Conference Preview: South Central

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>The Teams</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Albia (13-9 last season, 90.2% of scoring returning): </strong>The Blue Devils bring just about everyone back from a team that won 13 games and posted quality wins over Clarke, Montezuma, and Ankeny Christian last season. They were really young last year and will use all that returning experience to battle it out with Knoxville at the top of the league this winter. Senior guard Cael Schofield (11.9) will pair with sophomore wing [player_tooltip player_id='2297904' first='Gage' last='Chance'] (9.8) to give them a dynamic one-two punch. Schofield is a good shooter, Luke Wynn (8.9) led the team in assists, and Cooper Bradley (8.6) provides some additional perimeter scoring punch. The headliner of the group, however, could be Chance, who put together a great spring and summer with [program_tooltip program_id='2246861' first='Murray' last='Elite'] and looks like he's primed to take a mjoar step forward this winter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cardinal (1-22, 23.3%):</strong> The Comets lost the top six, and nine of the top 10, from a one-win team. Alijah Frase (2.3) is the only returnee who averaged more than 0.7 points per game, and in all, only 39 total points are back. Nowhere to go but up for Cardinal.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Centerville (10-11, 52.6%): </strong>The Big Reds return a pair of dynamic scoring threats in the Rice brothers, [player_tooltip player_id='2731635' first='Malachi' last='Rice'] (15.9) and KJ Rice (14.8), giving them two high-level scoring threats who can take over games. Both are capable of playing on or off the ball, and their ability to attack the rim off the bounce makes them difficult to slow down. There will be a number of new faces taking the court alongside the Rice boys, but they'll be good enough to keep this group competitive on most nights and they should be able to get the record above .500 this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Chariton (11-12, 57.2%): </strong>The Chargers lost big-time scorer Mason Smith, who put up over 24 points a game last season, but bring back the next four from that group and, like Centerville, they should be improved as a result. [player_tooltip player_id='2617534' first='Quinten' last='Gruwell'] (11.7) is the team's top returning scorer, and he was a standout at our Expo back in October. He's a talented scoring guard who can play downhill or shoot it off the bounce. Brock Oxenreider (9.1, 52.7 FG%) is a big body in the paint who can control the glass, and [player_tooltip player_id='2511580' first='Cameron' last='Gibson'] (6.3, 8.0 assists) is a pure point guard who loves to get his teammates involved. The Chargers should be a more balanced team this season, and that could actually prove to be a benefit.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Clarke (18-6, 14.9%): </strong>The Indians lost their top eight scorers from last year's team, a group that delivered one of the best seasons in recent school history. Senior Ryan Diehl (1.7) is the most experienced returnee, and he only appeared in seven games last season. There will be a ton of new faces taking the floor for Clarke this winter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Davis County (4-18, 79.8%): </strong>The Mustangs bring back a ton of production from last year's team that got more competitive as the season progressed, so there should be some reason for a little bit of optimism heading into the 2024-25 season. Carter Will (11.9), Charlie Bigsby (9.5), and [player_tooltip player_id='2511586' first='Hayden' last='Utt'] (8.4, 10.1 rebounds) give them a solid trio to build around this season. Will led the team in scoring and is good at getting to the bucket, while Bigsby was the team's best playmaker, and Utt is a dominant force on the glass. If this group can improve just a bit from the 3-point line (25.9%) and protect the ball a big better (20.8 turnovers a game), they could double their win total fairly easily.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont (17-6, 2.8%): </strong>The Rockets are another team that was absolutely decimated by graduation, with only 43 total points returning from a 17-win team. Gavin Spaur (2.0), Emmett Holohan (0.6), and Dalton Breingar (0.3) had the benefit of practicing against a really talented group last season and that will help ease them into varsity play, but with all the inexperience on this roster, you have to imagine they're going to take a pretty significant step back this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Knoxville (14-8, 69.2%):</strong> With the return of the Norris brothers, senior [player_tooltip player_id='1668669' first='Landen' last='Norris'] (20.3, 8.6 rebounds) and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2231637' first='Lincoln' last='Norris'] (10.9), the Panthers have the best one-two punch in the conference and should be considered the favorite in the league as a result. The older Norris is one of the best-kept secrets in the state, a versatile three-level scorer and talented playmaker who can also contribute on the glass and defensively. The younger Norris brother is one of the better 2027s in the state at this point in time, a skilled shooter who can play with or without the ball in his hands. The X-factor for the Panthers, and the player who may ultimately determine just how far this group can go, is [player_tooltip player_id='2511505' first='Kaiden' last='Smith'] (7.1, 2.7 blocks). Smith is an intriguing defensive weapon with great size, length, and athleticism, and with his 6-7 frame he's able to defend multiple positions. If he's able to take a step forward offensively, this group could be really dangerous.</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. Knoxville<br>2. Albia<br>3. Chariton<br>4. Centerville<br>5. Davis County<br>6. Clarke<br>7. Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont<br>8. Cardinal</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Analysis: </strong>The battle between Knoxville and Albia at the top of the league should be a lot of fun to watch, but given the fact that the Panthers swept the Blue Demons last season, we'll give them the edge here. Chariton and Centerville should both be competitive, and either could be capable of nipping one of those top two this season.</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='1668669' first='Landen' last='Norris'] (Knoxville): </strong>A versatile two-way player who does a great job utilizing his size and length on both ends of the floor, Norris is a big-time scorer, solid defender, and skilled playmaker who will pace a Knoxville team that should battle with Albia all year at the top of the league.</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='1668669' first='Landen' last='Norris'] (Knoxville)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2231637' first='Lincoln' last='Norris'] (Knoxville)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2511505' first='Kaiden' last='Smith'] (Knoxville)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2731635' first='Malachi' last='Rice'] (Centerville)<br>2025 Keith Rice (Centerville)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2297904' first='Gage' last='Chance'] (Albia)<br>2025 Cael Schofield (Albia)<br>2025 Luke Wynn (Albia)<br>2025 Cooper Bradley (Albia)<br>2025 Carter Will (Davis County)<br>2025 Charlie Bigsby (Davis County)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2511586' first='Hayden' last='Utt'] (Davis County)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2617534' first='Quinten' last='Gruwell'] (Chariton)<br>2025 Brock Oxenreider (Chariton)<br>2025 Logan Shore (Chariton)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2511580' first='Cameron' last='Gibson'] (Chariton)<br>2025 Chase Hengstenberg (Cardinal)<br>2025 Brock Watson (Clarke)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->