Conference Preview: MAC

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>The Teams</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Assumption (13-11 last season, 22.3% of scoring returning): </strong>The Knights lost the top four scorers from last year's team, but bring back a pair of talented senior guards in [player_tooltip player_id='2717164' first='Henry' last='Stremlow'] (8.8, 52.5 FG%) and [player_tooltip player_id='1552452' first='Synceare' last='Simons'] (6.6, 5.0 rebounds), giving them a pair of solid pieces to build around. Stremlow is a talented guard who can play with or without the ball in his hands, knocking down shots from distance, while Simons is an athletic, slashing guard who likes to play downhill and use his creativity to score or get his teammates involved. [player_tooltip player_id='2629862' first='O'Ryan' last='Rowe'] (2.0) saw some time last season and returns as well in the backcourt. The Knights have had just one losing season during the Bound era, and despite losing a lot of production from last year's team, as a parochial school in a highly populated area, they'll probably find some new pieces to fill in the gaps and remain competitive. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bettendorf (15-8, 11.9%): </strong>The Bulldogs lost their top five scorers to graduation leaving seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2419216' first='Teral' last='Burge'] (3.4), Wyatt James (1.8), Ben Koerperick (1.3), and Cam Schupham (1.3) as the top returnees. Burge is a quick guard who can create plays off the dribble, and he'll step into a primary ball-handling role. The 'Dogs will get a boost with the addition of North Scott transfer [player_tooltip player_id='2754678' first='Michael' last='Gordon'], who averaged 8.4 points and shot 43% from the 3-point line as a sophomore for the Lancers. He'll probably end up being this group's leading scorer. Like Assumption, Bettendorf is a program that pretty routinely competes at a high level no matter who they have back.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Central DeWitt (13-12, 35.7%):</strong> The Sabers lost their top two scorers, who took a combined 31.5 points per game with them. The good news is that three key contributors return in seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2731756' first='Hudson' last='Krukow'] (7.2, 6.2 rebounds), [player_tooltip player_id='1765533' first='Brady' last='Meadows'] (6.9, 4.2 assists), and [player_tooltip player_id='2887814' first='Cal' last='Kueter'] (5.3). Krukow will probably be their leading scorer, a big combo forward who can score inside and out, get his teammates involved, and control the glass. Meadows is a small guard, but he's talented, able to create quality looks off the dribble. Ashton Schneider (3.6) is another capable returnee who can step into a few additional rotation minutes and be productive. The Sabers probably don't have the top-end talent to compete at the top of the league, but they should be a pretty tough team to beat, especially come 3A postseason play. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Clinton (1-21, 59.8%): </strong>The River Kings struggled last season, posting a -20.6 point differential and winning just one game, the final game of the regular season against Davenport Central. They bring back two of their top three scorers in junior [player_tooltip player_id='2420796' first='Cole' last='Shannon'] (12.5) and senior Marshall Johnson (8.5, 6.1 rebounds), giving them a good duo to build around. [player_tooltip player_id='1978129' first='Kade' last='Wheatley'] (4.5) and Konnor Schroeder (4.2) were also solid contributors last season and are back. The Kings will get an additional boost with the transfer of [player_tooltip player_id='2419756' first='Blayn' last='Robinson'], a big 6-7 forward from Central DeWitt who can impact the game on both ends of the floor. He should be able to step in and become a contributor immediately. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Davenport Central (16-8, 49.6%):</strong> Leading scorer [player_tooltip player_id='1978112' first='Carter' last='Light'] (17.0) returns to lead the Blue Devils after a highly successful junior year as a three-level scorer. [player_tooltip player_id='2419947' first='Zayne' last='Bowen'] (6.4, 4.5 rebounds), [player_tooltip player_id='2754667' first='Jassiah' last='Harris'] (2.8), and Tristan Johnson (2.1) all saw a good amount of time last season and also return to provide some valuable experience. Light will once again be one of the top players in the league, but how successful Central ultimately is this year will come down to how the other rotation pieces fill in and perform around him. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Davenport North (16-8, 48.3%):</strong> The Wildcats lost the top two, and three of the top five, scorers from last year's group but bring back several key contributors and add a pair of really talented transfers. [player_tooltip player_id='2731773' first='Johnale' last='Johnson Jr'] (10.4) is the top returning scorer, an athletic guard who can score from all three levels. He shot over 39% from the 3-point line last season, and is able to use the threat of his shot to open up the rest of his arsenal. Jimmy Carter (7.9), [player_tooltip player_id='2886884' first='David' last='Joiner'] (7.2), Mekhai Richardson (3.5), and Jamauri Walton (2.8) are all good athletes who can contribute in a number of ways on both ends of the floor and should be key rotation pieces as well. The 'Cats best player, however, will be North Scott transfer [player_tooltip player_id='2595605' first='MarQwan' last='Morgan'], our top-ranked player in the class of 2028, holding a few Division I offers already. He averaged 13.2 points and 2.6 assists as a freshman for the Lancers and is the type of shifty, athletic guard who can score from anywhere and take over a game as a scorer, defender, or facilitator. His brother [player_tooltip player_id='2595698' first='Marcus' last='Morgan Jr'] averaged 6.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, and shot 51% from the 3-point line as a freshman, and is a bouncy, physical athlete who can defend multiple positions. The additions of the Morgan brothers, with the returning talent, should keep North near the top of the MAC and they have to be considered a threat to make a state tournament run if everything comes together.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Davenport West (3-19, 33.4%): </strong>The Falcons lost both double-figure scorers and three of their top four from a team that won just three games last season. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2731774' first='Caden' last='Green'] (7.7, 5.0 rebounds) and wing [player_tooltip player_id='2204877' first='Juelz' last='Coney'] (5.6, 5.6 rebounds) are the top two returnees, giving them a pair of perimeter threats who can play downhill and get to the rim, and both are good rebounders from the perimeter. Not much else is back for the Falcons, but there is some young talent in the program to be excited about in sophomores Carter Reader, [player_tooltip player_id='2763180' first='Larenzo' last='Robinson'], and Rayvon Dunbar Wilson. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Muscatine (18-4, 47.4%): </strong>The Muskies' 18 wins last season were just eight less than they had in the previous six seasons combined. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1574870' first='Spencer' last='Biah'] (10.2, 55.6 FG%) is the top returning scorer. He's a quick guard who can play downhill and attack the bucket as well as create plays for his teammates. [player_tooltip player_id='2419783' first='Sam' last='Church'] (10.1, 51.3 FG%) is a 6-4 combo forward who can score inside and out as well as defend multiple positions, and Gaige Curtis (6.4) and [player_tooltip player_id='1868399' first='Nate' last='Lukkarinen'] (3.7, 2.9 assists) are both quality role players who saw plenty of time last season. The Muskies will get a big boost as well from the re-addition of [player_tooltip player_id='1517427' first='Talan' last='Becker'], who appeared in just six games last season due to injury. Becker, a 6-4 wing, is arguably the Muskies' best player. He can score inside and out, create quality looks off the dribble for himself and his teammates, and is a long, versatile defender. Getting him back into the rotation will be a massive boost for the Muskies. They should battle it out with North Scott and Davenport North at the top of the league. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>North Scott (12-11, 54.7%): </strong>There was quite a bit of hype surrounding the Lancers going into last season. They probably didn't quite live up to expectations, but this is a new year. They lost quite a bit of production to transfer, with [player_tooltip player_id='2595605' first='MarQwan' last='Morgan'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2595698' first='Marcus' last='Morgan Jr'] heading to Davenport North, and [player_tooltip player_id='2754678' first='Michael' last='Gordon'] going to Bettendorf, but they still bring back a lot of talent. They'll once again be led by nationally ranked prospect [player_tooltip player_id='2309944' first='Josiah' last='Harrington'] (19.0, 53.4 FG%), a highly skilled wing who has committed to play his college ball at Iowa State. The junior is as smooth as they come and looks primed for a massive year. [player_tooltip player_id='2107245' first='Zane' last='Rus'] (8.3, 45.2 3P%) is another big wing who can really shoot it from the arc, and sophomore lead guard [player_tooltip player_id='2523928' first='Vasaun' last='Wilmington'] (4.7) could be in line for a major breakout this year with the opportunity to have the ball in his hands on every possession. He's a quick, shifty guard with the ball on a string, elite vision, and he's a talented shotmaker. [player_tooltip player_id='2419854' first='Drew' last='Fischer'] (3.3) and [player_tooltip player_id='2116035' first='Miller' last='Haedt'] (2.1) are both junior wings who can do a bit of everything on both ends of the floor and will fill in their roles well. This is still the most talented team in the league, and should be considered the team to beat.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Pleasant Valley (13-10, 53.8%):</strong> Few programs in the state have won at such a consistently high level as Pleasant Valley, with last year's 13-win season matching their worst season in the Bound era, which dates back to 2008-09. Senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2740205' first='Devin' last='Harper'] (10.0, 7.1 rebounds) was good as a junior, leading the Spartans in scoring and rebounding. [player_tooltip player_id='2754686' first='Cayson' last='Neely'] (7.8, 37.7 3P%) is the team's best shooting threat, and returnees Bryce Langan (7.0) and [player_tooltip player_id='2887793' first='Gavin' last='Kettmann'] (6.3, 3.2 assists) give them some more scoring and experience. The rest of the rotation will be filled with new faces, but this is a program that routinely defends, shares the ball, and wins at a high level. Expect a bit of a bounce back, getting into the range of 16-18 wins this season.</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. North Scott<br>2. Muscatine<br>3. Davenport North<br>4. Pleasant Valley<br>5. Davenport Central<br>6. Bettendorf<br>7. Central DeWitt<br>8. Assumption<br>9. Clinton<br>10. Davenport West</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Analysis: </strong>The top four in the league can probably be put in just about any order, but we'll side with North Scott, the team with the most talented player. All four will be threats to make a run to Des Moines.</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>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2309944' first='Josiah' last='Harrington'] (North Scott): </strong>The Iowa State commit is a nationally ranked prospect on a team that should be the top team in the league this winter. Easy selection here.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Players to Watch</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2309944' first='Josiah' last='Harrington'] (North Scott)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2107245' first='Zane' last='Rus'] (North Scott)<br>2028 [player_tooltip player_id='2523928' first='Vasaun' last='Wilmington'] (North Scott)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1978112' first='Carter' last='Light'] (Davenport Central)<br>2028 [player_tooltip player_id='2595605' first='MarQwan' last='Morgan'] (Davenport North)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2731773' first='Johnale' last='Johnson Jr'] (Davenport North)<br>2026 Jimmy Carter (Davenport North)<br>2028 [player_tooltip player_id='2595698' first='Marcus' last='Morgan Jr'] (Davenport North)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2886884' first='David' last='Joiner'] (Davenport North)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2419783' first='Sam' last='Church'] (Muscatine)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1574870' first='Spencer' last='Biah'] (Muscatine)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1517427' first='Talan' last='Becker'] (Muscatine)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2420796' first='Cole' last='Shannon'] (Clinton)<br>2026 Marshall Johnson (Clinton)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2740205' first='Devin' last='Harper'] (Pleasant Valley)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2754686' first='Cayson' last='Neely'] (Pleasant Valley)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2754678' first='Michael' last='Gordon'] (Bettendorf)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2717164' first='Henry' last='Stremlow'] (Assumption)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2731774' first='Caden' last='Green'] (Davenport West)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2731756' first='Hudson' last='Krukow'] (Central DeWitt)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1765533' first='Brady' last='Meadows'] (Central DeWitt)<br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->