Area Rankings: Top 10 2027 Prospects in Southwest Iowa

Blum is one of the top football and basketball prospects in the state's 2027 class, an elite athlete blessed with the physical attributes to dominate games on both playing fields. He has great length, is a bouncy athlete, and can play with or without the ball in his hands. He averaged 14.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.7 steals per game on 53% shooting as a sophomore for the Tigers and will step into a primary scoring role as a junior.     Slaughter was really good as a sophomore for the Lynx, averaging 10.8 points and 1.8 assists per game on 45-44-60 shooting spilts, and he followed that up with a strong spring and summer with Southwest Iowa Select. He's a quick, long guard who uses his size to his advantage, seeing over his defender or knocking down shots over them. He shoots it really well off both the dribble and the catch and is also a really good on-ball defender with great lateral movement.     A quick, intelligent guard who does a great job attacking the defense off the dribble, Harder put up big numbers as a sophomore for the Trojans, averaging 19.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 3.8 steals per game. He plays with pace, changing speeds well, and does a great job putting his teammates in positions to succeed.     DeJager will pair with Slaughter to give the Lynx a pair of dynamic playmakers in the backcourt. He's a quick guard who puts constant pressure on opposing players on both ends of the floor with his speed. He handles it well, sees the floor, and has quick hands and feet as an on-ball defender. He averaged 5.5 points and 1.7 assists per game as a sophomore and will be an even bigger factor for CBAL as a junior.     An athletic, slashing guard, Gatkuouth led the Yellow Jackets in scoring as a sophomore, putting up 14.0 points per game. He's a capable perimeter shooting threat, shooting 34.4% from the 3-point line, but he's at his best when he's using his speed and ball-handling to get by the defense and get to the rim.     Klaassen had a great sophomore year for the Cyclones, emerging as a strong secondary scorer in averaging 13.4 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game on 41% shooting from the arc. He shoots it really well from the 3-point line, doing so at a high clip off both the dribble and the catch.     A stat-sheet stuffing guard who impacts the game on both ends of the floor, Driskell put up 11.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.7 steals per game on 45-36-61 shooting as a sophomore. He put together a nice spring and summer with Waukee JAM and will become the go-to scorer for the Panthers as a junior.     Schaben was productive as a sophomore for the Titans, averaging 10.0 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, using his size, length, and athleticism to control the glass on both ends of the floor. He has a nose for the ball, and the length to defend multiple positions.     A high-volume scorer who can play with or without the ball in his hands, Camden averaged a team-high 15.6 points per game for the Wolverines as a sophomore. He's small, listed at 5-7, but he's really quick with the ball in his hands, and can get to his spots off of good off-ball movement and knock down shots off the catch at a high clip.     Montgomery was dominant as a sophomore for the Tigers, averaging 15.5 points and 13.1 rebounds per game. He's a high-level rebounder with a great second jump, and he's tenacious on the glass on both ends of the floor, pulling down 5.5 offensive boards a game last season. After his performance at our Expo earlier this month, routinely knocking down shots off the catch from the arc, showing some real improvement as a shooter, he's due for a pretty substantial jump up the 2027 rankings when they are updated at the winter break.