Preseason All-Conference Teams: NICL Central

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Preseason Player of the Year:</strong> 2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1765547' first='Benny' last='Waller'] (Aplington-Parkersburg)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A-P has pretty much controlled this division in recent years, and there's no reason to expect anything different this winter. Waller, a big-time backcourt scorer, is their top player, making this a pretty simple selection.</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='1765547' first='Benny' last='Waller'] (Aplington-Parkersburg): 20.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.3 steals, 38.8 3P%, 81.0 FT%</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A strong, quick guard who can score from all three levels, Waller led the Falcons in scoring last season and is the type of explosive scorer and playmaker who can absolutely dominate games on the offensive end.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2629262' first='Amani' last='Robinson'] (Columbus Catholic): 17.2 points, 11.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 2.0 steals, 1.5 blocks</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Robinson is a bouncy wing who can stuff the stat sheet, as evidenced by his double-double average and the peripheral stats. He can create plays off the dribble, pound the glass on both ends of the floor, and his athleticism and physicality allow him to defend multiple positions. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2425904' first='Eli' last='Evans'] (Columbus Catholic): 26.0 points, 10.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.0 steals, 1.2 blocks, 37.9 3P%, 77.2 FT%*</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Evans played his first three years at Waterloo Christian (now Cedar Ridge Christian) before transferring to Columbus for his senior year, where he'll give the Sailors a dynamic three-level scorer in the backcourt who can stuff the stat sheet in a variety of ways. He has been one of the most productive guards in small-school basketball for the last few years, and will pair with Robinson to give Columbus arguably the best one-two punch in the division.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2028 [player_tooltip player_id='2594659' first='Tyler' last='Wedeking'] (Aplington-Parkersburg): 12.6 points, 1.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 2.0 steals, 41.2 3P%, 79.4 FT%</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wedeking was really productive as a freshman for the Falcons, routinely knocking down shots from the 3-point line and showing some ability as a secondary playmaker and on-ball defender. His ability to space the floor is huge for the Falcons, allowing more room for Waller and their bigs to operate.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2724157' first='Quintin' last='Honn'] (Denver): 11.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 42.0 3P%, 77.8 FT%</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Honn had a really good sophomore year for the Cyclones as the secondary scorer, burying 42% of his 3-point attempts and showing some ability as a playmaker off the dribble. He'll have ample opportunity to both score and facilitate as a junior following the graduations of two of their top three scorers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Second Team</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2028 [player_tooltip player_id='2772327' first='Tade' last='Roberts'] (Hudson)<br>2027 Owen Hosch (Columbus Catholic)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2729418' first='Jackson' last='Joerger'] (Denver)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2887816' first='Myles' last='Matthias'] (Denver)<br>2027 Jackson Nesteby (Hudson)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Honorable Mentions</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2027 Bryce Noland (Columbus Catholic)<br>2027 Blake Delagardelle (Hudson)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2828804' first='Griffin' last='Frost'] (Columbus Catholic)<br>2026 Anderson Yoder (Hudson)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2768534' first='Jaiden' last='Soppe'] (Dike-New Hartford)<br>2026 Sully Jansen (Aplington-Parkersburg)<br>2027 Thomas Fereday (Columbus Catholic)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->