Preseason All-Conference Teams: MVC Valley

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Preseason Player of the Year: </strong>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1765553' first='William' last='Gerdes'] (Cedar Falls)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The division race between Cedar Falls and Prairie is going to be a lot of fun to watch this winter, but the best player on either of those teams is Gerdes, making him the selection here. </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='1765553' first='William' last='Gerdes'] (Cedar Falls): 16.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 2.0 blocks, 65.9 FG%, 44.4 3P%</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A versatile 6-8/6-9 lefty forward who can score on the block or step out and space the floor, Gerdes is headed to play his college ball at Northern Iowa. He sees the floor well out of the post and high-post areas and can protect the rim at a high level, using his length and timing to impact the game defensively.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1777914' first='Jaydon' last='Kimbrough'] (Cedar Falls): 12.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.6 steals, 51.0 FG%, 40.2 3P%</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the purest shooters in the state, Kimbrough will soon join a rapidly growing list of players in the 2026 class to commit to a Division 1 program (he has made his decision, just hasn't publicly announced it yet). He moves extremely well without the ball in his hands, has a quick release, and is also more than capable of taking defenders off the dribble and creating his own shot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2419791' first='Austin' last='Joens'] (Prairie): 11.9 points, 2.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 41.7 3P%, 88.2 FT%</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As mentioned in the POY blurb, this division is going to come down to Prairie and Cedar Falls. If Prairie is going to break through and win the division, it will be in large part because of Joens, an electric shooting threat off both the dribble and the catch who can also create plays off the dribble.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2028 [player_tooltip player_id='2523925' first='Trae' last='Fields'] (Cedar Rapids Washington): 17.6 points, 1.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.9 steals</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The leading returning scorer in the division, Fields was our pick for Freshman of the Year last season around the state. He was fantastic for the Warriors, routinely putting up huge scoring games on a very talented, but very young, team. He has the ball on a string, has a great first step, and despite his smaller stature he's a really good finisher around the rim.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2023719' first='Will' last='Wehr'] (Prairie): 11.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 48.8 3P%, 90.9 FT%</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Like his teammate Joens, Wehr is a fantastic shooter who had several massive games throughout the summer with [program_tooltip program_id='2246861' first='Murray' last='Elite'], knocking down 8 or 9 3s in a single game. His ability to space the floor and open up space for his other talented teammates to operate is rivaled by few in the state. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Second Team</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1765505' first='Parker' last='Berns'] (Cedar Falls)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2731768' first='Christopher' last='Watkins'] (City)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1978134' first='Connor' last='Walsh'] (Wahlert Catholic)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2419754' first='Quantae' last='Alexander'] (Prairie)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1765549' first='Leyton' last='Wolf'] (Cedar Falls)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Honorable Mentions</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2026 Jordan Plummer (Hempstead)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2731874' first='David' last='Fason'] (Prairie)<br>2028 [player_tooltip player_id='2772342' first='Brian' last='Robertson'] (Cedar Rapids Washington)<br>2027 WIlliam Rahe (Cedar Rapids Washington)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2419840' first='Cayden' last='Larson'] (Prairie)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2420800' first='Zion' last='Cook-Berns'] (Waterloo West)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1978117' first='Davion' last='Luckett'] (City)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2906423' first='Jayden' last='Faulkner'] (Cedar Rapids Jefferson)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2370429' first='Peter' last='Wedewer'] (Wahlert Catholic)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2125122' first='Derrick' last='Akines'] Jr (Waterloo West)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->