Conference Preview: MRAC

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>The Teams</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Council Bluffs Jefferson (18-4 last season, 8.5% of scoring returning):</strong> A total of 119 points return for the Yellowjackets after they put together one of their best seasons in school history last year. Junior guard Tim Calabro (3.1), sophomore Junior Gatkuoth (1.7), and Aiden Jensen (1.6) are the top returning scorers. After winning a combined 15 games in the previous five years, last year's 18 wins looks like a bit of an aberration. Expect to see CBTJ fall pretty far back down the league standings this year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Council Bluffs Lincoln (16-7, 55.0%): </strong>The Lynx have to replace their leading scorer, Cole Arnold, who averaged over 21 points a game last season, but they bring back a pair of double-figure scorers in [player_tooltip player_id='1381403' first='Creighton' last='Bracker'] (14.7, 10.6 rebounds) and [player_tooltip player_id='1759908' first='Etienne' last='Higgins'] (11.6). Bracker is a really good rebounder on both ends of the floor and is a highly efficient interior scorer who can occasionally step out and stretch the floor. Higgins is an athletic three-level scorer who knocked down over 39% of his 3-point attempts. Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1978104' first='Easton' last='Klement'] (5.0, 3.4 assists) and sophomores [player_tooltip player_id='2617519' first='Jeremiah' last='Slaughter'] (3.1) and [player_tooltip player_id='2419843' first='Braylin' last='DeJager'] will give them three reliable ball-handlers and playmakers who can set the table for Bracker and Higgins. They probably don't have the firepower to knock off East at the top of the league, but they're probably the second best team in the conference.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Heelan (14-10, 18.1%): </strong>The Crusaders were hit hard by graduation, losing their top five scorers from last year's team. They gained a valuable transfer with the addition of North point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1765514' first='Noah' last='Conley'], who averaged 13.8 points, 2.1 assists, and 2.1 steals a game as a sophomore for the Stars, and he figures to be the leader for Heelan this season. Junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2731823' first='Kasen' last='Thomas'] (3.8) will hold down the painted area, and guard returnees [player_tooltip player_id='2420797' first='Grant' last='Whitcomb'] (3.8), Charlie Vaadrager (3.8), and Pierre Conley (1.7) will all be asked to step into bigger roles. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>LeMars (7-15, 44.7%):</strong> The Bulldogs lost their top two scorers from last year's team but bring back five key contributors in Tate Murphy (8.0), Cole Brownmiller (5.7), [player_tooltip player_id='2442406' first='Ethan' last='Utesch'] (4.5), Carter Baumgartner (4.4), and Tycen Augustine (3.2). They shot it at a high clip from 3-point range last season (37.9% as a team), and despite losing several of the players who contributed to that lofty total, they should still be able to knock down shots from distance, which will keep them in most games. They need to improve their ball security (16.5 turnovers a game) if they want to make a serious improvement.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sergeant Bluff-Luton (12-11, 37.3%):</strong> Three of the top four scorers needs to be replaced from last year's Warriors team, leaving junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1978139' first='Isaiah' last='Jervik'] as the top returnee. Fortunately for them, Jervik is a pretty darn good piece to start building around after averaging 8.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game as a sophomore. He's a talented playmaker who can impact the game in a significant way on both ends of the floor. Braulio Gonzalez (4.3), [player_tooltip player_id='2754699' first='Gavin' last='Ahrendt'] (3.0), and Joey Hardy (2.3) are the only other returnees who saw significant time last season. Expect sophomores [player_tooltip player_id='2754687' first='Ajay' last='Vander Schaaf'] and Brody Van Kalsbeek to step into much bigger roles this year alongside Jervik. Adam Vander Schaaf is one of the best coaches in the state, and he'll always have SBL ready to play at a high level. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sioux City East (21-3, 54.5%): </strong>Despite losing last year's leading scorer, the Black Raiders are without a doubt the team to beat in the MRAC. They'll be led by the Yusuf brothers - juniors [player_tooltip player_id='1765550' first='Bilal' last='Yusuf'] (11.3, 51.4 FG%) and [player_tooltip player_id='1765551' first='Naef' last='Yusuf'] (7.8), and expect to see sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2617501' first='Fami' last='Yusuf'] enter the rotation in a big way this season as well. Bilal likely leads the team in scoring, an athletic wing who can score from all three levels and he was the team's top shooter last season. Naef is another slashing wing who can get to the bucket, and Fami is a hyper-athletic, long wing who loves to play downhill. Senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1540183' first='Manasse' last='Kasongo Malu'] (10.5, 8.6 rebounds) is the team's best two-way player. He's a big, athletic forward who pounds the glass, finishes at the rim, and runs the floor hard. [player_tooltip player_id='2442409' first='Jang' last='Ruei'] (5.8, 64.0 FG%) provides more length and athleticism on the wing, and junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2520031' first='Chris' last='Loggins'] (5.2) is another good shooter who can help space the floor for the slashing wings. They're the best, deepest, and most athletic team in the conference.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sioux City North (5-17, 55.2%): </strong>The Stars lost their top two scorers from last year's team, one to transfer (Conley) and one to graduation. Juniors [player_tooltip player_id='2520040' first='Kai' last='Chamberlain'] (10.0) and Dominic Foster (7.4, 6.3 rebounds) return to lead the group, while [player_tooltip player_id='2721787' first='Josh' last='Mogensen'] (5.1) and Alex Frazee (3.0) saw time last season and also return. If Conley was back, they could've potentially been a team that could make a jump this season, but it's hard to see them jumping up and being a serious contender without him.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sioux City West (3-18, 54.8%): </strong>The Wolverines lost their top two scorers from last year's 3-win team, but bring back just about everyone else. They'll be led by the three-headed backcourt trio of [player_tooltip player_id='1951829' first='Gio' last='Vazquez'] (8.9), Tre Craft (8.4), and [player_tooltip player_id='2617525' first='Kamren' last='Hegna'] (6.0), a trio that can all play with or without the ball in their hands, giving them a number of playmakers. They'll need to cut down on the turnovers (16.6 a game) if they want to make some real improvement in the league. </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. Sioux City East<br>2. Council Bluffs Lincoln<br>3. Heelan<br>4. Sergeant Bluff-Luton<br>5. LeMars<br>6. Sioux City West<br>7. Sioux City North<br>8. Council Bluffs Jefferson</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Analysis: </strong>East looks like a pretty heavy favorite in the league this season given what they have coming back and what the rest of the league lost. If the guards at CBAL have taken another step forward, maybe the Lynx can challenge the Black Raiders.</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='1540183' first='Manasse' last='Kasongo Malu'] (Sioux City East):</strong> East looks like a pretty overwhelming favorite within the league this season, and Malu's ability to impact the game on both ends of the floor is a big reason why. A long, athletic forward who can protect the paint, score efficiently, and dominate the glass. </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='1540183' first='Manasse' last='Kasongo Malu'] (Sioux City East)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1765550' first='Bilal' last='Yusuf'] (Sioux City East)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1765551' first='Naef' last='Yusuf'] (Sioux City East)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2442409' first='Jang' last='Ruei'] (Sioux City East)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2617501' first='Fami' last='Yusuf'] (Sioux City East)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2520031' first='Chris' last='Loggins'] (Sioux City East)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1381403' first='Creighton' last='Bracker'] (Council Bluffs Lincoln)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1759908' first='Etienne' last='Higgins'] (Council Bluffs Lincoln)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='1978104' first='Easton' last='Klement'] (Council Bluffs Lincoln)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1765514' first='Noah' last='Conley'] (Heelan)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2520040' first='Kai' last='Chamberlain'] (Sioux City North)<br>2025 Dominic Foster (Sioux City North)<br>2025 Gio Vasquez (Sioux City West)<br>2025 Tre Craft (Sioux City West)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2617525' first='Kamren' last='Hegna'] (Sioux City West)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1978139' first='Isaiah' last='Jervik'] (Sergeant Bluff-Luton)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->