Conference Preview: Southeast

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>The Teams</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Burlington (5-16 last season, 48.4% of scoring returning):</strong> The Grayhounds lost their leading scorer and rebounder to graduation, but bring back the next two scorers in seniors Javion Watts (8.4) and Michael Kantzavelos (8.3), giving them a solid tandem to start building around this year. Watts is a quick guard who can play downhill and attack the rim, and Kantzavelos is their top returning shooting threat. Junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2420794' first='DaMarrius' last='Maxwell'] (4.6) will step into the primary role in the painted area after finishing second on the team in rebounding last season. After winning five games last season, winning an equal amount this year should be considered a success.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Fairfield (6-16, 54.4%):</strong> Like Burlington, Fairfield lost their leading scorer and rebounder from last year's team, and they also bring back the next two scorers. Seniors Eli Zillman (10.7, 6.0 rebounds) and Andrew Myers (7.3) give them a good tandem with experience, and junior Ethan Bisgard (6.4) is a reliable third scoring option. The Trojans did a pretty good job protecting the ball last season, giving it away 12.6 times a game, a winnable number. They'll need to improve their shooting (28.5 3P%) if they want to make a jump up the league standings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Fort Madison (13-10, 35.9%): </strong>The Bloodhounds bring back leading scorer [player_tooltip player_id='2731702' first='Nolan' last='Guzman'] (14.6, 4.1 assists) but lost the next three scorers from last year's 13-win team. Guzman is a skilled scorer and playmaker who will have the ball in his hands even more this year following the graduation of Julian Dear, who dished out more than seven assists per game. He'll be joined by junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2770487' first='Darius' last='Foy'] (7.7, 6.5 rebounds, 1.0 blocks), an athletic big man who finishes well around the rim and can protect the paint at a high level. They'll form one of the best one-two punches in the conference, and if they can get some production out of juniors Lucas Helmick and Hunter Wiegand, and sophomores Aurelio Jaciunde and Brody Ulik, each of whom saw some action last year, they'll have a chance to push Keokuk at the top of the league.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Keokuk (17-8, 44.0%): </strong>The Chiefs got a big boost, literally, when senior center Jaxon Clark (22.7, 14.4 rebounds, 2.1 blocks) reversed course and returned back to Iowa to play his senior year. He had initially gone down to Florida to play at powerhouse Montverde Academy, but came back to Keokuk, where he'll be one of the most impactful two-way players in the state. The next five scorers from last year's team graduated, leaving senior wings Chayce Smith (1.5) and Bode Beagles (1.4) as the lone non-Clark returnees with experience. The options alongside Clark will be almost entirely new, but he's far and away the best player in the conference and that will make them the favorite here.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mount Pleasant (2-20, 99.8%): </strong>All but two total points return for the Panthers from last year's team, and while they won just two games, they did play some teams tough and should be improved this year. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2886850' first='Aiden' last='Humble'] (10.6, 36.1 3P%) is a good shooting threat, as are [player_tooltip player_id='2772334' first='Ryan' last='Helling'] (9.2, 37.6 3P%) and [player_tooltip player_id='2731792' first='Ian' last='Reid'] (8.2, 43.3 3P%). [player_tooltip player_id='2731795' first='Noah' last='Lange'] (9.7, 7.7 rebounds, 1.1 blocks) is an active 6-7 big man with length and the ability to protect the rim. The biggest issue for the Panthers last season was turnovers, giving it away 17.6 times a game. If they can get that down to 11-12 giveaways a night, they'll be much more competitive and could be a team that pushes for a top-2 finish in the league after winning just two games last season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Washington (9-14, 56.8%): </strong>The Demons lost leading scorer Logan McDole to graduation, the lone double-figure scorer on last year's team. They do bring back the next three scorers - [player_tooltip player_id='2419825' first='Nic' last='Stone'] (9.8), Drew Conrad (9.1), and Rajan Roth (7.9) - giving them a quality trio to build this year's roster around. Stone is the team's top shooting threat. Conrad is the team's top returnee in assists, and will be joined by Kael Williams (5.6) in the backcourt. And Roth is the team's top interior option and rebounder. This should be a pretty balanced group with a number of scoring options, and if they can improve their ball security a bit, they'll have a chance to jump up and win the league.</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. Keokuk<br>2. Washington<br>3. Fort Madison<br>4. Mount Pleasant<br>5. Fairfield<br>6. Burlington</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Analysis:</strong> This is a pretty open league, with each team having some real flaws. Keokuk has one of the best players in the state and is the favorite, but Washington, Fort Madison, and even 2-win Mount Pleasant could be threats to jump up and challenge the Chiefs this year.</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 Jaxon Clark (Keokuk): </strong>Clark moving back up to Keokuk makes this perhaps the easiest pick of any conference in the state. He's a future Division I big man playing in a league where he's far and away the most talented player.</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 Jaxon Clark (Keokuk)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2731702' first='Nolan' last='Guzman'] (Fort Madison)<br>2026 Eli Zillman (Fairfield)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2886850' first='Aiden' last='Humble'] (Mount Pleasant)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2731795' first='Noah' last='Lange'] (Mount Pleasant)<br>2028 [player_tooltip player_id='2772334' first='Ryan' last='Helling'] (Mount Pleasant)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2731792' first='Ian' last='Reid'] (Mount Pleasant)<br>2028 Isaiah Lange (Mount Pleasant)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2419825' first='Nic' last='Stone'] (Washington)<br>2026 Drew Conrad (Washington)<br>2026 Rajan Roth (Washington)<br>2206 Kael Williams (Washington)<br>2026 Javion Watts (Burlington)<br>2026 Michael Kantzavelos (Burlington)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2420794' first='DaMarrius' last='Maxwell'] (Burlington)<br>2026 Andrew Myers (Fairfield)<br>2027 Ethan Bisgard (Fairfield)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->