Preseason All-Conference Teams: Heart of Iowa

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Preseason Player of the Year: </strong>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2287857' first='Brayden' last='Hoben'] (Grand View Christian)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Thunder are far-and-away the best team in the HOIC this season, and Hoben is their most impactful two-way player, making this a pretty easy selection. After putting up 17-9-5 last season, he'll put up even bigger numbers as a senior for GVC.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>First Team</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2287857' first='Brayden' last='Hoben'] (Grand View Christian): 17.3 points, 8.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.0 steals, 2.2 blocks, 51.5 FG%, 77.3 FT%</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hoben was fantastic last season and will be even better as a senior following the graduation of Emiliano Barrantes. A big, athletic 6-5/6-6 forward who can dominate the games on both ends of the floor, he's an explosive finisher around the rim, a good shooter, and a gifted playmaker and passer. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2413533' first='Jameson' last='Scharnberg'] (Grand View Christian): 15.6 points, 1.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 2.0 steals, 48.5 FG%, 38.9 3P%</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Scharnberg will pair with Hoben to give the Thunder the best one-two punch in the conference, and one of the best in 2A. He's a skilled shooter off both the dribble and the catch, getting the ball into his shooting pocket quickly off the bounce and he has unlimited range. He sees the floor well and is a talented passer who does a great job protecting the ball, posting a 2.53 assist-to-turnover ratio.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1765535' first='John' last='Nelson'] (Nevada): 15.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.9 steals, 2.5 blocks</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Nelson is one of the most impactful two-way players in not just the conference, but in 3A as a whole. A 6-4 combo forward who can protect the rim at a high level, turning away 2.5 shots per game last season, he's also a versatile, athletic scorer and playmaker who can create with the ball in his hands.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2420787' first='Brady' last='Hicks'] (Saydel): 14.8 points, 9.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A big, skilled combo forward, Hicks nearly averaged a double-double last season and can also get his teammates involved as a passer out of the post and high-post areas. He has good size, rebounds really well on both ends of the floor, and is a good finisher around the rim who can also step out and space the floor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2731871' first='Gustavo' last='Drahos'] (Perry): 14.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 3.0 steals</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A skilled, quick 5-10 guard who thrives using his speed to play downhill and get into the teeth of the defense where he can either score or find open teammates, Drahos will have the ball in his hands even more as a senior following the graduations of the Bluejays top two scorers from last season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Second Team</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2754727' first='Luke' last='Thoreson'] (Roland-Story)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2731882' first='Gage' last='Moreno'] (Saydel)<br>2026 Chase Wagaman (PCM)<br>2026 Thomas Childs (Grand View Christian)<br>2026 Drake Hinson (Nevada)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Honorable Mentions</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2026 Sam Koehnk (South Hamilton)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2906523' first='Benjamin' last='Weiss'] (Nevada)<br>2026 Gavin Egeland (Nevada)<br>2026 Broc Stream (Greene County)<br>2028 Benjamin Swenson (South Hamilton)<br>2026 Cody Long (Roland-Story)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2906518' first='Eli' last='Van Hove'] (Roland-Story)<br>2026 Alex Wendt (PCM)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->