Five 2026s Off to a Great Spring Start

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>The grassroots season is a little over a month old now, so what better time is there to look at some of the early standout performers around the state? In this article, we took a look at five players who are having great starts to their 17U seasons. Of course, there are dozens of other players around the state who could have been mentioned here as well!</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>SG [player_tooltip player_id='1777914' first='Jaydon' last='Kimbrough'] | Cedar Falls | [program_tooltip program_id='2075630' first='Martin' last='Brothers']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kimbrough put together a great junior year for Cedar Falls and has followed it up with a really strong start to his final AAU season. A strong, athletic guard who can really shoot it at a high level, he has put together some big scoring efforts against some top-tier competition, getting his name on the map of colleges around the Midwest.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>SF [player_tooltip player_id='1978101' first='Quentin' last='Teeter'] | Urbandale | [program_tooltip program_id='2268289' first='Iowa' last='Battlers']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A 6-4 wing with some bounce, Teeter can get to the rim off the dribble and in transition, and he's also a dangerous shooter, especially off the catch. He had a triple-double earlier this month, putting up 17 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists in a game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>SG [player_tooltip player_id='1765541' first='Conley' last='Schauf'] | Monticello | [program_tooltip program_id='2246861' first='Murray' last='Elite'] </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Playing on a team with some Division I prospects, Schauf has stood out with his ability to shoot the ball from the 3-point line, taking advantage of the open looks that his teammates get him. He has a quick release off the catch, moves really well without the ball in his hands, and is an active defender and rebounder. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>SF [player_tooltip player_id='2724147' first='Gilbert' last='Flagel'] | Pella Christian | [program_tooltip program_id='2626519' first='Drive' last='Pro Select']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Flagel is making a name for himself early this spring for [program_tooltip program_id='2626519' first='Drive' last='Pro Select'], using his big, long frame to create quality looks for himself from anywhere on the floor. He has good size on the wing at 6-5, the length to defend a few different positions, and he's active on the glass on both ends of the floor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>SG [player_tooltip player_id='2399474' first='Sharief' last='Thomas'] | Kennedy | [program_tooltip program_id='2075572' first='Iowa' last='Prep']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long, lanky wing who can score from all three levels, Thomas has done a great job filling it up and creating plays off the dribble for his teammates early this spring for [program_tooltip program_id='2075572' first='Iowa' last='Prep']. He routinely leads the team in scoring and has put up nice assist numbers throughout the opening month of the grassroots season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->