor' last='Wor'] (Hoover)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2413544' first='Boie' last='Gomo'] (Hoover)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2520030' first='Justice' last='Parkey'] (Hoover)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2617487' first='Charlie' last='King'] (Roosevelt)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1439900' first='Remi' last='Taylor'] (Roosevelt)<br>2025 Chudier Dorar (Roosevelt)<br>2025 Iven Karla (Roosevelt)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1381410' first='Markese' last='Harvey-Bell'] (Roosevelt)<br>2025 Damarius Parker (Lincoln)<br>2025 Charlie Fry (Lincoln)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2731787' first='Lionel' last='Parks'] (Lincoln)<br>2025 Abel Mikele (East)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->