Conference Preview: NICL East

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>The Teams</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jesup (16-10 last season, 29.5% of scoring returning): </strong>Coach Joe Smeins has done a great job with this program, turning them into a consistent contender in the NICL and an occasional 2A contender. He'll have his work cut out this year, with the J-Hawks losing their top two, and three of their top four, scorers, including do-it-all guard Ryan Treptow. Junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2906478' first='Parker' last='Masteller'] (9.7, 9.3 rebounds) is the top returnee, and he's a great place to start re-building. A mobile big man with great hands, soft touch around the rim, and good footwork, he's capable of being the anchor for the team on both ends of the floor. Gage Wymore (5.8) is the only other returnee who averaged more than 1.7 points per game last season, so there will be a lot of faces stepping into much bigger roles this winter. Expect Wymore and Masteller to be leaned upon heavily, especially early in the year while new players get acclimated to major minutes, and while the J-Hawks probably won't be contending with Union at the top of the league, this is a program that has garnered enough respect and performed at a consistently high enough level that they aren't going to bottom out.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Oelwein (3-19, 46.0%): </strong>The Huskies lost their top two scorers, and three of the top five, from last year's team, leaving Landen Whitaker (8.2) and Caleb DeTemmerman (6.9) as the top returnees. DeTemmerman was pretty good as a playmaker last season, averaging 2.5 assists per game and shooting 50% from the floor, but he'll be asked to step into a much bigger scoring and playmaking role as a senior. Whitaker shot nearly 36% from the 3-point line and will be the team's go-to scorer. Brendan Pattison (3.4) and Nolan Ingersoll (3.1) each saw a good amount of time last season and will be expected to be role players. After losing so much production from a team that won just three games last season, it's hard to see Oelwein making a move up the league standings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sumner-Fredericksburg (12-11, 45.4%): </strong>The bad news for the Cougars is that they lost 15-point scorer Tatum Nuss to graduation, and in all, four of the top seven scorers are gone. However, the cupboard isn't empty, with [player_tooltip player_id='2381214' first='Liam' last='Steege'] (10.9), Gavin Trask (9.5, 7.7 rebounds), and Kinnick Gordon (5.6, 6.0 rebounds) all set to return, giving them some real returning production and talent. The Trask-Gordon tandem will give S-F one of the best combos on the glass in the division, and when you can control the glass, you can compete on a nightly basis. Steege is a versatile scorer who looks ready to take his game to another level as a junior, emerging as the team's go-to threat. They will battle it out with Jesup and Wapsie Valley for second place behind Union this winter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Union (17-10, 81.9%): </strong>The Knights arrived a year early last season, going on a magical postseason run that included a win over a Kuemper Catholic many considered a top-2 team in the state in the substate final to reach the state tournament. They bring back all but one player from last year's roster, so they'll enter 2025-26 as one of the top teams in Class 2A and the clear favorite in this division. The one loss, Eric Neipert, is a significant one. He averaged 11.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per game last season and was the only real size that the Knights had, but this is a team loaded with guard talent. They'll play small, fast, and bury teams with their speed and bevy of shooting talent. [player_tooltip player_id='2678903' first='Tate' last='Van Dyke'] (12.2, 45.6 3P%) leads a deep stable of talented guards who can all play with or without the ball in their hands. [player_tooltip player_id='1726227' first='Caden' last='Sorensen'] (11.3, 3.7 assists) and [player_tooltip player_id='2679273' first='Maddux' last='DeWinter'] (5.3, 5.1 assists) are both good with the ball in their hands, creating plays for their teammates, and [player_tooltip player_id='1986602' first='Cameron' last='Mullen'] (10.8) and Sawyer Spencer (6.5) are both reliable scorers. With their ability to spread teams out and either get to the rim or burn you from deep, this team is going to be a beast to try and compete against on a nightly basis.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Wapsie Valley (10-13, 85.0%): </strong>The Warriors improved as the year progressed last year, as should be expected with such a young team. That improvement, and the continuity they'll have coming into this year, will benefit them this winter. They bring back their top three scorers, and eight of the top nine, from last year's team, led by the star inside-out tandem of senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1884756' first='Tanner' last='Bergmann'] (18.7, 12.5 rebounds) and senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2519981' first='Briggs' last='Boehme'] (19.4, 3.2 assists). They are great in the two-man game, both are capable of carrying the offense for stretches, and they're strong defensively. [player_tooltip player_id='2530657' first='Landen' last='Moulds'] (9.2, 35.6 3P%) is the team's top perimeter shooting threat and a reliable third scorer, and role players Braden Bantz (7.3), Bryar Bellis (4.5), and [player_tooltip player_id='2794976' first='Dawson' last='Fenton'] (3.1) all saw significant time last season. They probably don't have quite enough to knock off Union at the top of the division, but they should be the second best team in the division and a real threat to make some noise in 1A this year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Projected Order of Finish</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>1. Union<br>2. Wapsie Valley<br>3. Jesup<br>4. Sumner-Fredericksburg<br>5. Oelwein</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Analysis: </strong>Union looks like a pretty clear favorite in the division with everything they have returning to a 17-win, state qualifying team. Wapsie Valley, Jesup, and Sumner-Fredericksburg will all be competitive on a nightly basis, with the former two each capable of knocking off Union if they catch them on an off shooting night.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Preseason Player of the Year</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1884756' first='Tanner' last='Bergmann'] (Wapsie Valley): </strong>The Warriors aren't the team to beat in the division, but Union is so deep and balanced that it's hard to see any of their players separating themselves. Bergmann is a walking double-double who impacts the game in a major way on both ends of the floor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Players to Watch</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1884756' first='Tanner' last='Bergmann'] (Wapsie Valley)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2519981' first='Briggs' last='Boehme'] (Wapsie Valley)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2530657' first='Landen' last='Moulds'] (Wapsie Valley)<br>2026 Braden Bantz (Wapsie Valley)<br>2027 Bryar Bellis (Wapsie Valley)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2678903' first='Tate' last='Van Dyke'] (Union)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1726227' first='Caden' last='Sorensen'] (Union)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1986602' first='Cameron' last='Mullen'] (Union)<br>2026 Sawyer Spencer (Union)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2679273' first='Maddux' last='DeWinter'] (Union)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2906478' first='Parker' last='Masteller'] (Jesup)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2381214' first='Liam' last='Steege'] (Sumner-Fredericksburg)<br>2026 Gavin Trask (Sumner-Fredericksburg)<br>2026 Kinnick Gordon (Sumner-Fredericksburg)<br>2026 Landen Whitaker (Oelwein)<br>2026 Caleb DeTemmerman (Oelwein)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->